[goldstategop]

Michael Barone writes that President Bush's place in history will be defined by the events of the past four years and his ability to transform Social Security. Democrats oppose him at their peril and perhaps nowhere is this put better than in Barone's penultimate sentence: "But this president's ability to transform America and the world should not be misunderestimated." Indeed. This is a President who gets constantly underestimated.

Denny Crane: "There are two places to find the truth. First God and then Fox News."

[coconutt2000]

Take the New Deal, add the Great Society... Now add a dash of Bush and you get the New Society.

The security of retirement, plus lower taxes, a faster growing economy, and a country one can be proud to live in.

Take the New Deal, add the Great Society, and add a dash of Kerry - and you get zombies.

Here's to the New Society people... Ownership is in, and group misery is out.

[zeebee]

Clinton's 49 percent in retrospect looks like a ceiling for his party. Bush's 51 percent may be more in the nature of a floor.

Cool.

[Preachin']

The president will be able to cream the democrat senators up for reelection in 2006 by forcing them to give on social security.

I think this is a big time winning issue for the president.

[Nitro]

These poor dumb bastard Demonrats claim they are being purely American with their dissention.....

I would like to point out that intelligent disent is one thing, but....

they are mired in the automatic gainsaying of any GOP proposal.

As we say in Brooklyn... "that ain't disent"

it is obstructionist.

[maine-iac7]

misunderestimated.

LOL

It's not even being put in quotes anymore!

misunderestimated is now an official word... :O)

(that's some kind of strategery on Bush's part.)

[maine-iac7]

By the by.

Has anyone yet seen in print the reminder that the "esteemed and learned" senators and congressmen - indeed, all federal workers, GET the private security option.

But their elitist attitude has many times been spoken - that we, the little people aren't capable of understanding the complexities and handling it right.

when people hear that they have it for themselves but don't want us to have it - a light goes on.

[ambrose]

I don't want a GOP FDR. I want a GOP Calvin Coolidge.

Didn't need no welfare state...

everybody pulled his weight...

[alwaysconservative]

Great article by Mr. Barone; thanks for posting it! I'm still not happy about his election night dithering for FOX News, but it seems he has regained his senses here.

[jan in Colorado]

BUSH ping!

[GVnana]

George W. Bush won 23 percent more votes than he had in 2000. This is comparable to Franklin Roosevelt's 22 percent gain in popular votes between 1932 and 1936. FDR created a New Deal majority that hadn't existed before. Bush may have done something similar for his party.

When Michael Barone speaks, I listen.