Bush Travel Plans Push Back State Of The Union?

President Bush’s final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, initially set for Jan. 22, has been moved to Jan. 28, according to the White House and congressional insiders.

Bush has already announced plans to travel to the Middle East in January, with expected stops in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

And since Bush will be out of the country, the State of the Union — known about Capitol Hill as “SOTU” — will be moved back six days. The House and Senate are set to begin the second session of the 110th Congress on Jan. 15.

“Yes, it was rescheduled for the president’s trip,” said White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore, who would not discuss the schedule for Bush’s trip.

Bush is eyeing a lot of foreign travel during his last year in office; in addition to his Middle East trip, plans include visits to China, Japan, Africa and South America.