Posted on 10/01/2005 5:58:37 PM PDT by Kaslin
From everything we read from the mainstream media, President Bush is a man on the ropes, beaten, discouraged and out of gas in the middle rounds of his presidency. He was already reeling from his problems in Iraq, and Katrina nearly delivered the knockout blow.
Liberals have hated him from the beginning, even when he's given them reason to rejoice, such as lavishing federal money on public education. They have been saying that Katrina exposed him as the emperor with no clothes. We can now see, they say, that his aura of resoluteness and leadership following 9/11 was an illusion.
According to them, he never was a real leader, but a man who opportunistically capitalized on the nation's wartime unity and delivered a few good speeches acting tough and decisive.
But in one fell swoop (or onrushing flood), say his critics, his mask was removed. Left exposed is the true face of a man utterly out of his element and who, but for his privileged birth, would never have made it in state politics, much less to the highest office in the land.
If all this weren't bad enough, many conservatives are now feeling betrayed by him for various reasons, not the least of which are his refusal to restrain discretionary spending and his lax immigration policies.
I don't think President Bush has betrayed anyone. To me, he has been a study in contrasts since he emerged on the national stage. Contrary to thoughtless charges from the Left that he's an extreme conservative, his ideology has never been easy to pigeonhole.
He has always been somewhat of a political anomaly, conservative on many things, a bleeding heart on others, resolute and firm at times, tentative and malleable at others, righteously indignant about some policies and almost apologetic on others.
He's a man who demands and returns deep loyalty, yet rewards some of his enemies, like Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy, for stabbing him in the back. He has a tough side and a soft side, both genuine and both very much of part of who he is.
The strong president we saw taking charge after 9/11 is the authentic George W. Bush. But he is his father's son, and he apparently acquired from him the unfortunate notion that Republicans should be more compassionate and kinder and gentler.
Some reject Bush's sincerity about compassionate conservatism and believe he was merely engaged in political maneuvering, for example, when he said during his first presidential campaign that we should not balance the budget on the backs of the poor.
I don't think so. I believe he meant what he said. While he is philosophically committed to lowering taxes, he has always been insufficiently allergic to profligate federal spending. So I don't see his unbridled domestic spending and refusal to use the veto pen as betrayals, but as manifestations of concerns many conservatives had about him from the beginning.
Up until now I don't think his dual nature – for lack of a better description – has caused him to be conflicted. But I'm afraid that Katrina, coupled with all the other pressures and assaults to which he has been subjected, threatens to take him off his game.
I believe his legacy, and, more importantly, the course of the nation, will be determined by which side of his nature he allows to be dominant over the next three years.
The sooner he realizes that he cannot bargain or compromise with his political enemies, the better chance he'll have of accomplishing his agenda. Their agenda is solely to thwart him, and he must proceed with no illusions about that indisputable fact. He must not let them shame or deter him with false charges about Katrina, Iraq or anything else.
It has to be tough to stay the course in Iraq when his political opponents and the media suppress all the good news and accentuate the bad. But assuming he persists until the Iraqi forces are able to ensure the security and stability of their own government, I believe he will go down as a great president on that score alone, notwithstanding the polls today.
To the extent that he implements conservative policies on the domestic front as well – taxes, spending, immigration, conservative judges, and the rest – he will further augment his legacy and advance the best interests of the nation. And above all, relative to Katrina, he must ignore the race-baiters, promote colorblindness and encourage self-reliance.
I'm sincerely optimistic, mainly because of his strong character, that President Bush will persevere and close out his presidency very constructively and productively. Besides, can you imagine what would happen with the kook left in charge? Forget about it.
The only way that Bush could please liberals is if he put half the country on welfare, paid for his daughters to have abortions, appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, surrendered Iraq to Osama Bin Laden Emir, cheated on his wife with another man, and converted to Islam.
Perhaps he hasn't done as much as we want him to do, but he hasn't made it worse by any objective standard.
I doubt he would please them if he did that all. It does not matter what he does, they hate him so much there is noting he can do to please them.
the best ting for him is to ignore them and do what he feels is right for the country. Which he does
very good point.
I was watching some demo talking heads today and they both spouted that Bush COULD NOT pick a very conservative supreme court nominee because he was now in a weakened postition and HAD to go with the MAINSTREAM. I had to say stfu! Jenny Bakass and Martin Frost. I hope he picks the most rightwing nominee he can find and blows up the Senate. I am sick to death of the libs and their attitude.
very good point.
I was watching some demo talking heads today and they both spouted that Bush COULD NOT pick a very conservative supreme court nominee because he was now in a weakened postition and HAD to go with the MAINSTREAM. I had to say stfu! Jenny Bakass and Martin Frost. I hope he picks the most rightwing nominee he can find and blows up the Senate. I am sick to death of the libs and their attitude.
Mr. Limbaugh makes several good points, but they mainly suggest more of the same by President Bush; in a word, more drift. Limbaugh expresses hopes that Bush will decide that he needs to fight the Democrats, not play patty-cake with them. But he's had five years to learn about these people and determine to kick them in the nutz. In those five years, we've seen very little of this.
No, Bush isn't "out" yet. But what does that mean? Aside from the possibility of a good replacement for O'Connor -- and no one should count on this -- what is there in store that would get conservatives excited?
The US has been on a collision course with the inevitable results of socialism since the 1930's.
If GWB made the trade-offs that he has with the sole intention of placing conservatives on the Supreme Court, he may well capture a unique place in US history. He is going to appoint his second Supreme Court Justice in days and may yet be able to appoint two more.
It is possible that such a Court would properly find that the US government has no business doing ninety percent of the things that it is presently doing. The adjustment to such a Court would be difficult. The liberals would introduce one Constitutional amendment after another in an attempt to adopt legally that which they have supported illegally for decades.
The so-called "red states" will not go along. The amendments will not pass. The result will be a return to Constitutional government ... or another civil war.
Bush's legacy may be the re-birth of a fifty-state Union dedicated to individual freedom and individual responsibility. Or his legacy may be the birth of a thirty-five state Union founded on those principles.
Bush: Americans Need to Know About Gains in Iraq
American Forces Press Service ^ | Sep 28, 2005 | Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
Posted on 09/28/2005 4:45:47 PM PDT by SandRat
"WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2005 – Iraqi security forces are increasing in size and capability, and American forces are constantly adapting their tactics to fight the ever-changing tactics of terrorists in Iraq, President Bush said here today. After being briefed by Army Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Army Gen. George Casey, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, Bush spoke about the war on terror and emphasized the importance of a congressional briefing Abizaid and Casey are scheduled to give today.
"The support of Congress for our troops and our mission is important, and Americans need to know about the gains we've made in recent weeks and months," Bush said. "As members of Congress speak with Generals Abizaid and Casey, I'm confident that they'll see what I see: Our leaders, these two generals, are men of vision and determination, and it is their leadership that is helping bring victory in the war on terror."
Katrina - A View From a Canadian David Warren Online, Sunday Spectator ^ | 09/11/05 | David Warren
Posted on 09/29/2005 9:36:56 PM PDT by thorshammer
September 11, 2005
Blame throwing
"-----From Democrats and the American Left -- the U.S. equivalent to the people who run Canada -- we are still hearing that the disaster in New Orleans showed a heartless, white Republican America had abandoned its underclass."
"-------The Bush-bashing, both down there and up here, has so far lost touch with reality, as to raise questions about the bashers' state of mind. "
What about Rove's plan to grant "amnesty" to 12 million illegals? And what kind of support has W offered for the Minutemen?
Say hi to hillary.
My point is that he hasn't made the borders more lax. You just confirmed that.
LOL! Give my regards to your pals in the WSJ editorial room.
"Where is that plan, exactly?"
WASHINGTON -- White House political adviser Karl Rove is offering lawmakers details of an administration-backed guest worker program that would temporarily legalize the status of millions of illegal workers, said Republicans who attended the meetings. http://www.statesman.com/news/content/auto/epaper/editions/friday/news_34339aea54b3d1c610a0.html
"And has he done anything to stop the Minutemen?"
No, since they're not doing anything illegal. However, "During a March press conference, President Bush referred to the Minutemen as “vigilantes.”" That's Fox. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170833,00.html
Any other questions?
Yes, just one. What policy has been enacted that makes the borders more lax? You haven't come up with one yet.
Proposed, not yet enacted. Let's hope Congress holds the line.
Yes, it is a great editorial .. and both brothers seem to have a knack for clearing away the cobwebs and exposing what's really going on.
It's all Bush's fault 10.6% 1,504
Looks like some of the 1504 are showing themselves.
"Unlike his critics,Bush is a man,in the full sense by these verses.A fallible man like all the rest, but a man".
His moral resolution stamps him as one of the greatest leaders to emerge in the last 100 years. The testing time is ahead. If he fails, God help us. For the calibre of many of those who would replace him and his values, are of destructiveness and alienation. What else?
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