More bad news here. Bush bringing back the "Great Society," or maybe "The New Frontier?" Cripes.

President Bush's aides are considering a new lunar exploration program and other unifying national goals, including a campaign to promote longevity or fight childhood illness or hunger, as they sift ideas for a fresh agenda for the final year of his term, administration officials said yesterday.

Several government agencies and task forces have been assigned to determine the cost and feasibility of a variety of major ideas, which could cost billions of dollars at a time when the nation is running a substantial budget deficit.

...The Department of Heath and Human Services is developing a proposal that would funnel billions of dollars over at least a decade into relatively noncontroversial research into cures for cancer and other diseases. A GOP official said this effort could be "the Republican equivalent of the War on Poverty."

A senior administration official said policy experts have also researched possibilites for universal health insurance for children. The official said the administration has also been "going to considerable effort to see how much it would cost to attack child hunger and quote, unquote end child hunger."

Political calculations are involved, according to Republican sources. One presidential adviser pointed out that a major anti-disease initiative would be popular with baby boomers. One quality the proposals have in common is that they are not obviously divisive.

"Political calculations are involved." Duh. Want to end "child hunger" (a largely invented issue)? Make sure the economy is healthy. Universal health insurance for children? Hello? Are there any Republicans in the house? Bring the market back into medical care, and we won't need it.

Some ideas I like, such as "ambitious initiatives to flesh out a reelection agenda that also includes limiting lawsuits, making the tax cuts permanent and adding private investment accounts to the Social Security system." These measures would improve the economy. Dumping billions on Great and Wonderful Projects, which, I hate to say, includes landing people on the Moon, won't.

I wouldn't be the first conservative to speculate that the sooner Bush stops listening to Rowe, the better.