“I’m on a walk, just like you are. I’m on a walk. And it’s a never-ending walk, as far as I’m concerned.” –George W. Bush, telling recovering drug and alcohol abusers about his own history of addiction.

Mr. Bush entered the health care debate this week with a free-market friendly proposal to provide uninsured low-income families with tax credits of up to $2,000 a year to purchase private insurance of their choice. While the credits are limited to lower-income families – building on the classist division of the left – the plan is certainly better than the $100-billion-a-year boondoggle proposed by Clinton and company.

Elsewhere on the trail, last November, Mr. Bush said he would “probably not” meet with a group of Republicans who have formed a homosexual advocacy alliance. Bush said, “I am someone who is a uniter, not a divider. I don’t believe in group thought, pitting one group of people against another. All that does is create a kind of a huge political nightmare, you know.” This week, appeasing leftists, Bush met with the “Log Cabin Republicans” who claim to have 10,000 homosexual members nationwide.

After the meeting, Bush spokesman Scott McClellan said, “There are some disagreements on certain issues, but this meeting is another example of Governor Bush’s inclusive record as a different kind of Republican, one who reaches out to people from all walks of life and unites them.” Keep in mind his refusal to meet with such groups above: “I am someone who is a uniter, not a divider.” This is the kind of political “doublespeak” that Bill Clinton will be long-remembered for!

Observation Points: “[George W.] Bush’s tax cut is all but forgotten, as it’s back to ‘compassionate conservatism’ in the form of a $5 billion reading initiative. The governor is pro-life but won’t talk about it, and he criticizes the NRA for telling the truth about Clinton getting political mileage from well-publicized killings. While George W. may be the media’s idea of a conservative – most in the movement view him skeptically. If Bush is interested in inclusion, he should reach out for a running mate with his right hand (an Alan Keyes, a Bill Bennett or a J.C. Watts), as his father did with Dan Quayle.” –Don Feder

From Gore2000 – The Vice Prevaricator…

“Don’t let anybody ever forget what the contrast has been these last seven years compared to the Bush-Quayle years.” –Al Gore

We are doing our best, Al!

Not to be outdone by Bush’s pandering to homosexuals, Al Gore endorsed the world’s first international homosexual celebration scheduled to be held in Rome this summer. “As you renew your commitment to promoting equal protection under the law for every citizen and opposing all forms of discrimination, I stand ready to ensure gay and lesbian Americans have the opportunity to participate fully in a nation and a world that is united in those goals of importance to us all,” Gore said. “I look forward to strengthening our working relationship throughout the 21st century.”

Observation Points: “Long before I was a politician, I was a Yankee fan.” –Rudy Giuliani {} “(Al) Gore avoids the in-depth Sunday interview programs that other candidates regularly schedule and that would be apt to raise (questions about the Clinton/Gore fund-raising scandals). He appeared on both ABC’s ‘This Week’ program and CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’ last October, but was not asked about the 1996 scandals. His most recent visit to CNN’s ‘Late Edition’ was June 1996, and he never has been interviewed on Fox News Sunday. Not since October 13, 1996, has he been a regular interview guest on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ the program most likely to grill him about the Buddhist temple.” –Robert Novak {} “[Gore] is the kind of fellow who follows you into a revolving door and comes out in front – while picking your pockets in the process.” –Tony Blankley