Demagogue

President Bush continues to travel the country, pitching the public on his Social Security private-accounts reform. But one original part of his reform message is missing: Social Security is no longer "a crisis." Bush had once said so, but not anymore.

Consider this dramatic shift in message. At the Jan. 6 White House press briefing, Press Secretary Scott McClellan said:

McCLELLAN: The President is already proceeding on this issue. He had a meeting a few weeks ago with bipartisan leaders in Congress to talk about the crisis that we're in when it comes to Social Security. He had a very good discussion earlier today with members of his own party on that issue, as well. Social Security is in a crisis situation ...

But what a difference 13 days make -- the Jan. 19 press briefing:

QUESTION: Does the President still believe there's a crisis in Social Security and that the crisis is now?

McCLELLAN: John, we talked about this last week. We can argue over the words crisis or not a crisis, but the bottom line is that there is a serious problem facing Social Security ... We see that in 2018 that the number of people paying into the system won't be able to support the benefits being paid out and that --

QUESTION: I understand the math --

McCLELLAN: -- and that gets worse over time.

QUESTION: -- but it was just that idea of a "crisis." And if there's an argument, the argument is with yourselves, it's not with us, because [the president] was the one who used the word.

McCLELLAN: No, I think when you -- that's why I'm pointing out the demographic facts ... regardless of whether or not you want to argue crisis or not a crisis, I think we can -- I think most people will agree that we face a serious challenge and a real problem with Social Security and ...

Funny, isn't it? Here we have Social Security -- the issue that is the centerpiece of Bush's 2005 agenda -- and the White House is no longer prepared to call it a crisis.

That's interesting because this administration has never been shy about identifying crises. Over the past four years, the Bush administration has called numerous issues or events a "crisis," including the following:

medical liability
federal courts
riots in Haiti
satellite technology
terrorism and Sept. 11
Darfur
corporate accountability
"forest and rangeland health"
democracy in Venezuela
energy use and supplies,
HIV and AIDS
and world hunger.