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Bush to say nation 'preparing'Aide: State of the Union will not be a 'declaration'
From Dana Bash
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush will use his State of the Union address Tuesday night to tell the American people the prospect for war with Iraq is "very real," say White House officials. The president will not issue any sort of declaration of war at that time, said White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett. "[The president] understands and sees this as a real opportunity to talk about that fact that we are a nation preparing for a potential war," Bartlett told reporters. "This is an opportunity for him to talk directly to the public about the prospect of war, to talk about why the world came together in the first place requiring the disarmament of this regime," Bartlett said. "This is not a declaration speech. This is not a speech where he will be declaring war." The president will emphasize that the impasse with Iraq is in its "last diplomatic phase," Bartlett said. The president rehearsed the speech at the White House, using a TelePrompTer, and will work on the speech again Sunday and Monday. A senior administration official said the speech will be split about equally between domestic and international issues. Bush has been under pressure from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to do a better job of outlining the case against Iraq. Various polls have shown that the public remains skittish about the prospect of war with Iraq, and the administration faces skepticism among some European allies about a possible military strike against Baghdad. (Iraq Tracker) With the prospect of military action looming, the senior administration official said Bush realizes many Americans will watch the address, and the president plans to outline the potential threat posed by Iraq. He will talk about the fact that the Iraqi regime has "30,000 warheads" and "thousands of dangerous toxins that can kill millions of Americans," the official said. The official did not rule out the possibility that the president would offer new evidence to prove his argument that the Iraqi regime is a threat to the world, but the official said the speech is not designed "to lay out a whole new different case in the middle of this." More 'axis of evil' topicsBush will also address North Korea and Iran, two other countries he labeled -- along with Iraq -- as an "axis of evil" in last year's State of the Union message. The president will give an update on the war on terrorism as well, discussing possible threats at home and emphasizing that the unconventional nature of the conflict means that progress is not always visible, the official said. On the domestic side, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Bush will also talk about health care and the need to make the country a "more caring, compassionate place." "The president views [the] State of the Union as a moment to talk about the big challenges, the major challenges our nation faces at home and abroad," Fleischer said Friday. "He sees it as an opportunity for this generation and for people who are in office today to face up to these challenges and to deal with them, not to pass them on to future generations." The president will also promote his $674 billion economic plan, according to the senior administration source, which includes elimination of the tax on dividends and pushing up the effective dates of tax cuts previously enacted. Without giving specific details, the official also said Bush will offer new ideas for helping those in "pockets of despair" who have not "found the American dream."
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