Magic Wands
This repeat offense features Dubya letting us know that magic wands cannot be used by government to make good things happen. From 2005 forward, he uses this choice of phrase chiefly in response to record high gasoline prices.

1. Our nation counts on people who have got good heart and good will to say, what can I do to make my neighborhood a better place, instead of hoping that the federal government, in its infinite wisdom, waves a magic wand and there's educational excellence in every school in Georgia. (Mar. 1, 2001)
2. Again, I just want to repeat, please don't hope that the federal government is going to wave a magic wand and there will be educational excellence. (Mar. 1, 2001)
3. I urge you — I urge you, don't hope that Washington fixes schools, don't hope that the federal government waves some magic wand to make the schools better. (Mar. 9, 2001)
4. And, finally, I believe we have an opportunity in America to usher in a culture of responsibility, a signal that says loud and clear to our country that each of us are responsible for the decisions we make in life, that if we've got an issue in Billings, Montana, don't hope that the federal government will wave some magic wand and solve. (Mar. 27, 2001)
5. A guy said, why don't you lower gasoline prices, Mr. President? I said, I wish I could. I wish I could simply wave a magic wand and lower gas prices tomorrow. I'd do that. (Apr. 20, 2005)
6. Listen, the energy bill is certainly no quick fix. You can't wave a magic wand. I wish I could. It's like that soldier at Fort Hood that said, how come you're not lowering the price of gasoline? I was having lunch with the fellow, and he said, go lower the price of gasoline, President. I said, I wish I could. It just doesn't work that way. (Apr. 28, 2005)
7. A soldier asked me, he said, why don't you lower gasoline prices, as if the government controlled price. And in our country, the government doesn't control price. And I told him, I said, if I had a magic wand, I would wave it and lower your price, but I — that's not the way it works. (May 5, 2005)
8. I wish I could just wave a magic wand and lower the price at the pump. I'd do that. That's not how it works. (May 16, 2005)
9. You know, I know gas prices are high. There's no magic wand to wave. (Apr. 24, 2006)
10. And by the way, opening up ANWR is not long term, it's intermediate term. But it sends a clear signal, is what it does. It sends a clear signal to the markets that the United States is not going to restrict exploration. The United States is going to encourage exploration. And in the meantime we have done, increasing CAFTA, for example. But the market is going to do as much for encouraging conservation as anything else is now. And so I firmly believe that — you know, if there was a magic wand to wave, I'd be waving it, of course. ...I think that if there was a magic wand, and say, okay, drop price, I'd do that. ...But there is no magic wand to wave right now. (Apr. 29, 2008)
11. NED TEMKO (The Observer): In terms of the oil price — which is obsessing most of the world now — is there anything individual governments can do, in your view?
    DUBYA: There's no magic wand. It took us a while to get to where we are, it's going to take us a while to get out of it. And the truth of the matter is that there's either got to be more supply or less demand. And demand doesn't decline overnight. Although patterns and habits are beginning to change in the United States... I think that people have got to recognize that — I mean, our policy in America has been robust on the development of new technologies and weak on finding enough hydrocarbons so that we can become less dependent on foreign sources of oil.
    TEMKO: In terms of the short-term, fixing the oil price —
    DUBYA: You mean the magic wand?
    TEMKO: Yes.
    DUBYA: No, there's not one. (Jun. 13, 2008)
12. This took us a while to get in this problem. There is no short-term solution. I think it was in the Rose Garden where I issued this brilliant statement: If I had a magic wand. But the President doesn't have a magic wand. You just can't say, low gas. (Jul. 15, 2008)