Bush to laud Iraqi elections in State of the Union address

President George Bush is set to hail the elections in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories as evidence democracy is expanding, as part of his State of the Union address tonight.

He will also reaffirm his commitment to using diplomacy to deter the nuclear ambitions of North Korea and Iran and push his plans to reform the US social security system in his 40-minute speech before the US Congress and a televised audience.