Bush planning visits this week to North Carolina, Florida and Georgia

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush will follow his State of the Union address Tuesday night with a three-state tour to North Carolina, Florida and Georgia. <br><br>The president is scheduled to depart Washington

Monday, January 28th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush will follow his State of the Union address Tuesday night with a three-state tour to North Carolina, Florida and Georgia.

The president is scheduled to depart Washington Wednesday morning, after his 9 p.m. televised address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, for appearances in Winston-Salem, N.C., and Daytona Beach, Fla., where he will remain overnight.

On Thursday, Bush continues on to Atlanta before returning to Washington.

White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said the president wants to use the trip to expand on the priorities he will outline in his State of the Union speech.

That address is expected to focus on the post-Afghanistan phase of the war against terrorism, Bush's initiatives to protect America from another terrorist strike, and his ideas for boosting the economy.