A Test of Relevance

Missing Trustees

Robert Pear writes in the New York Times: "President Bush and the Senate are at an impasse over the appointment of trustees for Social Security and Medicare, crippling the panel that supervises the two programs.

"This, in turn, has delayed the annual reports on the financial condition of the programs, which together account for more than one-third of all federal spending. Under federal law, the reports are supposed to be sent to Congress by April 1."

Bush has apparently violated precedent by renominating the most recent pair of trustees.

"Under federal law, the two public trustees 'may not be from the same political party.' The Senate Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, has recommended a Democratic candidate to the White House, but has not publicly identified the person. Republicans said they understood that the White House found the candidate too partisan."

Not the House of Card

Peter S. Canellos writes in his Boston Globe column that dumping Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. was not a dramatic move, because it's Cheney who runs things over there.

"Even if Bush wanted to marginalize Cheney, and there's no evidence that he does, he would have to remove all the Cheney loyalists from the defense secretary on down and still wake up to Cheney sitting in the West Wing every morning. Only Congress can remove a vice president, and only then for 'high crimes and misdemeanors.'

"Cheney seems happy to swim along with an approval rating lower than Bush. He isn't running for office. He's running the country."

The Pitch

Matt Spetalnick writes for Reuters: "George W. Bush, briefly setting aside troubles that have beset his presidency, indulged his passion for baseball on Monday by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of America's 2006 Major League season. . . .

"With Secret Service snipers watching from the stadium roof, the crowd, festooned with small American flags, roared with approval, drowning out a smattering of boos, as Bush's pitch soared past the plate into Reds catcher Jason LaRue's glove.

"Bush smiled in apparent relief. Both he and his father, former President George Bush, had bounced ceremonial pitches to the plate in the past."

Why so few boos, given Bush's dismal approval ratings?

Lonnie Wheeler writes in the Cincinnati Post: "When the President strode to the mound to throw out the first pitch . . . he was accompanied by two injured American soldiers (Mike McNaughton, Afghanistan, and Paul Brondhaver, Iraq) and the father (John Prazynski) of another (Taylor Prazynski) who was killed in action (Afghanistan). If anyone in the capacity crowd had been predisposed to boo George Bush, that notion was dashed by the company the prez was publicly keeping."