Demagogue

Thoroughly frustrated that the White House's campaign for Social Security reform isn't resonating with Americans, President Bush's advisors have been forced to resort to a shameful (and ridiculous) new argument.

On Thursday in Alabama, Bush's remarks included the following use of the "race card":

"They say certain people aren't capable of investing. ... Sounds to me like a certain race of people living in a certain area."

Yes, that's it, Mr. President. How clever of you to discern that people who have serious doubts about the private-accounts proposal are simply racists?

It used to be that Jesse Helms played the race card to fire up working-class white voters in his home state of North Carolina. At least the GOP has graduated to using the politics of race on the other side of the fence.