How Bush can save Bush (Peggy Noonan)

wsj ^ | OCtober 20, 2005 | PEggy Noonan

[freedomdefender]

In 1986, George W. Bush reached a crisis point in his life and changed what wasn't working. He dug deep and got serious. He got humble. He questioned himself. He can do it again, and should.

[Stellar Dendrite]

bump

[al_again]

That simply is not true. Bush started out with a second term agenda that was truly grand and inspiring. Many of us thought he would go down as one of the greatest presidents in modern history. Social security reform, revamping the tax-code, and more; just brilliant.

His past 'conservative sins' would have been completely overlooked if he would have delivered on any of this. What happened to social security reform? Have you seen the recommendations for revamping the tax-code? If not, in a nutshell, a tax hike has been billed as tax-code reform!

It's easy to sit back and throw out complete falsehoods at those of us who are interested in promoting a cause rather than a team! Back your arguments with fact rather than blatant lies!

[Ramius]

Well... all the best arguments against Miers revolve around the budget, immigration, prescription meds... all those things related to... um... the... um... supreme court...?

Sure, there's some pent up hostility on the conservative side and it's all seeming to find its way to the surface in this somewhat unorthodox path of a SC nominee. But hey... the country has taken some pretty serious hits in the last few years. 9/11... wars in faraway places... destructive storms year after year at home. And yet we remain the strongest economy in the world.

It'll pass. Miers will be confirmed. I've even got a hunch that she'll be just exactly the justice we've been wishing for all these years.

I've said before and I'll say again... after some key cases have come and gone, most people here will be saying that they supported her all along.

But another thing remains true: The *big* fight for a real shift of balance in the supreme court is not with this nominee... it is with the *next* one. It is quite possible that in the next couple of years another seat, say Ginsberg's, could open up. We ain't seen nuthin' yet, until we see the fight for that seat.

[rock58seg]

As a matter of fact, I voted for GHWB and I voted for Dole. I am still saying there are better candidates for SCOTUS than Miers.

[Howlin]

No, I am not; if you've seen it before, it's because it's a fact.

[Vision Thing]

Think about it, when Clinton was in power and the Republicans controlled congress spending was in check and virtually none of the liberal agenda was advanced. We had a balanced budget and even got welfare reform passed.

The clinton admin benefited from the peace dividends of the Cold War's completion. So both he and his accompanying Republican congress were able to scale back defense spending. In part, that's how he balanced the budget. The other way in which he was able to balance the budget was from a confident American consumer and business class. We had peace, so we had confidence in spending and investing.

However, during the Clinton years, we didn't have total peace. We had the bombings at the WTC, the Khobar Towers, and the USS Cole. However the most damning event was Clinton's retreat in Mogadishu, which encouraged OBL and Al Queada to ratchet up their plans to go to war with the US.

This brought us 911, which hurt our economy and prompted us into defecit spending to execute the War on Terror. Also, you didn't bother to mention the Hurricane disasters in your criticism of Bush's spending, so I'll merely mention it here.

So yeah, Clinton balanced the budget and Bush didn't, but you didn't give an honest and complete answer to why this is the case.

[Howlin]

I am still saying there are better candidates for SCOTUS than Miers.

She IS the nominee; live with it.

[A Citizen Reporter]

Your the one who thought things were so good when clinton was President, aren't you?

[McGavin999]

No he has asked that she be confirmed. We have asked that she not be, because there are better candidates.

How do you know there are better candidates? Do you know even one of the candidates personally? Or are you basing things on what they have done in the past? What makes you think that what they have done in the past is any indication of what they might do in the future? Look at Stevens, Kennedy, Souter and O'Connor. All of them had suitable records.

[Howlin]

You are exactly right, kind sir.

I just hope the GOP senators have the guts to do the right thing.

[Ramius]

Bush is no Thatcher or Reagan.

True. Bush has bigger problems.

[Maynerd]

More people support her or for waiting to hear than are against her.

The third group is "needs more information" not "waiting to hear." It's pathetic you view that as an endorsement for Meirs. We all want to hear more. Ms. Harriets spiffy Thank you notes were very reassuring. But then again there isn't a lot to hear when Bush intentionally nominates a stealthy good ol gal.

This entire nomination is a category 5 cluster. Bush started this fiasco and it looks like he'll ride hurricane Harriet to conservative landfall. What a waste.

[Howlin]

I am reading Louis Freeh's book. It's just devastating to Clinton, et al.

[A Citizen Reporter]

"We ain't seen nuthin' yet, until we see the fight for that seat."

Oh I completely agree. I just can't wait to see the Arbitron ratings for Rush and Laura Ingraham in the next quarter. It's going to be very interesting.

[Howlin]

Hey, now...

[A Citizen Reporter]

I'm reading Freeh's book too.

But I'm just getting to the clinton part.

[rock58seg]

Not if I can help get It changed!

[al_again]

McGavin,

Check your facts. What percentage of senior citizens had ANY problems getting the prescription drugs they needed? It was well under 5% - the elderly prescription drug crisis was completely manufactured by the left.

Now, government has stepped in to solve the manufactured problem and what will be the result? Already, the costs are far beyond the initial estimates (I'm shocked I tell you). In addition, I will be so bold as to predict that a higher percentage of elderly will report problems with getting prescriptions now that the benevolent government has seen fit to interject themselves into a situation where the private sector was functioning just fine!

The end result is that more seniors will have difficulties getting prescription drugs causing more infections to become septic resulting in even higher across-the board costs for Medicare.