[Talk] Back to history and politics, for your reading pleasure
Steven Benmosh
talk@flux.org
Thu, 4 Oct 2007 21:32:45 -0400
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October 4, 2007
Bush Leaving Some Problems to Successors By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
*Filed at 8:41 p.m. ET*
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Over and over, President Bush confidently promised to
''solve problems, not pass them on to future presidents and future
generations.'' As the clock runs out on his eight-year presidency, a tall
stack of troubles remain and Bush's words ring hollow.
Iraq, budget deficits, the looming insolvency of Social Security and
Medicare<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/medicare/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier>,
high health and energy costs, a national
immigration<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/immigration_and_refugees/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier>mess
-- the next president will inherit these problems in January 2009.
With
Bush's popularity at an all time low and relations with the Democratic-led
Congress acrimonious, he has little or no chance of pulling off a surprise
victory in his time left.
''We're in a worse place than we were in 1999'' before Bush became
president, lamented Matthew Dowd, a former pollster and chief campaign
strategist for Bush who has become disillusioned with his old boss.
When Americans are asked to choose national priorities, they most commonly
name the economy, health care, the war in Iraq, terrorism and gas prices.
Consider the state of play on these and other issues:
--The economy is relatively sound and deficits are falling after peaking in
2004. But an entire presidency of red ink has ballooned the overall federal
debt from $5.7 trillion when Bush became president to $8.9 trillion now. The
Iraq war, including providing medical care and disability benefits to
veterans, as well as expensive new programs like a Medicare prescription
drug benefit threaten to drive deficits back up. Economists fear growing
odds of a recession.
--The nation's health care spending, public and private, totaled $1.5
trillion when Bush took office. By the time he leaves, it is expected to be
$2.6 trillion -- a 75 percent increase. Meanwhile, the nation's number of
uninsured has swelled, from 14 percent of the population in 2001 to 16
percent last year, or a total of 47 million people.
--Now in its fifth year, the Iraq war has claimed the lives of more than
3,800 members of the U.S. military and more than 73,000 Iraqi civilians,
wounded over 28,000 U.S. military personnel, and cost nearly half a trillion
dollars. Even if combat ends, Bush says the United States will need to
provide military, economic and political support beyond his presidency and
have ''an enduring relationship'' with Iraq.
--No domestic terrorist attack has followed those of Sept. 11, 2001. But the
intelligence community concluded in July, nearly six years after the
attacks, that al-Qaida has been allowed to re-centralize and rejuvenate
itself in Pakistan, where the still-missing Osama bin
Laden<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/osama_bin_laden/index.html?inline=nyt-per>is
believed to be hiding.
--Energy prices are volatile, and high. The cost of a barrel of oil has
soared during Bush's presidency, from $29 to about $80 a barrel. Gas prices
averaged $1.45 a gallon in 2001 and now are running about $2.80 -- a 93
percent increase.
--With 78 million baby boomers beginning to retire, Social Security and
Medicare move closer to insolvency each day. The Social Security trust fund
is expected to last until 2041, while Medicare's will be exhausted much
earlier, by 2019. Bush tried to overhaul Social Security but couldn't find
enough votes even when
Republicans<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/r/republican_party/index.html?inline=nyt-org>controlled
the Congress.
--Bush tried unsuccessfully to make dramatic changes in the nation's
immigration laws. There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in
the country and a few hundred thousand more come in each year.
--Bush promised to be ''a uniter, not a divider,'' but instead, the partisan
warfare has gotten worse.
''It's hard to find something he has done that really has improved the
situation a great deal,'' said Stephen J. Wayne, a Georgetown
University<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/g/georgetown_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org>presidential
scholar.
On June 23, 2003, Bush said: ''I came to the office of the presidency to
solve problems, not to pass them on to future presidents and future
generations. I came to seize opportunities instead of letting them slip
away.'' He was in New York, for the opening swing of his 2004 re-election
campaign.
This get-the-job-done approach to governing had been a bedrock of Bush's
first presidential race in 2000. The particular line appeared only briefly,
though, as a rebuttal to Democrat Al
Gore's<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/al_gore/index.html?inline=nyt-per>Social
Security plan. It was only with that New York speech that it became a
staple, as the president sought a return to the White House in 2004 and
stumped for fellow Republicans in the 2006 midterm elections.
''It's definitely part of his self-image to be a doer, and to be a person
who throws the long pass and does big things, not just small things,'' said
Bruce Buchanan, a University of
Texas<http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_texas/index.html?inline=nyt-org>political
scientist.
The image was effective with voters. It also hinted at Bush's more sweeping
political aspirations. He had hopes of governing in a way that would attract
new constituencies into the Republican Party, transforming it into the
nation's dominant political force far beyond his time.
This new agenda for an ascendant GOP included rigorous national educational
standards, more market-based approaches to health care and retirement,
increased emphasis on religious providers of government-funded social
services, and radical changes in immigration policy to enhance enforcement
and legitimize millions of illegals.
Only small bits have come to pass.
They include an expansion of health savings accounts, the addition of the
prescription drug benefit, along with other modernizations, to Medicare, and
increased government money to religious charities.
A sweeping new education law now requires regular testing of children and
penalizes many schools that fall short. There are serious doubts, however,
that the law has enough support to be renewed this year -- much less
expanded as Bush wants.
On the foreign policy front, the president set the grand goal of ''ending
tyranny in our world.'' But early signs of progress on spreading democracy
gave way to many setbacks. And the entire project has largely been eclipsed,
some say hobbled, by continuing instability in Iraq.
The war looms over everything. The on-again, off-again debate about bringing
troops home is likely to divide Washington for the remainder of Bush's
presidency, leaving little room for other things.
Former White House counselor Dan Bartlett acknowledged disappointment that
many big problems will remain unresolved when Bush leaves office. But he
said Bush will get credit, eventually, for at least reaching for
''fundamental, systemic reforms'' on tough issues.
Bartlett pointed to Bush's tax proposal as Texas governor that would have
shifted most public school funding away from property taxes. He was
unsuccessful, but Bartlett argued Bush's approach was vindicated years later
when the Texas Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to find non-property
tax funding for the state's schools.
''Big change like that doesn't happen in the first go-round,'' said
Bartlett. ''He will be remembered as the one who put the issues at the
centerpiece of the debate.''
Dowd said Bush has only to look at himself for why he didn't fulfill his
promise. His unwillingness to admit mistakes and inattention to building
relationships with lawmakers of both parties helped put success out of
reach, Dowd said.
''Most of the responsibility -- I don't want to use the word blame -- is at
his doorstep. It has to be,'' Dowd said. ''In the end, he is the leader,
elected twice, with Congress at times in his own party.''
------
EDITOR'S NOTE -- Jennifer Loven covers the White House for The Associated
Press.
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<div class="timestamp">October 4, 2007</div>
<h1>
Bush Leaving Some Problems to Successors
</h1>
<div class="byline">By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS</div>
<p><b>Filed at 8:41 p.m. ET</b></p>
<p>WASHINGTON (AP) -- Over and over, President Bush confidently
promised to ''solve problems, not pass them on to future presidents and
future generations.'' As the clock runs out on his eight-year
presidency, a tall stack of troubles remain and Bush's words ring
hollow.</p>
<p>Iraq, budget deficits, the looming insolvency of Social Security and <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/health/diseasesconditionsandhealthtopics/medicare/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="Recent and archival health news about Medicare.">
Medicare</a>, high health and energy costs, a national <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/i/immigration_and_refugees/index.html?inline=nyt-classifier" title="More articles about immigration.">
immigration</a>
mess -- the next president will inherit these problems in January 2009.
With Bush's popularity at an all time low and relations with the
Democratic-led Congress acrimonious, he has little or no chance of
pulling off a surprise victory in his time left.</p>
<p>''We're in a worse place than we were in 1999'' before Bush became
president, lamented Matthew Dowd, a former pollster and chief campaign
strategist for Bush who has become disillusioned with his old boss.</p>
<p>When Americans are asked to choose national priorities, they most
commonly name the economy, health care, the war in Iraq, terrorism and
gas prices. Consider the state of play on these and other issues:</p>
<p>--The economy is relatively sound and deficits are falling after
peaking in 2004. But an entire presidency of red ink has ballooned the
overall federal debt from $5.7 trillion when Bush became president to
$8.9 trillion now. The Iraq war, including providing medical care and
disability benefits to veterans, as well as expensive new programs like
a Medicare prescription drug benefit threaten to drive deficits back
up. Economists fear growing odds of a recession.</p>
<p>--The nation's health care spending, public and private, totaled
$1.5 trillion when Bush took office. By the time he leaves, it is
expected to be $2.6 trillion -- a 75 percent increase. Meanwhile, the
nation's number of uninsured has swelled, from 14 percent of the
population in 2001 to 16 percent last year, or a total of 47 million
people.</p>
<p>--Now in its fifth year, the Iraq war has claimed the lives of more
than 3,800 members of the U.S. military and more than 73,000 Iraqi
civilians, wounded over 28,000 U.S. military personnel, and cost nearly
half a trillion dollars. Even if combat ends, Bush says the United
States will need to provide military, economic and political support
beyond his presidency and have ''an enduring relationship'' with Iraq.</p>
<p>--No domestic terrorist attack has followed those of Sept. 11, 2001.
But the intelligence community concluded in July, nearly six years
after the attacks, that al-Qaida has been allowed to re-centralize and
rejuvenate itself in Pakistan, where the still-missing <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/osama_bin_laden/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Osama bin Laden.">Osama bin Laden
</a> is believed to be hiding.</p>
<p>--Energy prices are volatile, and high. The cost of a barrel of oil
has soared during Bush's presidency, from $29 to about $80 a barrel.
Gas prices averaged $1.45 a gallon in 2001 and now are running about
$2.80 -- a 93 percent increase.</p>
<p>--With 78 million baby boomers beginning to retire, Social Security
and Medicare move closer to insolvency each day. The Social Security
trust fund is expected to last until 2041, while Medicare's will be
exhausted much earlier, by 2019. Bush tried to overhaul Social Security
but couldn't find enough votes even when <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/r/republican_party/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about Republican Party">Republicans
</a> controlled the Congress.</p>
<p>--Bush tried unsuccessfully to make dramatic changes in the nation's
immigration laws. There are an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants
in the country and a few hundred thousand more come in each year.</p>
<p>--Bush promised to be ''a uniter, not a divider,'' but instead, the partisan warfare has gotten worse.</p>
<p>''It's hard to find something he has done that really has improved the situation a great deal,'' said Stephen J. Wayne, a <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/g/georgetown_university/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about Georgetown University">
Georgetown University</a> presidential scholar.</p>
<p>On June 23, 2003, Bush said: ''I came to the office of the
presidency to solve problems, not to pass them on to future presidents
and future generations. I came to seize opportunities instead of
letting them slip away.'' He was in New York, for the opening swing of
his 2004 re-election campaign.</p>
<p>This get-the-job-done approach to governing had been a bedrock of
Bush's first presidential race in 2000. The particular line appeared
only briefly, though, as a rebuttal to Democrat <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/g/al_gore/index.html?inline=nyt-per" title="More articles about Al Gore.">Al Gore's</a>
Social Security plan. It was only with that New York speech that it
became a staple, as the president sought a return to the White House in
2004 and stumped for fellow Republicans in the 2006 midterm elections.</p>
<p>''It's definitely part of his self-image to be a doer, and to be a
person who throws the long pass and does big things, not just small
things,'' said Bruce Buchanan, a <a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/u/university_of_texas/index.html?inline=nyt-org" title="More articles about the University of Texas">University of Texas
</a> political scientist.</p>
<p>The image was effective with voters. It also hinted at Bush's more
sweeping political aspirations. He had hopes of governing in a way that
would attract new constituencies into the Republican Party,
transforming it into the nation's dominant political force far beyond
his time.</p>
<p>This new agenda for an ascendant GOP included rigorous national
educational standards, more market-based approaches to health care and
retirement, increased emphasis on religious providers of
government-funded social services, and radical changes in immigration
policy to enhance enforcement and legitimize millions of illegals.</p>
<p>Only small bits have come to pass.</p>
<p>They include an expansion of health savings accounts, the addition
of the prescription drug benefit, along with other modernizations, to
Medicare, and increased government money to religious charities.</p>
<p>A sweeping new education law now requires regular testing of
children and penalizes many schools that fall short. There are serious
doubts, however, that the law has enough support to be renewed this
year -- much less expanded as Bush wants.</p>
<p>On the foreign policy front, the president set the grand goal of
''ending tyranny in our world.'' But early signs of progress on
spreading democracy gave way to many setbacks. And the entire project
has largely been eclipsed, some say hobbled, by continuing instability
in Iraq.</p>
<p>The war looms over everything. The on-again, off-again debate about
bringing troops home is likely to divide Washington for the remainder
of Bush's presidency, leaving little room for other things.</p>
<p>Former White House counselor Dan Bartlett acknowledged
disappointment that many big problems will remain unresolved when Bush
leaves office. But he said Bush will get credit, eventually, for at
least reaching for ''fundamental, systemic reforms'' on tough issues.</p>
<p>Bartlett pointed to Bush's tax proposal as Texas governor that would
have shifted most public school funding away from property taxes. He
was unsuccessful, but Bartlett argued Bush's approach was vindicated
years later when the Texas Supreme Court ordered the Legislature to
find non-property tax funding for the state's schools.</p>
<p>''Big change like that doesn't happen in the first go-round,'' said
Bartlett. ''He will be remembered as the one who put the issues at the
centerpiece of the debate.''</p>
<p>Dowd said Bush has only to look at himself for why he didn't fulfill
his promise. His unwillingness to admit mistakes and inattention to
building relationships with lawmakers of both parties helped put
success out of reach, Dowd said.</p>
<p>''Most of the responsibility -- I don't want to use the word blame
-- is at his doorstep. It has to be,'' Dowd said. ''In the end, he is
the leader, elected twice, with Congress at times in his own party.''</p>
<p>------</p>
<p>EDITOR'S NOTE -- Jennifer Loven covers the White House for The Associated Press.</p>
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