[true believer forever]

In August 2004, Cruz contributed to this long-forgotten but fascinating historical document, a book-length brief for Bush's reelection called Thank You, President Bush: Reflections on the War on Terror, Defense of the Family, and Revival of the Economy.

Regarding Bush and Government Spending:

Although Cruz now criticizes Bush for spending too much money on domestic programs, in 2004 he pooh-poohed worries that Bush's opportunity conservatism flew in the face of a commitment to small government. "[S]ome fiscal conservatives have criticized President Bush because government spending has continued to grow over the past four years," he wrote. "But those concerns are often overstated."

Cruz on Bush's No Child Left Behind

"Some critics have objected to the increased federal money going to education," Cruz wrote, "but the bill also requires testing of every child in third and eighth grades and requires schools to provide parents with detailed report cards of the school's performance. . . . The focus is on accountability and results."

On Bush's Immigration Policy

In Thank You, President Bush, Cruz hailed the president for describing immigrants as "Americans by choice," a term Bush prominently employed when he announced his proposal for a new temporary worker program that never became law after Bush's conservative critics decried it as amnesty.

Which points to something important about the Texas Senator. Although he's viewed as an uncompromising ideologue, he's really an opportunist. That's not to say Cruz isn't conservative. He is and always has been. But his conservatism is malleable. Early in his career, he was an establishment conservative and cast his lot squarely with Bush. But after Cruz experienced his own flameout in Bush World when he didn't get the plum assignment he was hoping for in D.C. and eventually went back to Texas. After Bush's presidency cratered, Cruz recast himself as a Tea Partier.

[Alberta's Child]

By any objective measure, the George W. Bush administration was an utter disaster.

[Yo-Yo]

Martin argues that Bush has not only made America safer and stronger, but that he will go down in history as one of our greatest presidents.

Aren't Barf Alerts mandatory in titles these days?

[Bushsupporter4life]

Bush is still one of our best presidents. I got to meet a few years ago, great man!

[TXSearcher]

Although he's viewed as an uncompromising ideologue, he's really an opportunist.

Early in his career, he was an establishment conservative and cast his lot squarely with Bush.

In 2004, I would have written the same thing about Bush.

I didn't mind money being spent on education since we are raising generations of illiterate children. Even worse is the huge numbers that know very little about the tyranny America rose up from or what the Constitution means in terms of keeping them free.

I do not HATE immigrants since I wouldn't be here if my family hadn't immigrated to America before 1800....but I'm fed up with the ILLEGAL ALIEN invasion and started resenting the fact that Bush, as a Texan, didn't understand how bad it had gotten.

By the end of Bush's term, there were a LOT of things I was mad about, but still realized Bush was better for America than a President Kerry or President Gore.

I guess that makes me a dirty opportunist also?