Further proof Bush was among the most liberal presidents ever

star ledger ^ | 07.23.11 | Paul Mulshine

[Coleus]

(How do you know Rick Perry’s lying? Well, you know the joke. Watch his lips move and see who he remind you of.)  They say first impressions are lasting ones. And if you’ve been following my comments on the potential 2012 Republicans presidential field, you know that my first impression of most of them is that they are either boobs or frauds.

There is one contender who does not meet that definition. Texas Congressman Ron Paul is neither a boob nor a fraud. He’s the only Republican in the field who has been a consistent adherent to the constitution during his entire political career. If there’s a genuinely conservative candidate from Texas , why do we need a fake one?  That would be Rick Perry. I judged him a fraud the moment I saw him speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, when he had the misfortune of following Paul.

Here’s what I wrote at the time:

Afterer Ron we got a speech by Texas Governor Rick Perry. He gave a good spiel about economic growth in Texas , but then he got on to border security. It was a nice tirade against Obama for not enforcing the borders. But how dishonest do you have to be not to note that George W. Bush had eight years to secure the borders?

That’s how dishonest Rick Perry is.

It’s also a good indication of how liberal George W. Bush was. Bush was the biggest advocate of open immigration ever to occupy the White House. He was also the biggest advocate of liberal internationalism. And the biggest spender - till Barack Obama.

But back to Perry. When he gave that spiel he had to know Obama was doing a much better job on enforcing the borders than Bush.

[fantom]

I wonder if Tiny Tim thinks Perry can make it all the way .

[raybbr]

Bush was a success. He wanted a "new America" and he's getting it...

THE "NEW AMERICAN"..........<

We are now one of the largest Spanish-speaking nations in the world. We're a major source of Latin music, journalism and culture.

Just go to Miami, or San Antonio, Los Angeles, Chicago or West New York, New Jersey ... and close your eyes and listen. You could just as easily be in Santo Domingo or Santiago, or San Miguel de Allende.

For years our nation has debated this change -- some have praised it and others have resented it. By nominating me, my party has made a choice to welcome the new America.

Our future cannot be separated from the future of Latin America.

As I speak, we are celebrating the success of democracy in Mexico.

George Bush from a campaign speech in Miami, August 2000.

You can read the speech here.

Here is an excerpt of a good critique of that speech:

In equating our intimate historic bonds to our mother country and to Canada with our ties to Mexico, W. shows a staggering ignorance of the civilizational facts of life. The reason we are so close to Britain and Canada is that we share with them a common historical culture, language, literature, and legal system, as well as similar standards of behavior, expectations of public officials, and so on. My Bush Epiphany By Lawrence Auster

[Southack]

Stupid editorial that ignores Bush’s tax cuts, ban on partial birth abortion, and deployment of our national missile defenses only to idiotically kvetch about spending that was less than half of 0bama.

[ken21]

bush 43 spent $7 trillion in 8 years

and obama $4 trillion in 3 years.

[EQAndyBuzz]

And his point is?

[freedumb2003]

>> When he gave that spiel he had to know Obama was doing a much better job on enforcing the borders than Bush.<<

How do you know when a leftist blogger is lying? — his keys are clicking.

The zero administration specifically STOPPED deportations for all but cases that would embarrass him.

[Lazlo in PA]

I can’t figure out this piece. Is it a Bush bash, a Perry bash or a slick defense of Obummer as a thoughtful moderate?

[Soul Seeker]

I’d like to be open minded to reading the article but the fawning over Ron Paul prevents me from being so here.

[yarddog]

Bush was no conservative but I am not sure I would agree that he was one of the most liberal.

[humblegunner]

Ron Paul is a retard.

[Reagan Man]

>>>>>Texas Congressman Ron Paul is neither a boob nor a fraud.

[lonestar]

W didn’t come close to LBJ or Carter.

[ansel12]

How does anyone compare to the President that actually created this immigration, JFK?

“However, if there is one man who can take the most credit for the 1965 act, it is John F. Kennedy. Kennedy seems to have inherited the resentment his father Joseph felt as an outsider in Boston’s WASP aristocracy. He voted against the McCarran-Walter Act of 1952, and supported various refugee acts throughout the 1950s. In 1958 he wrote a book, A Nation of Immigrants, which attacked the quota system as illogical and without purpose, and the book served as Kennedy’s blueprint for immigration reform after he became president in 1960. In the summer of 1963, Kennedy sent Congress a proposal calling for the elimination of the national origins quota system. He wanted immigrants admitted on the basis of family reunification and needed skills, without regard to national origin. After his assassination in November, his brother Robert took up the cause of immigration reform, calling it JFK’s legacy. In the forward to a revised edition of A Nation of Immigrants, issued in 1964 to gain support for the new law, he wrote, “I know of no cause which President Kennedy championed more warmly than the improvement of our immigration policies.” Sold as a memorial to JFK, there was very little opposition to what became known as the Immigration Act of 1965.”

[Cheetahcat]

Bush was a POS but update your sources!

[SeaHawkFan]

Well, he did give up Roberts and Alito. Wherever else he failed, he got the SCOTUS appointments right.

[dragnet2]

Texas Governor Rick Perry got on to border security. It was a nice tirade against Obama for not enforcing the borders. But how dishonest do you have to be not to note that George W. Bush had eight years to secure the borders?

Bravo excellent point, one even those drooling in cups can understand!

[SeaHawkFan]

Should have been “gave us”.

[Doogle]

slick defense of Obummer as a thoughtful moderate?....you got it...
the little boy king is in deep do do.....more people out of work and NOW more than ever they are going back to bush’s fault. Do keep in mind the Ledger is just a NYT lite.

[BufordP]

John Derbyshire: Eight Wasted Years ...Margaret Thatcher used to talk about the “ratchet effect.” When the Left gets power, she said, they drive everything Left; when the Right gets power, they slow the Leftward drive, perhaps even halt it for a spell; but nothing ever gets moved to the Right. U.S. politics in the 21st century so far bears out this dismal analysis. What does the Right have to show for eight years of a Republican presidency? I supported George W. Bush in 2000 because I thought he had a conservative bone in his body somewhere. I supported him in 2004 because I thought him the lesser of two evils. At this point, I wouldn’t let the fool park his car in my driveway. Bruce Bartlett was right, every damn word... Bill Gertz interview on Hannity and Colmes Gertz: Well he casts himself as a compassionate conservative and I argue that he's neither. That his administration is neither. He's done tremendous damage to the conservative movement...