FUNNY HOW THAT HAPPENS. This morning's Wall Street Journal boasts an op-ed by George W. Bush calling for comity and compromise with the new Congress. Lucky for them, he's got a common sense, broadly agreeable agenda in the offing: Escalation in Iraq, continuing his tax cuts, privatizing Social Security and Medicare, passing a line-item veto, and ending earmarks. Truly, the man's talent for consensus is boundless. As is his knowledge of high school civics. "Our Founders believed in the wisdom of the American people to choose their leaders and provided for the concept of divided and effective government," he "writes." "The majority party in Congress gets to pass the bills it wants. The minority party, especially where the margins are close, has a strong say in the form bills take. And the Constitution leaves it to the president to use his judgment whether they should be signed into law." It's good to see Bush so suddenly concerned with the rights of the minority party. After sitting up so many nights worrying over whether the Democrats felt marginalized and insufficiently consulted during the first six years of his presidency, he can finally direct that expansive compassion to the GOP. Again: What a mensch. And it was particularly interesting that he chose The Wall Street Journal from which to make his statement. The Journal, after all, is not a general interest newspaper. It's aimed almost exclusively at businessmen and financiers, its website is subscription-only, and its readership is among the most elite in the world. Bush could've gotten op-ed space at USA Today, The Raleigh News and Observer, or any of a number of publications that serve a wide cross-section of Americans and offer easy online access. Some bumbling communications intern must really be regretting the accidental spectacle of having the president announce his virtuous intentions on the most conservative, elite, and controversial op-ed page in the country. Update: Over at my other site, Tomboy notes:
From wikipedia: In 2005 the Journal reported a readership profile of about 60% top management, an average income of $191,000, an average household net worth of $2.1 million, and an average age of 55.
--Ezra Klein
