animaux

-----
BAD EXAMPLE: When Bush was stumping for his "jobs and growth" tax cut proposal
in April, he went to Timken Co., a maker of steel bearings in Canton, Ohio. "The
greatest strength of the American economy is found right here," Bush said then,
predicting the tax cut would bring "more money for investment, more money for
growth, and more money for jobs."

A month later, Bush signed a $350 billion tax cut, less than he wanted but still
what he called "a bold package." And Timken? The company announced last week
that it is cutting 900 jobs and lowering its earnings forecasts.
-----


A Thousand Points of Plan


By Dana Milbank

Tuesday, September 23, 2003; Page A25


"There's going to be a lot of time for 10-point plans," Texas Gov. George W.
Bush said as he launched his presidential campaign in June 1999.

Ladies and gentlemen, that time is now. The president has issued not only a pair
of 10-point plans but four six-point plans, two five-point plans and a
three-point plan, not to mention plans with 16, 22, 23 and 30 points apiece.

"I have proposed a six-point plan to create jobs, strengthen small businesses
and build employer confidence," Bush said in his radio address on Saturday,
reprising a collection of proposals ranging from energy policy to lawsuit reform
that he first packed together earlier this month.

In that same week, he addressed the nation to explain his three-point plan for
Iraq. But no sooner had Bush uttered those words than his man in Iraq, L. Paul

Does this mean Bremer wants to do more than twice as much in Iraq as Bush does?
Or does Bremer merely have smaller points in his plan? And is there a 12-step
program to overcome all these multipoint programs?

The Bush administration, once shy about detailed proposals, has assigned
point-by-point plans to Canadian border control, foreign assistance and
environmental cleanup.

As a general rule, Bush assigns multipoint nomenclature to proposals that aren't
at the top of his list, such as corporate governance or campaign finance, while
selling favorite proposals, such as tax cuts, without use of a point system. In
2001, for example, the White House did not first identify Bush's $1.6 trillion
tax cut proposal by number of points -- though then-House Majority Leader
Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.) called it "the president's seven-point plan."

Looking for Bush's policy on border security? The 22-point plan (an agreement
with Mexico) and the 30-point plan (with Canada) should come in handy. Wonder
how a country qualifies for a Millennium Challenge grant? Consult the 16-point
plan. How about Bush's conservation policy? Check the "Five-Point Plan to
Encourage Conservation" from June 2002.

The more obscure a proposal is, the more points it seems to have. Bush's Iraq
policy has only three points, but the energy proposal he unveiled during the
2000 campaign had 23 points. And seemingly unrelated policies can share a common
title. In May 2000, the Bush presidential campaign announced "Governor Bush's
four-point plan to support public school teachers"; two years later, Secretary
of State Colin L. Powell testified about the four-point plan -- for Sudan.

Similarly, Bush proposed a 10-point plan for improving corporate governance in
March 2002, with much fanfare. But U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick
must have missed the announcement, because he declared in October that
"America's trade agenda will drive a 10-point plan."

By far, Bush favors the six-point plan as his all-purpose panacea. In February
2000, fighting off a primary challenge from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Bush
rolled out a six-point plan for campaign finance reform. Four months later, his
campaign announced various budgeting proposals, saying "Governor Bush's
six-point plan is designed to reform the way Washington does business."

Also during the campaign, Bush produced yet another six-point plan to hasten
cleanup of polluted industrial sites. That one caught Jay Leno's eye. "Number
five is very interesting," the "Tonight Show" host said. "He said he would use
solar energy to fry death row inmates." But that didn't stop the six-point plan
from being reincarnated as Bush's economic policy this month.

Of course, multipoint plans were not the creation of this administration. Recall
the eight-point plan for dealing with Haiti, developed by the Clinton
administration. "We're monitoring that eight-point plan," Powell said in March
2001, "and we reserve the right to add other points to that plan."

BAD EXAMPLE: When Bush was stumping for his "jobs and growth" tax cut proposal
in April, he went to Timken Co., a maker of steel bearings in Canton, Ohio. "The
greatest strength of the American economy is found right here," Bush said then,
predicting the tax cut would bring "more money for investment, more money for
growth, and more money for jobs."

A month later, Bush signed a $350 billion tax cut, less than he wanted but still
what he called "a bold package." And Timken? The company announced last week
that it is cutting 900 jobs and lowering its earnings forecasts.

MOVING TARGET: "Acting pursuant to the Constitution and Public Law 107-243
[congressional authorization for military force in Iraq] is consistent with the
United States and other countries continuing to take the necessary actions
against international terrorists and terrorist organizations, including those
nations, organizations, or persons who planned, authorized, committed, or aided
the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001."

-- President Bush, March 18 letter to Congress.

"We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September
11th."

-- President Bush, Sept. 17.

© 2003 The Washington Post Company
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A49361-2003Sep22?language=printer