Bush Puts Off Some Top Agenda Items

[deadparrot]

WASHINGTON - Rolling into a campaign year, President Bush is trying to avoid bumps in the road. And this year there are plenty.

As he stumps for his 2006 agenda, Bush seems to be putting off as many problems as possible. Balance the budget? Not on the horizon. Fix Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid? Refer them to another commission. Cut oil dependence? Long in the future. Same for the moon-to-Mars program.

Subdued by budget constraints and failure to sell his Social Security plan last year, Bush has proposed a modest series of short-term initiatives, a lot of unspecified spending cuts for the midterm, and some bold long-range schemes that future presidents will have to decide how — or whether — to pay for.

"It's kind of like the return of the `magic asterisk,'" said budget analyst Stanley E. Collender, recalling accounting gimmicks of the 1980s that allowed for the budgeting of unspecified — and never intended — spending cuts and programs.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060214/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_putting_it_off

[NanceGreggs]

1. Here's an initiative that is bound to delight voters ...

... and it doesn't cost a dime!

Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice and the rest of the BushCo gang resign.

No money spent; no 'asterisk' required.

[punpirate]

2. AP isn't doing their homework, again...

... Social Security privatization was sneaked into the 2007 budget. Medicare and Medicaid are being cut.

Ought to read the damned budget instead of guessing about it.

[dusty64]

4. I'll bet they

are hoping no one will notice that he slipped that shit into the budget. Its not a mistake.

[tanyev]

3. Dear Mr. President, why don't you just go back to Crawford and

clear brush and play golf for the next two years? The country will be fine without you.

[grytpype]

5. Better yet, how about some relaxing quail hunting with Dick

[Earth_First]

6. Careful, Agent Mike is watching!

We need you for 2006, friend!

[cyberpj]

7. Unless, of course, they're hidden in other non-related bills to be passed

without reading by congress.