I was sifting through the Washington "Moonie" Times website and came across this
interesting tidbit:
President Bush solicited foreign policy advice from former President Bill Clinton at CIA briefings this week and even told Mr. Clinton that he liked his approach to reforming Social Security.
'It was really a lot of fun, Mr. Bush told reporters yesterday after spending three days with Mr. Clinton and former President George Bush in Rome.
'These CIA briefings a lot of time prompt policy discussions,' he added. 'It's interesting to get their points of view about their experiences in particular countries.'
Is Bush
that desperate? Is this just a PR move to reach across the political isle and appear more bipartisan as to attract some Democrats to his SS reform plans?
Interestingly enough, the article refers to the similarities between both of their proposed plans without delving into any details:
The president also praised one of Mr. Clinton's domestic policies -- trying to reform Social Security. Both men have proposed personal savings accounts as part of the solution, an idea that is vociferously opposed by congressional Democrats.
In my opinion, all of this is just more evidence of Bush's crumbling Social Security plans. Even Stephen Moore, president of the conservative 527 group Club For Growth,
is admitting defeat:
President Bush's plan to create personal retirement accounts for Social Security, which seemed so promising a few months ago, is now officially floundering. Senate Republicans are now crafting a compromise proposal that takes personal accounts off the table. Meanwhile, House speaker Denny Hastert recently said "not this year" for Social Security reform. And Democrats remain united in their "just say no," obstructionist strategy.
I love how Republicans refer to anything the Democrats do to block bad reform as "obstructionist". It's testament to their growing insecurities about Bush blowing any political capital he gained from the election on a failed Social Security campaign. Now he's asking for Clinton's help. He campaigned in 2000 on restoring ' honor and dignity to the White House', alluding to the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Bush is just now beginning to realize that bad public policy reflects more on your "honor and dignity" than any extramarital affair ever could.