Inside Mr. Bush's Brain, January Surprise Version

Mark A. R. Kleiman noticed something in the Ron Suskind article in NYT Magazine that I missed:

Meanwhile, the Kerry campaign has decided that none of the truly horrifying quotes in the Susskind article have the political potency of Bush's promise to a group of his rich supporters to privatize Social Security in a second term.

I love the phrase "January surprise." The Bush spokesman who pointed out that Bush never says "privatization" in public leaves himself open to the riposte that Bush did use the word when talking his fundraisers.

Here is the relevant piece of the Suskind piece--notice that Mr. Bush does not use this in his stump speeches, just when raising fund from his true base, the ultra-rich:

''I'm going to come out strong after my swearing in,'' Bush said, ''with fundamental tax reform, tort reform, privatizing of Social Security.'' The victories he expects in November, he said, will give us ''two years, at least, until the next midterm. We have to move quickly, because after that I'll be quacking like a duck.''

Father, let me dedicate All this year to you
In whatever earthly state You will have me be
Not from sorrow, pain, or care Freedom dare I claim;
This alone shall be my prayer: Glorify Your name.
--from New Year's Hymn by Lawrence Tuttiett, 1864 (alt.)