A Test of Relevance

I wrote at length about health savings accounts in my January 25 column, Another Shot at the Safety Net .

This Morning's Event

Bush spoke briefly about the health savings accounts this morning. But the questions from the press corps were all about former House majority leader Tom DeLay's resignation, the situation in Iraq, and rumors of a White House staff shakeup.

Nedra Pickler reports for the Associated Press: "Signaling possible further changes to his staff, President Bush said Tuesday that he looks forward to recommendations from his new chief of staff on 'how to get the White House to function in an effective way.' "

Tomorrow in Bridgeport

The White House's version of glasnost may be coming to the test as well. At this morning's event, Bush was surrounded by people who agreed with him about health policy.

And the Connecticut Post reports that tomorrow's event in Bridgeport is not open to the public. Instead, about 150 invitations have been sent out to top executives at hospitals, universities, banks and health-care companies.

Even as Bush has on occasion started taking questions from unscreened audiences, his aides have continued to bar any dissenters from appearing on stage with him. So you can bet that, like today's "meeting" in the Roosevelt Room, Bush's "panel" tomorrow is likely to be full of ringers.

And what was the White House advance team thinking, sending Bush to gritty, industrial, non-Republican Bridgeport when there are so many swankier, friendlier venues nearby?

Peter Urban writes in the Connecticut Post: "Bridgeport would seem an unlikely place for the president to venture -- he received only 28 percent of the city's vote in 2004 and no Bridgeport resident contributed more than $200 to his 2004 re-election campaign.

"The White House had put out feelers to meet in Stamford with Fairfield County business leaders, but settled on Bridgeport due to security concerns, said Joe McGee, vice president of the Business Council of Fairfield County, which is hosting the event."

The Associated Press reports that it will be Bush's first visit to Connecticut since 2004, when he -- more typically -- raised over $1.1 million for his re-election campaign with a 30-minute stump speech in Greenwich.

Don't Count Him Out Yet

Fred Barnes writes in the Weekly Standard that it's too early to count Bush out.

"The president's goals are quite simple. He has at least three in mind: improve relations with Congress, strengthen ties to the Republican base of voters, and quash the Democratic talking point that he and his administration are incompetent. To achieve these, he has to improve his popularity as measured by his job approval rating, since the political community and the media are obsessed with this poll number.