Despite 9/11, Bush comes through on top 2 promises

WASHINGTON — President Bush delivered on his top two campaign promises in his first year, tax cuts and education. Other items on his must-do list became can't-do-right-now.

First came the loss of the Senate to the Democrats. Down went Bush's "charitable choice" plan to give religious groups more money to perform social services.

Then came Sept. 11. War and terrorism have sucked up most of Bush's energy and focus ever since, even as the recession, the war and — Democrats contend, the tax cuts — emptied out the budget surplus. Some of his pledges, however, were getting bogged down absent those profound distractions.

A look at a selection of Bush's campaign promises — the kept, the slowly progressing, the set aside:

Social Security: One of Bush's marquee pledges — the one that cast him most dramatically against the status quo — was to let younger workers use some of their Social Security taxes to build private retirement accounts. That would mean less money going into Social Security and less being paid out.

It won't happen any time soon.

Last month, a White House advisory panel that studied the issue offered proposals to introduce the accounts, but suggested Congress take a year to study them.

The idea of diverting Social Security money into private investments sounded great when a buoyant stock market held out the promise of lucrative returns. But the market turned shaky after the election and last month's collapse of energy giant Enron came as a reminder of how quickly the mighty can fall, taking investments down, too.

Advocates of private accounts say the investments would be protected from such disasters, but that's a hard sell now.

Health care: In his first month in office, Bush came out with his "Immediate Helping Hand" plan, acting on his campaign pledge to subsidize prescription drugs for the elderly poor. It was to be a short-term fix until Medicare was overhauled and bigger changes put in place.

Congress did not approve it; Bush says he will still try.

He also has not prevailed on his version of a patients' rights bill or his pledge for a $2,000 tax credit to help low-income working Americans buy health insurance.