"I like to confront problems," George W. Bush stated matter-of-factly as his White House Economic Conference ended yesterday.

And he's chosen to confront pretty much all of them: Our insolvent Social Security system, the byzantine tax code, the metastasizing deficit, unaffordable healthcare and medicare, not to mention terrorism, rogue states, and revamping national defense.

In another era -- or with a media posessed of more historical perspective -- Mr. Bush would be characterized as a "dynamic, young President" who is "boldly confronting the major issues of the day with vigor and imagination."

Of course, one's "dynasty" must be named "Kennedy" or "Roosevelt" to get that kind of press.