Posted on 03/16/2005 8:48:20 AM PST by West Coast Conservative
A growing sense of optimism about democracy in the Middle East is boosting President Bush's standing in the world and dampening domestic criticism of his policies in the region.
The good news abroad has yet to register in the president's approval ratings, which are weighted down by concerns about his plan to privatize part of Social Security.
But the White House has sought to get political credit for the positive developments overseas, with Bush linking the Iraqi elections, renewed Israeli-Palestinian talks, and burgeoning democracy protests in Lebanon to his policies, including the decision to go to war in Iraq.
''The chances of democratic progress in the broader Middle East seemed frozen in place for decades," Bush declared last week at the National Defense University in Washington. ''Yet at last, clearly and suddenly, the thaw has begun."
Many critics of Bush's foreign policies are toning down. In stark contrast to even a month ago, when they were hammering at Bush's Iraq policies almost every day, House Democrats yesterday offered mostly narrow criticisms of the war's prosecution while debating Bush's $81.3 billion funding request, which is expected to pass easily.
European nations have cheered the developments across the Middle East, which include pledges of political change from nondemocratic rulers in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The news has prompted a flurry of reassessments of Bush's policies, most dramatically in an article in the liberal German magazine Der Spiegel that suggested Bush may be right about toppling Saddam Hussein as the first step in spreading democracy through the Middle East. The article compares the president's hard-line policies to President Reagan's stand against communism in the 1980s, a stance that was also unpopular in Europe until the Berlin Wall came tumbling down.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
I'm amazed to see this on the front page of the Globe.
Written with teeth clenched, and the hope that somewhere, something will go wrong and ruin it for Bush,
I doubt that they care about "truth" and "facts," but they need some credibility to keep promoting their "agenda for change."
They just can't resist to take some kind of shot at President Bush can they?
Sadly, I think they are right, SS isn't going anywhere as long as the issue is only private accounts and it is simply hurting Bush's ratings. Yah, private accounts might be nice, but it isn't going to happen and I think that reality is setting in fast.
That's gonna leave a mark.
Well, that's no proper attitude. This fight's just begun, are you giving up so soon? Fighting AARP's brain dead minions is hard work, all the shuffleboard geezers are just obeying their rulers.
I'm retired so I could say, "Who cares?? I got mine!". that would be a selfish, unacceptable position for my kids and grandkids. Nope, bash on I say and drive hard for the goal post. Don't give the opposition one moment of respite.
The subtext on this one is clearly "yeah, but we can still hit him on Social Security." And they will.
Will this quell 'Lib Fever'?
Probably not; unless more MSM honesty follows. . .but good to imagine more than a few Libs choking on their coffee over this one. . .
As for the MSM's anti--agenda; if the Repubs would do a bit more work. . .the Dems could not get away with misrepresenting Bush's Social Security plan.
Many times a new idea has to be presented and discussed in several cycles before the public becomes comfortable with it, as change is not always good and they want to be more sure before taking such a dramatic step.
The dialog will continue, and as the demographics shift to younger people, the support for this idea will probably grow.
The Globe is furious Kerry and the dems didn't think of it first....democracy for the Middle East, for everyone! Now they'll slide to the dem spin that democracy is inevitable and that Bush delayed it due to incompetence.
With "Bush linking" (mid-east successes) "to his policies"???
OK, so President Bush was only sorta, kinda trying to be "linked" to what happened in the mid-east?
Looks more like President Bush's ACTIONS caused mid-east successes.
In other news, Man Bites Dog.
"private accounts might be nice, but it isn't going to happen and I think that reality is setting in fast."
Obviously, you are not a fighter. If President Bush gave up everytime the media and the polls predicted something "was not going anywhere", where would we be today? Thank God, he is a man who "says what he means and means what he says".....and is willing to fight for what he believes is right. That, my friend, is what has made him a GREAT PRESIDENT.
slow news day eh?
Doogle
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