My friend Knobboy alerted me to a member of the House who’s struggling with Bush’s Social Security plan, in part because he feels the president hasn’t been truthful in the past.
In fact, this lawmaker said Bush will have little chance to change Social Security until the president overcomes his “credibility problem.”
The congressman said many people think the president underestimated the cost of the Iraqi war, then overestimated the benefits of Medicare’s prescription drug plan.
“And now, all the sudden, they wonder why people are a bit skeptical of their … plan on Social Security,” he said. “It’s partly a credibility problem.”
In other words, fool me once, shame on me you; fool me twice, shame on you me. These lawmakers have counted on Bush’s word in the past, but the president has failed to deliver. Bush’s word lacks reliability and integrity — and it sounds like some on the Hill are getting sick of it.
And which lawmaker are we talking about? Some life-long Dem from Massachusetts? A Berkley liberal perhaps? No, it’s Rep. Gil Gutknecht — a Republican from Minnesota.
When Republican House members start to publicly question the president’s honesty, you know the White House has a serious problem.