December 23, 2006

'Bush Sees Opportunities' by Michael A. Fletcher
President Bush said yesterday that he intends to work with the new Democratic majority in Congress on a broad range of domestic issues, declaring that despite the impending power shift there are "some wonderful opportunities" to address concerns that have long festered without a political solution.

Signaling a new flexibility on issues in the wake of the Democrats' wins, Bush said he is willing to discuss Democratic ideas for solving the Social Security problem, including tax increases. "I don't see how you can move forward without people feeling comfortable about putting ideas on the table," Bush said. . . 'and I want to hear other people's opinions." [Here's one: leave Social Security alone until we get a President who doesn't want to kill it. We've got forty years or so before it goes belly-up. tc]

During an Oval Office interview with The Washington Post, Bush said voters are "sick and tired of the needless partisanship in Washington,"
see here for the complete text.
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Yep. After six years of creating and feeding the 'needless partisanship' by declaring, 'My way or the highway,' sneering, 'cut-and-run,' and proclaiming, 'You're either with us or you're with the terrorists,' Bush is now 'eager' to reach to the Democrats.
If so much weren't at stake [and I'm not talking about the old red herring of Social Security, now] I'd tell the Democrats, 'Hey! When he reaches toward you, slap his hand!' That is, after all, what you do with toddlers when they reach for something that is too powerful for them to handle--like hot saucepans, electric outlets or administrative policies.

Meanwhile, my guess is: he'll 'let them put ideas on the table' for a little while and then, like so many toddlers, scream or hold his breath to try to get his way while ignoring any actual viable ideas.
Unfortunately, if Congress chooses not to impeach him, they've got to work with him to try to keep the country afloat till we can get ourselves an effective resident in the White House.

2 comments:

TomCat said...

I think you have this issue pretty well pegged. Bush's idea of cooperation on social security will be that he wants the Dems to cooperate on privatization, and his support of the minimum wage will be tied to tax cuts for the super-rich.

two crows said...

yep. if he strayed from 'my way or the highway, I'd be one surprised toddler-monitor. hmmm--guess that makes me a nanny?