In a flash of lucidity, Bush explains the social security crisis (which is "NOW"!)
Bush on social security, to the Wall Street Journal:
That’s part of—that’s part of the advice my new National Economic Council head will be giving me as to whether or not we need to—here is the plan, or here is an idea for a plan, or why don’t you just fix it. I suspect given my nature, I’ll want to be—the White House will be very much involved with—I have an obligation to lead on this issue—I think this will be an administrative-driven idea—to take it on. And therefore, that that be the case, I have the responsibility to provide the political cover necessary for members, I have the responsibility to make the case if there is a problem, and I have the responsibility to lay out potential solutions. Now, to the specificity of which, we’ll find out—you’ll find out with time. -Bush to the WSJ, from the New Yorker(link)
I think Slater in Dazed and Confused could have explained it better. Worse, earlier he said that the social security crisis was "now" (link). But according to his own projections, SS won't be in deficit until 2042 (and the CBO projects a deficit to be even further off). I would think Republican would be up in arms at the idea of borrowing trillions of dollars to invest it in the stock market. Didn't the 2000 crash teach people anything?
The economist makes a good point about medicare being a much larger crisis than social security. The Prescription Drug Benefit worsened that crisis. Why is Bush trying to fix SS and not medicare then?