Bush will face political reality check after speech.

Byline: Tamara Lytle

WASHINGTON _ President Bush will have no problem winning applause and accolades Wednesday when he delivers his State of the Union speech to Congress.

It's the next day that Bush needs to worry about _ when the state of political reality sets in.

After a first term in which Bush got much of what he wanted from Congress, lawmakers and political scientists expect a different balance of power now. The reasons include the president's lame-duck status, restlessness by conservatives and the enormous skepticism greeting his attempts to overhaul Social Security.

"There are people in the House who feel like they were pulling a sled uphill at times, feeling like we had to re-elect the president," said Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., of Bush's first four years. Now, Feeney says, "there is more of a sense in Congress it's our responsibility to reassert the congressional prerogative."

Bush will not appear on the ballot again, and Vice President Dick Cheney has ruled out running in four years. That means the Republicans who control Congress "don't see their destinies as closely tied to his anymore," said Karen Hult, political scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

And before long, Bush's agenda will have to compete with those of potential 2008 presidential contenders such as Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee.