His Freedom is to Leave a High Name Behind Him

"Targeted tax cuts" may be part of an economic stimulus package that President Bush is considering proposing at this year's State of the Union speech. I say "may" because the President hasn't made up his mind yet:

"In terms of any stimulus package, we're considering all options, and I probably won't make up my mind as to whether or not I lay one out until the State of the Union," Bush told the Reuters news agency in an interview. He added: "We are listening to a lot of good ideas from different people. We've got our people out there carefully, not only monitoring this situation but listening to . . . possible remedies."

Aides have previously said Bush was considering stimulus proposals, mainly in the form of targeted tax cuts, and the president's comments indicated he may unveil them in coming weeks. He is scheduled to meet today with a working group on financial markets led by Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. and is to give an economic speech in Chicago on Monday. Aides said no decision will be made until he returns from a trip to the Middle East on Jan. 16. His State of the Union address is scheduled for Jan. 28.

Of course, once he has decided on a course of action, he has to convince Congress to follow. The chances of that are slim to none in the post-killer wedgie era. (Killer wedgies being the repeated corrections offered to Congress over the past year, starting with the surge and ending with the veto of the National Defense Authorization Act. One of the morons called it that, but I forgot which one.) On the other hand, it's always possible that he could cut a deal.

The writer of the article I linked manfully avoids the use of the term "Bush legacy", but I expect we'll hear it plenty as the speech approaches. Whether a new round of economic stimulus can be important or lasting enough to be the President's legacy is a matter of debate. Personally, I think a grand legacy would be to end earmarks by executive order.

What's on your Bush legacy wish-list?

posted by Gabriel Malor at 11:58 AM

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