Bush's Great Miscalculation

摘要

The great paradox of this presidential election is that Al Gore is the "candidate of substance," while George W. Bush—the source of the campaign's few fresh ideas—is typecast as a hopeless dunce. For this, Bush is mainly to blame, and it could cost him the election and deprive the nation of a needed debate about how to make government more effective and trustworthy. Almost all Gore's proposals (from new spending programs to "targeted" tax breaks) are leftover Clinton policies. Fair enough. Though claiming to be his "own man," Gore is essentially promising an extension of the Clinton administration. By contrast, Bush endorses a vague form of school vouchers, personal investment accounts for Social Security, a large income-tax cut and a sweeping review of military preparedness.