The news conference was not as billed, but the President did do one thing I certainly liked.

While President Bush's news conference last night was billed as his most ambitious push yet for changes to Social Security, it was also an hour spent defending a nascent second term that seems to have stalled.

While, as the New Times points out, he provided no details and stopped well short of offering a full-fledged plan to deal with the problems of the Social Security system, what I like about last night was that he distanced himself from accusations by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist that the Democratic filibuster of Mr. Bush's judicial nominees is an attack on "people of faith."

(4-29-05, The Wall Street Journal online.)