In the first State of the Union address of his second term, U.S. President George W. Bush laid out an ambitious agenda that is designed to transform his country and the world. The speech marked the opening volley in Mr. Bush's attempt to shape his legacy. He reveled in the victory afforded by Iraq's elections, held only days before, yet warned that the war on terrorism will continue. In both domestic and foreign policy, the president walks a fine line: He wants to claim that the United States is better off after four years of his presidency, but he also must lay the foundation for fundamental change. It is a difficult balancing act.

Unlike his previous State of the Union addresses, Mr. Bush began this year's with, and devoted more than half his speech to, domestic policy. It has become commonplace for the president to use the speech to unveil a number of initiatives, and Mr. Bush did not disappoint. They included calls for tax reform, changes in immigration law, a constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman -- a nod to religious conservatives, a key constituency -- and support for a "culture of life" that would shape medical practices. In an effort to get government spending under control, he said the budget he will propose next week will either substantially reduce or eliminate more than 150 programs.

As anticipated, the centerpiece of his domestic agenda is reinventing Social Security, typically thought of as "the third rail" of U.S. politics in that attempts to change it are invariably fatal to the offending politician. It is a mark of his determination that Mr. Bush is forging ahead with plans for an overhaul of the system. Still, conscious of growing opposition, Mr. Bush is extremely careful in how he presents his reforms. He no longer uses words like "crisis" or "privatization," and he has been reluctant to commit himself to specific proposals. Yet Mr. Bush appears determined to move forward despite shrinking support from even within his own party.