Kind of muddled

Thanks, Bush, for explaining your Social Security initiative at your appearance in Tampa, Florida the other day. In your speech, you actually seemed to have some grasp of the economic realities. I can only surmise that the speech was written for you by one of your advisors. It was afterwards, in answer to questions, that things got a wee bit muddled, as you yourself admitted. Viz (and I quote from your own website, above):

THE PRESIDENT: Because the -- all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There's a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those -- changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be -- or closer delivered to what has been promised.

Does that make any sense to you? It's kind of muddled. Look, there's a series of things that cause the -- like, for example, benefits are calculated based upon the increase of wages, as opposed to the increase of prices. Some have suggested that we calculate -- the benefits will rise based upon inflation, as opposed to wage increases. There is a reform that would help solve the red if that were put into effect. In other words, how fast benefits grow, how fast the promised benefits grow, if those -- if that growth is affected, it will help on the red.

Okay, better? I'll keep working on it.

Unquote. Please do so, Bush. Keep working on it. I need your help to understand this radical proposal you're putting forward.

Oh, and while we're at it, I must register my personal dismay at the elevation of your Rove to new and dangerous powers. I know the man only as the political operative who engineered your election in 2000 and your reelection this past year. As I understand it, he is now to be your "deputy White House chief of staff in charge of coordinating policy between the White House Domestic Policy Council, the National Economic Council, the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council." That's a whole big charge, right there. It makes it sound like Rove will be running the whole country. Maybe he already does. Under your watchful eye.

What bothers me, though, is the shifting of a political ideologue into such a hugely influential policy-making position. It bothers me because it reflects so much about yourself, Bush, and your familiar conflation of ideology and policy. Your ideology is yours, and welcome to it. No quarrel there. But your policy affects us all. We have a right to expect to be heard by you.

Have you not steered this country far enough to the right already? Have you not taken us far beyond where the majority of us wish to go, on almost every front? Is there no limit to your presumption of mandate, where there was none?

An observation: if the above remarks represent the depth of your understanding of our national economy, Bush, and the quality of your thinking on the subject, I shudder to think where we're headed. Sometimes you scare the pants off me.