Posted on 03/03/2006 3:26:40 AM PST by Cannoneer No. 4
An old acquaintance in Washington - a former member of Republican administrations whose foreign policy views are decidedly hard-line - recently had this to say to a friend about the Bush administration: This might be the most inept administration in American history.
But it should come as no surprise that President George W. Bush has fallen to an approval rating of 34 percent in a recent national poll. Just look at the events in this winter of his discontent:
Members of his own party have turned against him on the issues of whether a company owned by the United Arab Emirates should control six major ports in the United States.
As more and more information leaks out about the unauthorized and very likely illegal eavesdropping by the National Security Administration, there is more talk - only whispered at the moment - that there ought to be an impeachment inquiry into Bush's behavior.
But I fear we are now seeing the other side of the coin with Bush. His lack of historical perspective, his crusading religiousness, his Texas-style shoot-first-ask-questions-later approach to complex problems - that is, all the shortcomings that were obvious from the beginning of his presidency - seem to be catching up with him now. It's one thing to be a decisive leader. It is quite another to be consistently making the wrong decisions.
This is a presidency coming unraveled before our eyes. It is not a pretty sight, and it is not good for the country. What a difference a year makes. After his re-election, Bush said that he would use his political capital.
Soon he won't have any left. Then what?
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
100% right on. Every citizen knows that this country is being invaded and changed without their consent and without their reps doing a damn thing about their complaints.
Illegal Invasion is one o the main reasons GWB is in the tank. Its his own fault too. After 9/11, he could have easily tackled this problem with most Americans supporting him.
Excellent post in its entirety! A keeper.
The Dems habitually trumpet any missteps in an effort to validate their entire worldview and get the whole ridiculous package of ideas accepted as the default alternative.
As soon as their criticism gains momentum, the question automatically shifts to 'OK, then what instead?' and the people look up and see the Dems ranting on as usual, and respond 'Oh geez, not this shi# again', and Bush hangs on.
As soon as the Dems become part of the issue, their momentum stops, because they disqualify themselves.
Some conservatives seem to be in "defense" mode. Grandstanding rather than speaking assertively. Maybe they need a vacation. Or maybe they need to get back to their roots as reasonable individuals who are able to wait for people they disagree with to finish a sentence.
75% of the public, who he works for, whom pays his paycheck, want something done on this issue. It is destroying neighborhood after neighborhood.
Yet, instead we get utter garbage from his Administration about this issue.
Punish? Gawd, if I stand up and say that critical concerns are not being addressed, that's punishment?
The result is domestic enemies in power, and foreign enemies emboldened. Is that your intention or just an unfortunate by-product?
It's not either/or, despite your claims to the contrary. Anyone who takes that approach is trying to prevent honest disagreement - and honest disagreement makes a party stronger, not weaker.
Not to mention that they cite the bogus CBS poll that is as useless as this article.
Tell me how the Republican Party is stronger for all your efforts?
James Klurfeld
WOW..another unbiased MSM can't get over losing kerryite.
No, but you treat such as weakening the president when it does not - instead, the president needs to start listening to his base.
Tell me how the Republican Party is stronger for all your efforts?
The GOP is strongest when it engages itself in debate and follows core conservative values. That is why it won elections and the Dems lost ground.
So the more you bash the President, the stronger the Republican Party gets?
Great job, DB.
You apparently live in an Alternative Universe.
Either/or, once again.
Let's put it this way - I and millions of other conservatives have been yelling for some time about spending and illegal immigration. Apparently Bush either doesn't hear us or is unwilling to hear us, probably because the GOP figures we'll just vote for them no matter what they do.
So if the GOP continues to blow us off over illegal immigration, it will have left us no choice but to leave the party over illegal immigration, they only have themselves to blame. Public support for dealing with illegal immigration is overwhelming - and when elected officials ignore such broad public sentiment, they deserve to be voted out of power as a result.
(Grab handle)
(apply downward force)
(hear flushing sound)
OK,all your "legitimate criticism" strengthens the Republican Party, but if the President fails to do what you want you and millions of others are going to leave the Party over illegal immigration, but that still strengthens the Republican Party?
It's obvious that you are an honest individual who deserves a lot of pats on your back.
Some anti-DPW folks, who should have known better, who have been appearing on TV and radio, have played, very publicly, right into the Democrats' hands. They are now trying to pretend they have been moderate all along.
King (and Hannity) should have sent a clearer message that they wanted more investigation, rather than immediately reacting to all the anti-DPW misinformation by 1) stepping up on their soapboxes and 2) giving the whole world the impression that they thought the deal was a totally bad idea.
Hannity has become so defensive about his position that, while speaking yesterday to the young man who taped his teacher, Hannity just had to take the opportunity to portray himself as a victim.
Meanwhile, the Democrats have been eagerly citing Peter King's comments as "proof" that the deal is bad (i.e., proof that the Bush administration is bad).
The answer for the Bush Admin and their supporters is not to attack those who helped vote them into office. All we seem to be hit with now is the claim that opposing what Bush and the GOP are doing will put Hillary into office. In other words, they are already running against her as a rationale to cow critics back into following the party line.
But it's nearly impossible to win an election by running against the other candidate. The GOP has to articulate what it stands for, and quit trampling over the legitimate concerns of broad sections of its base. If they fail to do such, they only have themselves to blame if they lose in 2006 and 2008.
The GOP has been blessed by the ineptness of their opponents. But that advantage is negated if they start acting even more inept than the Dems.
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