Bush's blunder: welfare reform has been a success in many respects. But if the White House prevails, that's about to change for the worse. (The Politics).(George W. Bush)

IN THE LAST THREE MONTHS, THE WELFARE-REFORM debate has been transformed in ways few people envisioned even recently. The change hasn't been for the better. Early this year, many people believed that reauthorization of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 provided an opportunity to help low-income working families and the hardest-to-employ, and to reduce poverty.

Instead, the debate is now mired in the bumper-sticker disputes of the early 1990s about who can appear tougher in requiring more welfare recipients to work more hours more quickly. ...

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