The President also will be submitting a budget to Congress in the days after the State of the Union in which many of the issues you talked about will be articulated there.
Q Is it accurate to say that in such hot-button issues as price indexing, or having a higher income threshold subject to a payroll tax, that issues like this will, at the end of tomorrow night's speech, it still will not be clear to us the President's position on this, and that these are the types of issues that he wants to work with Congress on?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think the best way I can describe it is by the end of the speech it will be clear to the Congress and to the public that the President is going to be inviting on this, that he's welcoming ideas and solutions across-the-board that can help permanently fix the system. We're not at the point where we want to be ruling things out, above and beyond the principles he's already, obviously, articulated. But, again, as I said, I firmly believe by the end of this speech that people will recognize the seriousness of the President's intent, his willingness to work with both parties, and the types of issues that he believes we have an obligation to confront.
Q On the Middle East peace process, are we going to hear some new ideas about how to move forward?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, he'll definitely talk about the opportunities that are presented in the region based upon the short progress we've made in the wake of the Palestinian elections. He will talk about the efforts that are before us as we go forward. As you know, Secretary Rice will be traveling to Europe and to the region. You can expect him to talk about some of those things, and why he's optimistic about the future.
So he will put it on top of the agenda with other important items of foreign policy and why he's so passionate about it. I think it will be clear not only to the American people, but people all around the world that this President puts a high priority on Middle East peace.
Q Will there be any direct reference to the other countries that this administration thinks are after weapons of mass destruction or terrorism, like Iran,Syria,North Korea, again?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, again, as I mentioned earlier, he'll be talking about why it's important for countries to work together to not only confront the challenges we have, but seek new opportunities in parts of the world that can help better the lives of many people. And there are difficult issues before us with particular countries that he's discussed in past State of the Union, and you can probably expect him -- he'll be specific in talking about some of those that -- the highly recognizable ones, going forward.
Q You said in your intro that the President will be talking about the way the personal accounts will work. Will that include a discussion of what choices will be limited -- how choices will be limited as people create these private accounts and put money into them?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I think what you can expect is that he'll flesh out some of his thinking on how he would think they would work, some of the principles that will guide us in that regard, some new detail with regards to the account. But, yes, I think it will show what his preference is in how they're structured, how they would operate, and how they'd be accessible to future generations. So expect more detail on that -- in that way.
Q Will he be as specific --
Q -- former model --
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: He has mentioned that in the past as an area of experience that federal employees and members of Congress have, and it's given some interesting indicators about how maybe the system could be put forward going forward.
Q Will he be specific in that proposal on privatization to say people under the age of 45, for example, could contribute to these accounts, but people above the age of 45 could not? Would he have that kind of --
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, again, on the personal accounts and accessibility on how they would be created and how they would be set up are things that you will hear more detail about tomorrow night.
Q In the five-state trip, how does the President going into states where he's basically taunting Democrats, encouraging them to work with him?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Again, I think one thing that is important is that this is very early in the process. Obviously, this is in the wake of the State of the Union, but as we mentioned earlier to Keith, this is a long process that's going to take considerable education efforts by the President, as well as traveling the country to demonstrate to the public and the Congress that it's important.
Some of the states focused on now are not based on vote count lists, obviously, because we don't know the votes, but you'll see that the tone and tenor of the President's comments in the days after is going to be inviting, it's going to be why we think it's an issue that we all should face. He believes those are states in which he hopes to gain the support of members of Congress. Obviously, all the states we go to and discuss with we hope will encourage members of Congress to join him in this effort. But it's not going to be a -- you know, like a -- like I said, it's going to be encouraging, not disparaging towards those people who represent those states.
Q So Ken Conrad and Blanche Lincoln, for instance, should be encouraged that the President comes to their states --
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Absolutely. (Laughter.)
Q -- that he wants to work with them, is what --
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, I think -- judge him by what he says. And I think he will, as he has carried out these debates on issues in the past, he doesn't go in there and attack people from the other party. He doesn't go in there and say that they're wrong on these issues. He goes in there and talks about why he believes his program is the right way, and helps -- invites people to join him in that cause.
Q So have those Democratic senators been invited to join the President?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hold on a second.
Q Guests in the box to make any of those points? Anyone regarding Social Security or --
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, we'll put out the list as we do every year, next year [sic], and I think, as usual, they will reflect the priorities of this President.
Q Old people? (Laughter.)
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Are you available? (Laughter.)
Q Given that, then, the encouragement that these Democratic senators should feel, have they been invited to be there with the President at these events?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I'll have to check on that. I hope. I'll have to check on that.
Q In his inaugural address, the President had messages for unnamed reformers, unnamed tyrants. Condi Rice, however, mentioned specific outposts of tyranny and named names. Any chance -- you said the President is going to be specific about the highly significant ones. Can you give us anything more than that? I mean, is he going to name the outposts of tyranny? Can we expect that phrase? Is he going to point to any specific countries?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I would not expect that phrase.
Q Any specific country names?
SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, he will -- like I said, there are issues in which there are -- diplomacy is very much at the forefront and, obviously, in the minds of not only the public here, but across the Atlantic when it comes to Iran and North Korean issues that the President has talked about in past State of the Union address, and I think it would be remiss if he didn't talk about it in this one.
Q Along the lines of the State of the Union being a blueprint for the inaugural goals, will he offer up specific carrots and sticks, incentives, a la the Millennium Challenge Account, things like this, that could be used to help countries see his view and open up a little more?
