End Don
George W. Bush
Republicans I spoke with last week are bracing for the latter path and another knock-down  drag-out fight. Obama should surprise them with another direction entirely: declare Bush tax cuts  like the Bush administration itself  over.
 Rarely has a new conversation been so needed. Isn't it time we stopped fighting over Bush's tax policy? Wouldn't it be refreshing to have a fiscal-policy debate without repeating Bush's name?
 In the long history of tax policy  there have been few issues more divisive than the Bush cuts. Since they passed  Democratic presidential candidates have called for their repeal  Republican candidates for their extension -- even John McCain  the 2008 nominee  who had voted against them in 2001 and 2003. The Bush tax cuts are the black hole that swallowed the fiscal- policy debate.
 The fact is  if we extend the Bush tax cuts  it locks in the status quo. Earth to Washington: The status quo stinks. With the economy still limping forward  much more significant fiscal- policy medicine is in order.
Republicans I spoke with last week are bracing for the latter path and another knock-down  drag-out fight. Obama should surprise them with another direction entirely: declare [TGT] tax cuts  like the Bush administration itself  over.
 Rarely has a new conversation been so needed. Isn't it time we stopped fighting over [TGT]'s tax policy? Wouldn't it be refreshing to have a fiscal-policy debate without repeating [TGT]'s name?
 In the long history of tax policy  there have been few issues more divisive than the [TGT] cuts. Since they passed  Democratic presidential candidates have called for their repeal  Republican candidates for their extension -- even John McCain  the 2008 nominee  who had voted against them in 2001 and 2003. The [TGT] tax cuts are the black hole that swallowed the fiscal- policy debate.
 The fact is  if we extend the [TGT] tax cuts  it locks in the status quo. Earth to Washington: The status quo stinks. With the economy still limping forward  much more significant fiscal- policy medicine is in order.