Is the President a plagiarist? Campaign kleptomania.

• Author: Georges, Christopher

A rhetoric quiz: Correctly attribute each of the following quotes to a national political figure. (Hint: George Bush is part of every answer.)

1. A. "We'll . . . make the label 'Made in America' the symbol of quality and durability all over the world." [September 1988]

   2. "A better America where 'Made in the U.S.A.' is recognized around the world as a symbol of quality and progress." [January 1990]

   2. "A better America, where there's a job for everyone who wants one." [January 1990]

3. A. "I call upon the leaders in Washington to launch a comprehensive growth initiative." [October 1991]

   2. "We're setting up a very important comprehensive growth initiative and getting it up to Congress." [December 1991]

   Answer key: The A quotes were by: 1. Michael Dukakis 2. Dukakis 3. Mario Cuomo. The B quotes were by George Bush.

   George Bush a plagiarist? Not exactly. Rather, Bush's habit of ripping off lines used by his Democratic opponents (or at least appearing to do so) points us toward something slightly more insidious: His "new" domestic agenda--from his plan to tamper with IRAs all the way to his notion of a "comprehensive growth agenda"--is, more than anything else, a hodgepodge of ideas pushed by top-tier Democrats like Al Gore, Mario Cuomo, and Bill Clinton.

   Sure, Bush has been knocked ad nauseam for a lack of vision, but an item by item examination of his recent plan suggests Bush isn't blind--or dumb. A large chunk of his "new" agenda was shaped simply by scouting his political competitors and then absorbing in some form what they had to say--a co-option that makes a lot of political (if not ideological) sense. If you want to predict what the president will say next week, just listen to the guy who's moving up in the polls this week.

   Plank robber

   Preposterous? Let's take a closer look at the genesis of the new agenda, as articulated in January's State of the Union address. The aegis of Bush's hastily assembled strategy is a holistic growth plan that includes disparate reforms in areas from investment tax credits to education. Bush had long been loath to consider any such plan. As far back as the 1988 campaign, he unflinchingly trumpeted a "silver bullet" agenda instead: a cut in the capital gains tax combined with a few minor reforms such as incentives for savings and encouragement of enterprise zones. As late as November 17, 1991, Dan Quayle, appearing on ABC News' "This Week With David Brinkley," said: "There is a silver bullet out there that...