[sarcasm]

This will not fully kick in until 2006. If you are going to have exploding costs, they are way down the road, probably long after Mr. Bush has left the presidency,"

Bush: Apres moi, le deluge

[Moonman62]

"This will not fully kick in until 2006. If you are going to have exploding costs, they are way down the road, probably long after Mr. Bush has left the presidency," Mr. Josten said.

Isn't that what happened with the New Deal and the Great Society? The Bush administration is using the same tactic. Do what feels good and is irresponsible now in exchange for some votes, and let someone else pay for the mess and clean it up.

[RJCogburn]

lead to the largest expansion of government since the administration of President Lyndon B. Johnson.

That's something about which to be really proud.

[stimpyone]

what was that that Bush said about not passing along our problems to future generations?

[Republican Wildcat]

This makes me ill.

[Darheel]

Free drugs for the elderly- and JAIL for the young.

So goes the war on drugs.

[NittanyLion]

This will destroy the US pharma industry. The government will inevitably begin to set prices on prescriptions, and the Rx companies will be forced to lower R&D investments. Meanwhile, the FDA will continue to increase its regulations, making it that much more difficult to bring drugs to market.

As bad as the additional burden to taxpayers is, the longterm effect on medical innovation will be much more damaging.

[fporretto]

The president is in a no-win situation. He promised this giveaway program during his presidential campaign. He can either go back on his word, losing public credibility, or he can follow through, disappointing the conservative base.

I wouldn't want to be in Dubya's position on this one. He prizes his integrity and the popular appreciation of it. I think he knows the drug bill is a bad idea, but then, I think he knew the farm bill, the steel tariff, and the No Child Left Behind Act were fatally flawed too -- three other campaign promises he felt he had to deliver on.

If you're an honest man, campaign promises can kill you.

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit the Palace Of Reason:
http://palaceofreason.com

[MississippiMan]

It's time for all conservatives to take off the blinders, open wide their eyes, and admit the obvious truth that Bush is a liberal Republican. Yes, he's better than having Gore, but he's still a liberal Republican.

I think we were so desperate to be rid of Clinton and anything remotely connected to him, that we bought fully into whatever Bush said he was, without taking time to look behind the curtain.

MM