President George W.?Bush likes to say that his job is to confront big problems, not leave them to those who follow. As he prepares to deliver the State of the Union address he has been forced to tackle the issues bequeathed him by the man who has occupied the White House for the past five years: himself.

The sixth year of a two-term presidency is a critical time. It offers a last chance to shape the domestic political agenda and exploit the bully pulpit of moral leadership before attention is diverted to the succession battle. The approach of mid-term elections is making the opposition party unco-operative and the governing party timid and disinclined to embrace radical initiatives.