Posted on 10/24/2005 8:50:35 AM PDT by West Coast Conservative
Nothing goes right these days for President Bush and congressional Republicans. If elections were held now, the GOP would be routed. Many of the wounds are self-inflicted--reckless spending, a botched Social Security initiative, a slow response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, a seemingly uninspired pick to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, tactical mistakes in Iraq (e.g., an inadequate number of troops), unwillingness to be bold on tax reform. Compounding these missteps is an out-for-blood media and an abusive Texas prosecutor.
But a year in politics is equal to a century in normal life. The President and his party can turn the tables before next year's congressional elections.
President Bush has not done a Ronald Reagan-like job in explaining Iraq to the American people. But despite the errors, the bottom line is that Bush's bold gamble to recast the destructive politics of the Middle East will work, especially if Iraq's December national legislative elections go well, as is likely. The disheartening violence against our troops comes primarily from a handful of areas. Many of the insurgents are not Iraqis. Iraqi security forces are growing, both in numbers and competence. Rebels no longer shut down the country's electricity grid or disrupt the flow of oil.
President Bush can still call for spending restraints; he does, after all, have a veto card to play against Congress' spending bills. The public would applaud him for it. People are disconcerted by the White House's seeming abdication of leadership here.
Establishing tax-free enterprise zones in our devastated Gulf region would be a masterstroke. The area would recover quickly. New Orleans could once again become a vibrant, prosperous metropolis, something it hasn't been for decades.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Not necessarily...It took George a little longer than that...
When did it happen?
Oh, that's right. You uber-conservatives started laughing at Bush when he began the liberation of Iraq.
When we going to liberate Indonesia, and China, Russia and Bangledesh???
Huh???
The so-called conservatives are going to make it almost too easy for Dubya to wrap his arms a McCain/Guiliani 2008 ticket.
Well that just signinicantly lowered my opinion of him. He managed to hit every single DNC spin lie. Guess somebody needs to clue him in on Free Republic so he can get the facts.
Forbes reminds me of the Joker (as played by Jack Nicholson). All Forbes needs is a little makeup and voila! the Joker reborn.
"Here we go again, the Buchanaites and third party morons on FR are out for blood to get the President."
Someone needs to counter the moronic K00lAid drinkers.
I like Forbes, but for the fact he couldn't get 10% of the vote he would have been great fiscally. At this point it looks like the Punditocrisy is piling on.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
I'd laugh at your comments but I'm too busy crying because they're so true.
Hold on, you forgot to mention Hatch and McCain. The all or nothing real conservatives are leading us to what they usually end up with...nothing. And they are irritatingly obtuse in not understanding the role of the Republican Congress in all they complain about.
I keep on readin this, but I don't see the GOP doing anything pro-active. Bush could have swept away a grade F year by nominating a known conservative, but he did not.
As I said - Grade F.
I also just love that they passed a credit debtors lobbyist bill making it harder for American citizens to get otu of debt, yet went on a crazed spending spree that would make Imelda Marcos and drunken sailors blush in shame. Even had the nerve to say they could not cut anymore out of the budget.
Oh yes, and they did it all without fighting the democrats all year, so now they are all under indictment. Grade F.
You forgot "lazy, vigilante racists."
You give Bush no credit for John Roberts, the successful vote for Parliament last February in Iraq, and the successful vote for the Constitution just two weeks ago?
You're a hard-ass, aren't you?
He was my favorite candidate on the issues.
I have to admit, there sure is not much to admier about this pick.
I am convinced that McCain will run as a Democrat and will do well against Hillary in the primaries.
If McCain runs, he will do it as a Republican and will most likely get the nomination, with Guiliani as the VP nominee. The conservatives have torpedoed their chances of getting a seat at the table for 2008 with this childish and idiotic vitriol against Miers.
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