Only Nixon Could Go To China

President Bush tossed up a Hail Mary pass to save his legacy in a speech from Jackson Square in New Orleans.

Making a mark on history often requires a counter intuitive move from a President:

• Lyndon Johnson -- segregationist who pushed through passage of the Civil Rights Act
• Richard Nixon -- devout anti-communist who opened relations with Red China
• Bill Clinton -- mainstream Democrat who balanced the federal budget and hammered out welfare reform

Tonight, President Bush -- a conservative -- proposed a federal role in rebuilding the Gulf Coast that rivals anything in FDR's New Deal.

It promises to be the single largest federal spending program in memory -- with at least $200 billion coming from Washington. (WashPost)