The Ostrich Approach

"Advisers said neither the deal brokered by Senate centrists nor Democratic opposition would change the president's calculus in picking the next justice. 'He's not going to shy away,' said a senior administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because no vacancy has been announced. 'The Democrats can throw high and tight fastballs if they want, but it's not going to work.' "

Social Security Watch

Michael A. Fletcher writes in The Washington Post from Bush's visit to upstate New York: "Working to generate momentum for a plan that appears stuck behind a wall of Democratic opposition and GOP skepticism, Bush warned lawmakers that increasing numbers of Americans are getting the idea that the nation's retirement system is on an unsustainable fiscal course and said politicians must step up to solve the problem."

Here's the transcript of the event. "I think the people who take the risk are those who won't come to the table to discuss the issue in a way that will help solve the problem," he said.

Noting the Protests

Richard Benedetto writes in USA Today: "Gone are the days when a president could travel to a community to make a pitch for a favorite program and bask in mostly favorable local media coverage.

"Armed with a variety of publicity techniques honed in recent election campaigns, opponents are vying effectively with the president for local media attention before, during and after presidential visits.

"And they are doing that at nearly every stop on President Bush's Social Security tour, which began in February and landed Tuesday in this suburb near Rochester in western New York."

About That Local Coverage

But the local coverage is not exactly critical.

Here's the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle 's special coverage, and its front page image .

Lara Becker Liu writes from inside the auditorium: "All awaited the arrival of President Bush as eagerly as they might a movie star.

"'Ohmigod, ohmigod, I can't breathe,' said press volunteer Kellie Crowley, 18, fanning herself with her credentials. She and her friend, Hollie McDonald -- both sophomores at SUNY Brockport, both members of the Brockport College Republicans -- readied their cameras, hoping for a glimpse. . . .

"Bush may have been speaking to a sympathetic crowd, but his witty banter only further endeared him to them. No one heckled him. . . .

"[H]e also scored points in explaining his Social Security plan. The audience response at times resembled that of a church congregation. Shouts of 'That's right!' rang out when Bush described a crippled Social Security system that, if left alone, would be reduced to a 'group of filing cabinets with a bunch of IOUs in it.' "