Coulter is right. If, in fact, it was Rove who was calling the shots. I think the President makes his own decisions.
She's right on all counts.
As for Bush, I’m glad he survived, if only because every anti-American on the planet was looking forward to dancing on his political grave like those nutso Palestinian women in the streets of Ramallah on 9/11. But I’m annoyed that it was this close. Two years ago I wrote that the President had missed an opportunity. In August 2002 I wrote in these pages, ‘President Bush has won the first battle (Afghanistan) but he’s in danger of losing the war. The war isn’t with al-Qa’eda, or Saddam, or the House of Saud. They’re all a bunch of losers.... In a unipolar world, it’s clear that the real enemy in this war is ourselves, and our lemming-like rush to cultural suicide.’ Transformative leaders use turbulent times to reshape the nation, as FDR did with the Depression. Back in his 90 per cent approval-rating days, Bush could have used the new war to shift the culture, to toughen it.The 43rd President is a radical, at home and abroad: had Kerry been elected, not only would he have abandoned this administration’s broader ambitions in the Middle East, but, unlike Bush, he would have made no serious attempt to reform social security. The Texan moron is, in fact, the kind of leader people always say they want: not poll-driven, with the courage to take the tough decisions, etc. But he’s very poor at selling them to the American people, and what seems obvious to him isn’t necessarily that obvious if you’re in one of the many cities with a reflexively anti-Bush monodaily. It should have been a bigger victory, and Republicans need to examine carefully why it wasn’t.
The election should have been an historic landslide, but President Bush was burdened with the neocon types who hamstrung him with questionable intel in the runup to Iraq.
Bush should have been universally hailed for his commanding performance of post 9/11 defense.
Instead he was forced to deal with the neocon stumblebums. The MSM had a heyday with story after story about the neocons bogus intel.
The neocons tarnished President Bush's peerless Commander in Chief credentials.
Stifle yourself, Ann. We're VERY fortunate to win this election given the high turnout. I guess you're pissed because YOU didn't get the credit.
Moron.
"But Rove concluded Bush should stay mum on gay marriage and partial-birth abortion"
I was wondering why Bush never spoke often and strongly against these two issues.
Practically everyone in the country is against partial-birth abortions and gay "marriages."
Ann is right. That was bad advice from Rove. On the strength of Bush's stand on these two issues alone, he would have gotten at least 60% of the popular vote, if not more.
I don't like Rove, I've never liked Rove. I disapprove of just about every position he's foisted on us. His secret of success? John Kerry. If the Dims had had a decent candidate, Rove wouldn't have been successful at all.
Ann is RIGHT on, especially with her past paragraph.
Republicans win elections by running as Republicans, not as Democrats.
Rove was the guy who threatened Tancredo over complaints about our hemorrhaging borders, guided Bush on the Asssault Rifle Ban, and this campaign SHOULD have been far less of a cliff hanger.
Bush has done a great job, he's a great President, and he could have swept the Country.
And Rudy Giuliani or any of his RINO clones are NOT the response to Hillery Clinton in 2008.