Following is the text of President Barack Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress Wednesday, as prepared for delivery, released by the White House and distributed to news organizations.

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Vermont's legislature and the top court of Iowa delivered legal victories in recent weeks to those seeking the right of same-sex couples to marry. And as battles in other state capitals continue, Americans are weighing the issue with other pressing…

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Columnists Mark Shields and David Brooks mull how President Barack Obama's budget blueprint is faring in Congress and discuss his strategy for growing resources and personnel in Afghanistan.

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A recent USA-Gallup poll shows a majority of Americans strongly favor a timeline for withdrawing troops from Iraq. Regional op-ed columnists discuss this slide in support for the current policy.

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British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced Thursday that he plans to resign next month from the office he has held for the past decade. Foreign policy analysts look at Blair's record and relations with the United States.

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As his tour of Latin America concluded, President Bush pledged to work to change U.S. immigration laws and said immigration reform legislation could be completed by Congress this year. Analysts discuss the prospects of passing such a bill.

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Amid growing criticism from several countries over the treatment of prisoners of war, President Bush, following a one-day U.S.-EU summit in Vienna, said he hoped "to end Guantanamo." European policy experts discuss the reasons behind lagging U.S. popularity in Europe.

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