In a rare press conference a couple of weeks ago, Bush made it sound as if he does not now, nor will he ever, have a Social Security plan of his own.
Asked how the scheme might work, Bush said, “I don’t get to write the law.” Asked about his priorities, Bush said, “[T]he law will be written in the halls of Congress.” Asked for any semblance of detail, Bush said, “Well, again, I will repeat. Don’t bother to ask me.” It was bizarre.
Bush has repeatedly indicated since the election that privitization will be a key priority — indeed, in his mind, it’s a “crisis” in need of immediate attention — but at the press conference, he said he expects Congress to do all the heavy lifting, including working out the details.
Yesterday, Bush sang an entirely different tune.
President Bush promised to offer an ambitious plan for overhauling Social Security soon, pledging to “provide the political cover” for nervous lawmakers and warning opponents they are “taking a risk politically” by resisting change.
“I have an obligation to lead on this issue,” Mr. Bush said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. The president deflected suggestions that he plans to leave it largely to Congress to draft a detailed plan, saying, “I have the responsibility to lay out potential solutions.” He declined to delve into specifics, but said, “You’ll find out soon.”
We went from “Don’t bother to ask me” to “I have the responsibility to lay out potential solutions” in just three weeks? From “I don’t get to write the law” to a promise about specific details “soon”?
At what point do we get to start saying the White House is (cue scary music) in disarray?