Posted on 11/22/2004 6:35:39 AM PST by Quilla
Edited on 11/22/2004 8:48:54 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
There is an unusual feature to the second Bush Administration that is extraordinarily important but has been almost entirely overlooked. For the first time in a half-century, a two-term presidency will end without sending out its Vice President to seek a mandate for succession at the next election. Vice President Cheney will not run for the presidency, and everyone knows it. When these eight years are over, the Bush-Cheney Administration will simply close up shop.
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
Being a regular at FR means that I already know Bush is taking a bull-by-the-horns policy stance on many fronts. Indeed, to my annoyance, he's pursuing an immigration policy I'm opposed to. For this reason, some uninformed sheeple reading TIME may find this article interesting.
What I found though, that was most exasperating, was something I've been banging my fist on the table over on many Threads over the last 6 months: This IS the 'line-of-succession' question. To my disappointment Krauthammer didn't answer this question in an article that was partially built around this very question.
I guess this is my biggest disappointment: He left it an open question and, like Bush, a vulnerability for 2008. In addition, many here on this Thread immediately jumped on the Condi bandwagon to this unresolved question. I'm not so sure about this for two reasons: 1) She's never held an elected office and 2) to my knowledge only 3 Secretaries of State have ever been elected President, one of which was Thomas Jefferson. Don't get me wrong here (as I said, Condi's smart) but is she on par with Mr. Jefferson?
Okay, theres my beercup. Flame-suit on.
Bush's legacy will be his foreign policy: major defeats for the terrorists and the seeding of democracies in the Middle East.
The green-eye-shade nonsense you list won't amount to a hill of beans in ten years.
Really? Even when was joining the chorus of MSM types who condemned Mel Gibson for being "anti-Semitic.?"
Personally, I don't think I could ever take anything he says seriously after that nasty little piece of bigotry.
bmp
He looks good on paper - will look out for him.
HMMMM - A Southern Governor in 08 - who woulda thunk it.
Did you see McCain entertaining the 08 run with Russert Sunday?
Same question to you folks.
Krauthammer is full of crap. This President and the Republican party will also be full of it if they don't ask Cheney to resign near the midterm election and install someone to become a successor. Part of the legacy of presidents is whether or not their VP gets elected. I DON'T and have never bought into this lame-duckedness BS either. The legislative branch is still up for re-election and they usually have to show something for it - or the president can call them all "do-nothing" and make his case directly to the people. Furthermore, on the foreign policy front, someone still has to man the helm (for example, Clinton was still tlking peace deal with Arafat and Barak at the end of 2000). Get it Kraut? But more importantly, I hope the White House gets it.
Nothin' wrong with a Southern governor!
Although, my second choice would be Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty...
Bush would get stomped in the election.
Two terms is enough. No one, not FDR, not Ronald Reagan, not GWB, is indispensable.
McCain is a joke. If it came down to him vs. Hillary, I'd probably have to vote for him, but he's a joke.
Plus, he's too damn old.
I'm sure not going to jump into the stands and pound you. ;)
Thank you for the elaboration. I'll keep an eye out for Mr. Krauthammer's next article. Hopefully he will follow up with his own 'line of succession' suggestions.
We won't be, and she won't be.
That's my fear. That the Dems will run a quasi-respectable and quasi-conservative Democrat like Evan Bayh, or VA Governor Mark Warner.
Then we have a tougher fight.
Its intriguing to ponder a run by Condi in 2008, when you consider what we've recently learned of her comment to a British journalist concerning Jessie Jackson's bid for President. (parapharased) "Now that he's shown that he has a chance, they'll come out of the woodwork to denounce him." And they did. Perhaps it is time in our history to consider not only a woman President, but one who repudiates the inherent racism of not only those who could never accept an African-American President but also that of the so called Black Leadership. This places Condi in a very unique position. I'd vote for her, I suspect. I told someone the other day, showing them the story of GWB's actions in Chile, "This is why I supported this man." He's the kind of man I'd like to be myself, and want my son's to be. Condi lives up to that same standard. Adults in charge.
Yes, McCain is a caricature of himself. His health would definetly be a factor - a factor Reagan could shake off - but he couldn't.
It depends on what rate is selected for the National Sales Tax, or Flat Tax, but for me, it is not the worst thing that could happen if the selected rate nationally DID put more pressure on state and local taxes, the federal influence would be reduced, and state control of our fiscal destiny enhanced. Hopefully, water would seek its level, and we wouldn't end up exchanging one burden for another.
The problem we have now is the feds are taking so much from our populace, individuals and businesses, that any increases on the state level have to be fought tooth and nail.
We have no choice but to tax of course, for me, federal taxes bad, state and local taxes good. Income taxes bad, sales taxes good. The reason we HAVE property taxes is the locals had no other place to go because the feds had squeezed the proverbial blood out of the turnip, IMHO.
Condoleeza Rice has never run for any elective office, thus we don't know whether she has the fire in the belly to campaign.
She's an intellectual, not a politician. I don't think she'd take the VP slot, because I don't think she wants to be President.
My hunch right now is that Bush will pick McCain. He's not popular around here, and he'll be 70 in 2006, but he'd be a shoo-in in 2008.
She would fraud her way to the WH.
I keep hearing Mark Warner mentioned - I live in VA so I know a little about him. Have you seen a picture of him? He looks like a horse. I hate to make such hay (pardon the pun) out of his looks - but it is a factor to consider.
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