Not Exactly Must-See TV

In other words, while what Bush is proposing is better than nothing, for most workers it's actually worse than doing nothing.

Peter G. Gosselin and Warren Vieth write in the Los Angeles Times: "The president went to extraordinary lengths during his televised news conference to accentuate the positive."

Indeed, "the political explosiveness of suggesting benefit cuts was evident as the president avoided any mention of cuts. Instead, he flipped the matter on its head."

A Gamble to Save the Second Term

Dana Milbank and Jim VandeHei write in The Washington Post: "President Bush made a huge gamble last night in a bid to restore momentum to his flagging proposal to restructure Social Security -- and to his presidency."

Rather than fold what increasingly looks like a losing hand, "Bush held a prime-time news conference and doubled down on his bet. He continued to press for private accounts while adding a proposal that would cut Social Security spending by $3 trillion over 75 years -- openly defying the longtime belief that proposing cuts in the beloved program is bad politics. . . .

"The outcome of Bush's bet will have an impact far beyond Social Security. If he succeeds, he will regain control of a national agenda that has slipped from his grasp in recent months. If he fails, he risks early admission into the lame-duck status that eventually afflicts all second-term presidents. . . .

"Aides who dismissed talk of a second-term funk only weeks ago grant that the coming weeks represent a crucial test of Bush's strength."

Todd S. Purdum writes in the New York Times: "With his presidency at best becalmed - and at worst beset - just 99 days into his second term, President Bush seized the prime-time power of an East Room news conference for only the fourth time in his tenure in an effort to show that he could still do what he has always done in the face of storms around him: make his own weather.

"But even after his hour-long encounter with reporters was over on Thursday night, the atmosphere remained unsettled."

Ronald Brownstein writes in the Los Angeles Times: "The rare prime-time news conference represented one of Bush's most dramatic attempts to regain the initiative after a dreary spring of declining job approval ratings, rising economic anxiety keyed by soaring gas prices, continuing violence in Iraq and intensifying partisan hostility on Capitol Hill. . . .

"But none of that pressure was apparent Thursday. Bush was relaxed and frequently joked with reporters during an hour-long session that never generated sparks or tension. Through 18 questions on subjects that included Social Security, Iraq and the political mood in Washington, the president appeared determined above all to project the two personal qualities that have served him best with his supporters: resolve and optimism."