Bush says he's realistic about Iraq (includes comments on domestic issues)

[atommom]

President Bush promised to offer an ambitious plan for overhauling Social Security soon, and warned opponents they are “taking a risk politically” by resisting change, Bush told the (paid-restricted) Wall Street Journal in an exclusive interview Tuesday. He also said he was “realistic” about the situation in Iraq.

“I have an obligation to lead on this issue,” Mr. Bush said. The president deflected suggestions that he plans to leave it largely to Congress to draft a detailed plan, saying, “I have the responsibility to lay out potential solutions.” He declined to delve into specifics.

The president’s comments, in his first newspaper interview since winning re-election, suggest that Mr. Bush and his advisers plan to turn up the political heat on members of Congress, many of whom have expressed reluctance to address the issue. Bush declined to embrace recent assertions by aides that the Social Security benefit formula has contributed to the system’s insolvency by making benefits rise too rapidly.
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He praised the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission for tough policing of misdeeds in corporate America, but warned of a danger of squelching investments by going too far. “We’ve been through a very difficult period, and the Justice Department and SEC have been doing a very good job of sending a clear signal that if you break the law there will be consequences,” he said.

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