WASHINGTON - President Bush vowed Wednesday to pursue second-term goals of reforming the tax code, partially privatizing Social Security and spreading democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan, an agenda that Republicans say will be constrained by the consequences of his first four years in office: the war in Iraq, widespread distrust of the United States abroad and yawning budget deficits at home. With bigger Republican congressional majorities and a decisive victory in the popular vote, Bush heads into a second term with a clearer mandate and greater power than he did in 2000 to put a conservative, free-market stamp on U.S. domestic and foreign policy.

The president and his advisers interpreted Tuesday's election results as a ringing endorsement of his goals of reducing the size of government, providing taxpayers greater control over their income and continuing, if not intensifying, the war on terror and other security threats.

Vice President Dick Cheney on Wednesday claimed a "mandate" for change. Aides say Bush plans to pursue his campaign agenda early and aggressively. Republican lawmakers say the president has a window of six months to one year to leverage his popularity and begin the difficult process of reforming the tax code or Social Security before GOP congressional members start worrying about midterm elections in 2006 or the 2008 presidential race.

"My concern is a lot of Republicans will not boldly embrace the president's plan for tax reform and Social Security" as elections draw near, said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. "We have six months to give the president a legacy he will be proud of. "A bigger concern for some is the potential for problems in Iraq -- or the emergence of new ones in Iran or elsewhere -- to distract the White House.

In the weeks ahead, Bush faces tough choices: how to decide spending and troop levels in Iraq; how to deal with the Iraqi elections, if they take place, in January; and how aggressively to target insurgents. Top White House officials, confident that overseas challenges will not prevent aggressive domestic actions, are continuing planning to permit taxpayers to put a small percentage of their Social Security taxes into private saving accounts, so this could dominate the early part of 2005.

"The White House is going to move with it quickly," said Michael Tanner of the Cato Institute, "and Congress is going to have to deal with it whether they want to or not. "The Treasury Department is expected to recommend different tax reform plans next year, too, but many Republicans on Capitol Hill worry about the political ramifications of overhauling the tax system.

Also on the Bush agenda are plans to expand the No Child Left Behind education standards to high schools, limit medical malpractice lawsuits, make permanent the tax cuts set to expire in 2010 and, somehow, cut the deficit in half over the next four years. The larger number of Republicans in Congress improves the administration's chances for securing approval of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, but the White House still faces a stiff fight on the controversial pact because some Republicans oppose it.

"We will continue our economic progress. We'll reform our outdated tax code. We'll strengthen the Social Security for the next generation. We'll make public schools all they can be. And we will uphold our deepest values of family and faith," Bush said Wednesday. Bush could face unexpected challenges, too, particularly if Chief Justice William Rehnquist does not recover from thyroid cancer and the first of what could be several Supreme Court conflicts ensues.

Recent history indicates a nomination fight could consume the Senate for months, worsening relations between the two parties. But Bush's second term will be constrained in many ways, and not just because second terms are historically less adventurous and sometimes slowed by scandal. Bush has yet to form specific proposals for his two biggest ideas, Social Security and tax reform, and both were secondary in his campaign to terrorism.

That's in sharp contrast to 2000, when he arrived at the White House with detailed plans for his tax cuts and education overhaul. Bush also finds himself limited by a lack of funds; the surplus that greeted him in 2001 is now a record-level deficit. And, in foreign affairs, Bush aides have signaled they expect a less ambitious second term, in part because the U.S. military is already stretched in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Ultimately, the success of Bush's second term likely will be defined by his ability to meet the obligations he incurred during his first term. His administration has promised to cut the federal deficit in half, create millions of jobs, move Iraq toward peace and prosperity, and spread democracy through the Middle East. Most important is Bush's vow to keep the nation safe, the centerpiece of his re-election campaign. While Bush was careful not to guarantee security on his watch, he and Cheney frequently implied that the country would be safer under Bush's leadership. This could pressure Bush to overhaul the intelligence apparatus, as the Sept. 11 commission recommended, and beef up homeland security, which would divert funds from other programs. Few expect a continuation of the level of activity, and trauma, of Bush's first term.

He led the country through the most devastating attack on its soil and into two wars, toppling the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. He presided over a global al-Qaida manhunt and a massive reorganization and expansion of the federal government to combat terrorism.

In domestic affairs, he championed the largest tax cut in a generation, the largest change in the Medicare program since it began, and an overhaul of federal education policy -- all after losing the popular vote in 2000. With his victory, Bush has a second chance to reverse his first-term failings. His "compassionate conservatism" was stillborn, as poverty and the number of Americans without health insurance expanded. He made virtually no progress in healing the nation's bitter partisan divide, the one regret he has expressed during the first term and something he touched on in his victory speech Wednesday. His foreign policies have fueled violence in Iraq and estrangement from many allies without improving the explosive Middle East. And he has presided over a net loss of 900,000 jobs.

A Brookings Institution study by Paul Light, a professor at New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service, found that Bush's first-term domestic agenda was the smallest in at least 44 years. Light, comparing Bush with his eight predecessors going back to John F. Kennedy, ranked him last in the number of major legislative proposals on his agenda. Bush's 18 first-term domestic proposals compared with 33 for Bill Clinton, 25 for George H.W. Bush, 30 for Ronald Reagan, 41 for Jimmy Carter and 40 for Richard Nixon. Second terms are about legacies. And Republicans are reviving talk of the lofty ambition Bush and his chief strategist, Karl Rove, set back in 1999: a Republican "realignment" that would give the party a broad governing majority, much as William McKinley did in 1896.

After capturing more House and Senate seats, some Republicans -- and a few Democrats -- say Bush could lock in a long-term GOP majority, especially in Congress, if he can broaden the party's appeal to attract more Jews, African-Americans and Hispanics. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., who has criticized Bush's foreign policy, said the president is in a "very unique position" to reposition the party for several reasons: He's not running for re-election, which puts a premium on purely political calculations. And he has a vice president who isn't interested in succeeding him and a large enough GOP congressional majority to sometimes work his will.

"It's a rare opportunity that does not come along for a president very often," Hagel said. Many of Bush's second-term proposals are relatively small, the sort of targeted policies Bush and other Republicans once chided President Clinton for favoring. He proposes more testing of students in math and reading, modest funding for job training in community colleges, and expanding "comp time" and "flex time" as alternatives to overtime pay. His health-care proposals are far less ambitious and costly than Democratic nominee John Kerry's were: a tax credit to encourage individual health savings accounts, and an expansion of community health centers in poor counties.On his "compassion" agenda, much of which stalled in his first term, Bush has vowed to continue a press to expand low-income housing and to boost charities.

In his acceptance speech at last summer's Republican convention, Bush packaged these ideas as a transformation of the role of government. "In all these proposals, we seek to provide not just a government program, but a path -- a path to greater opportunity, more freedom, and more control over your own life," he said. It's unclear whether Bush will have the time and energy to do that, or whether national security issues -- perhaps involving Iran, North Korea or Pakistan -- will again intervene. But if calmer times prevail, Bush will have another chance to deliver the presidency he promised four years ago, before the Sept. 11 attacks buried his domestic ambitions.

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