May 31, 2005
Dissonance ::
weird, politics — No Tags
10:26 pm
So, one thing you have to say about our President, he definitely is sure of himself. Check out this article, covering his press conference from today. In it, find a choice bit of quintessential Bush:
“I don’t worry about anything here in Washington, D.C.,” Bush said…in the White House’s Rose Garden. “I feel comfortable in my role as the president, and my role…is to push for reform.” With Democrats and Republicans alike questioning the clout of a president whose approval ratings have sunk to new lows, Bush said it is Congress that must prove it is “capable of getting anything done.”
Of course! I should have known that Congress was behind all of this gridlock. I’m really glad he was able to set everyone straight. After all, Bush has done everything he could to work with Congress to develop a body of policies that help all Americans. And in return, Congress has done nothing but whine, complain, and drag its collective feet.
But wait? What’s that other story I see on the same website? What does it say?
In recent meetings, House Republicans have discussed putting more pressure on the White House to move beyond Social Security and talk up different issues, such as health care and tax reform, according to Republican officials who asked not to be named to avoid angering Bush’s team.
Wow! If fear of anger and punishment is the only thing keeping Congressional Republicans from straying off message, then maybe Bush isn’t being honest with himself over the amount of political sway he currently maintains. Oddly, even though the White House is just up the street from Captiol Hill, it seems to occupy a different world. At least Bush’s assertion that he doesn’t “worry about anything here in Washington, D.C.” is consistent with the description of the sentiment on the hill.
But the most unfortunate aspect of these two stories is that the world of the President and the world of Congress are completely different from the one the rest of us occupy. How disappointing.
