[WOSG]

Well, FWIW, it could be and was said about Bush in 1998.
I for one was saying it!

I recall some discussions in 1996 about how Bush and Co were "dissing Tom Pauken" and the Christian Right side of the party. It struck me for most of Bush's time as Governor that he *really* tried to place distance so he wasnt leaning too far right on anything. He even was ready to go for a tax hike for education but was saved by a collapse of support for the plan in the Texas Senate ...

Bush has artfully played the "triangulation" game that Clinton played for a while. The problem is this: Bush has a GOP Congress. If he pushes conservative policies, he will gain in the polls. He doesnt need to triangulate!

[Texasforever]

No so far he is doing everything he campaigned on. He campaigned for a CFR bill and had one almost identical to the one that passed with the exception of the 60 day ad ban. He campaigned on a prescription drug plan exactly like the one that just passed the only thing left out was the privatization plan for SS which he will call for on Tuesday, and he has lobbied for the immigration plan he just proposed ever since his first run at public office. Now, conservatives may rightly hate those things but they cannot with any honesty say they were lied to and have in any way been betrayed. There has been no broken pledge from this president on anything under his control.

[gatorbait]

Bush has artfully played the "triangulation" game that Clinton played for a while. The problem is this: Bush has a GOP Congress. If he pushes conservative policies, he will gain in the polls. He doesnt need to triangulate! Though we do have some in Congress this applies to, on both sides of the aisle, I think there are two other factors triangularization is meant to be working on and so far, one seems to be neutralised (evidenced by ever more shrill venom) and the other being gradually weaned from its nap with the serpent.