Spending, tax code are still mighty fierce issues

Dallas Morning News: Tax revenues are up. The deficit is down. And the economy has grown for 18 consecutive quarters.
That's part of the good economic news coming out of Washington. No one but the most rabid anti-Bush-ites could bemoan the uptick, which President Bush and his financial team were out and about promoting last week.
Still, there's more to do before any of us can really crow about the economy and budget. Even Budget Director Rob Portman told us over the phone last week that there's a "yes, but" quality to the news.
Yes, the fiscal picture is improving, but ... much, much work remains to be done on controlling big-dollar programs like Social Security and Medicare and modernizing the tax code. Not until Washington tames those beasts can the cheers go full throttle.
Try, try again
Bush has been among the few in Washington who has stuck his neck out and acknowledged this truth. Unfortunately, his head has been handed to him. (See last year's failure to overhaul Social Security and to start redoing the tax code.)
But that doesn't mean he shouldn't try again. The country needs to get this situation under control. The longer Washington waits, the more difficult it will become to fix our fiscal problems.
And there's actually reason to think a renewed effort next year could turn out better than Bush's earlier attempts on Social Security and the tax code.
GOP Rep. Frank Wolf recently proposed a plan similar to a Bush idea as a way to overhaul the budget and tax picture. He has called for a commission to look at everything from entitlement programs to taxes. And when the committee makes its recommendations, Congress would vote up or down on them as a package.
The White House needs to begin planning now for an assault next year on the obstacles to greater fiscal progress. The time is right for a bold move.