Bush in Raleigh Tomorrow

El Presidente is bringing his Bamboozlepalooza Tour (thank you, Josh Marshall!) to Raleigh tomorrow ... which is curious. He went on the road last week primarily to red states with Democratic senators, carrying an implied threat: if you don't support my plan to privatize Social Security, we will VAPORIZE you. Coming to North Carolina, a red state that voted for him twice, which also has two Republican senators who openly and whole-heartedly support privatization, is a bit more puzzling. Says N.C. State political scientist Andy Taylor (yes, that's his name), it's a "bad sign" for Bush that he's coming to North Carolina, since only two Republicans in the state's delegation in the U.S. House (Myrick of Charlotte and newbie Patrick McHenry of the 10th Dist.) have said they favor privatization.

According to the N&O:

"Rep. Howard Coble of Greensboro said he finds the idea of personal accounts 'inoffensive' but does not see the system as in crisis.

"Rep. Walter Jones of Farmville said he'll wait and see what comes out of Congress.

"Even Rep. Virginia Foxx of Banner Elk, who praised Bush's State of the Union address as magnificent, is not sold on private accounts."

Even Virginia Foxx? Oh my.