I thought Kevin Drum said that Bush was "uninterested in compromise". Although, I do recall that someone else pointed out that he was really more a pragmatist.
President Bush raised the pressure today on Congress to pass a Medicare drug bill this week, even as conservatives in his own party criticized the legislation and pushed for changes.[...]
The bipartisan Senate legislation would open Medicare to more private plans, but would also, in a bid for Democratic support, extensively regulate those plans in an effort to protect beneficiaries. That fundamental compromise has drawn fire from the left and the right.
The Bush administration, which has formally endorsed the Senate bill, is intent on breaking the five-year gridlock on Medicare drug legislation and signing a bill into law this year. Mr. Bush, speaking to a biotechnology industry group today, urged lawmakers to "take a tough vote, if need be, to modernize a system which needs to be saved."
Mr. Bush also said, "If we finally put aside partisan politics and focus on what's right for American seniors, I believe we can achieve the goal this year."
Hmmm.
Indeed, while I not a big fan of this particular policy, from an analytical point of view the entire affair fits into the argument that I have made all along about Bush--he set specific goals, and is willing to compromise to obtain them. He promised a prescription drug benefit during the campaign, and he is attempting to deliver.
Although, if one is a Bush critic, I suppose that one could take the Gabler/Drum thesis linked to above and state that the only reason that Bush is pushing this is that he is trying to take an issue away from the Democrats only for election-related reasons. But if that was the case, why not push the plan that the Republicans in Congress wanted? It would have passed, but rather I think that this is another example of Bush as pragmatic shepherd of public policy, not "a furious political animal who is uninterested in compromise and whose main goal is to defeat his enemies, not advance a cause".
Source: Bush Seeks Medicare Drug Bill That Conservatives Oppose
Posted by Steven Taylor at June 24, 2024 08:00 AM | TrackBack