White House Raps Viguerie for 'Wash Post' Op-Ed, He Responds

Editor & Publisher ^ | May 23, 2006 | e&p staff

[LibertarianInExile]

NEW YORK It started innocently enough, with an op-ed in this past Sunday's Washington Post, written by Richard A. Viguerie, a leading figure in the conservative political revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, generally described as a "direct mail genius." His opinion piece was only the latest from a conservative icon to charge that President Bush had betrayed his conservative base...

[snip]

This inspired a direct response from the White House, as described by Viguerie in a press statement today:

"Apparently the White House's response to my article in the May 21 Washington Post is to send out an e-mail from Peter H. Wehner, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, consisting of six quotes by me criticizing Ronald Reagan during his presidency.

"That's a lot easier than trying to respond to my arguments. That's a lot easier than trying to explain away the many examples I give of how Bush has betrayed the conservative movement. And that is standard operating procedure for this White House: Put the spotlight on the president's critic, rather than respond to the critic's arguments.

"Peter, I plead guilty to your implied criticism of me. I am, indeed, a consistent conservative. I put loyalty to conservative principles above loyalty to the Republican Party or a politician. . . .

"One final word, Peter. I knew Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush is no Ronald Reagan.

"Bush's presidency follows in the tradition of Big Government Democrats and Republicans like Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and George H. W. Bush. That is not a conservative line-up!"

[LibertarianInExile]

FYI to those of you who have warmed themselves upon the Viguerie flames tossed on FR. I'm not sure whether his motives are entirely pure, but one thing is certain: the neocons are waaaaaay out of their league when it comes to trading insults with him. Viguerie is a wordsmith of the highest level when it comes to political attack. Here's a little Viguerie history:

.

Reaction of Conservative Pioneer Richard A. Viguerie to the President’s State of the Union Address ^
	Posted by TBP On Bloggers & Personal ^ 02/01/2006 9:09:14 PM PST · 18 replies · 354+ views ConservativeHQ ^ | January 30, 2006 | Richard Viguerie Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of ConservativeHQ.com and co-author of America’s Right Turn, issued the following statement regarding President Bush’s State of the Union Address: “The President had some good things to say about spending, taxes, and immigration, but conservatives have heard that song before. “In parts of the speech, he sounded like he had undergone a conversion from being the biggest spender in American history to a fiscal conservative. But conservatives have heard this kind of rhetoric often from Presidents named Bush. Today, most conservatives feel that the President and the GOP leaders have betrayed the conservative revolution they were...
Viguerie: Poll Reveals Anger With GOP ^
	Posted by SC33 On News/Activism ^ 02/01/2006 5:02:29 PM PST · 73 replies · 1,549+ views NewsMax ^ | February 1, 2006 A new online poll of 1,028 conservative activists and donors shows that 77 percent are either seriously disappointed with Republican congressional leaders or want them replaced. The Jan. 31 survey also found that 54 percent of conservatives feel so abandoned by current congressional leaders and President Bush that they plan to reduce their contributions and/or grass roots work for GOP candidates in the 2006 election. And 70 percent would support a principled conservative challenger running against an established incumbent Republican in a 2006 GOP primary. The poll, taken just two days before House Republicans vote to choose new leaders, should...
Leaders on Right Call for New Pick (Viguerie: "Bush Has Broken His Word to the Conservative Base.") ^
	Posted by KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle On News/Activism ^ 10/25/2005 2:07:02 AM PDT · 26 replies · 672+ views Washington Times ^ | 10/25/2005 | Ralph Z. Hallow < /snip> Mr. Viguerie, in his first public statement of opposition to the nomination, said Mr. Bush "has broken his word to his conservative base and has greatly diminished his credibility." "If the president does not quickly withdraw the nomination," Mr. Viguerie said, it will reflect "a shaky will" on his part to engage the Senate and the nation "in one of the most important debates of our lifetime." Mrs. Schlafly and Mr. Viguerie added their names to a growing list of respected conservatives who have expressed disappointment or outright disapproval of the choice of Miss Miers. None, until now,...

[Ingtar]

I guess his reelection is shot then.

[LibertarianInExile]

Yep, Dubya will NEVER be President again. He's FINISHED, I tell ya! 8^)

[Kenny Bunkport]

The true believers have been chomping at the bit to attack Bush since 2000.

[OldFriend]

I am thankful for the fact that President Bush is no Ronald Reagan.

President Bush did not cut and run from a serious threat from the middle east (Lebanon comes to mind)

President Bush has NOT raised taxes or signed a 1986 type Tax Reform Bill.

President Bush has not visited Bitburg either.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

You're smoking crack if you think Bush is more conservative than Reagan.

[StJacques]

I still say that Viguerie is making noise to enhance his fund-raising efforts, which I believe have not been very fruitful of late.

[OldFriend]

What does your idiotic comment have to do with my post?

[P-40]

Is this the guy that called into the Michael Savage Show one time?

[TET1968]

If you work for the Washington Post you might as work for Al jazerra.

[LibertarianInExile]

You have now attacked Ronald Reagan, a dead Republican, to make Dubya look good. This makes you happy somehow. How proud your parents must be.

[muleskinner]

Viguerie is a "direct mail genius" and nothing more. Only his "genius" was evedent about 20 years ago.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

I like your comment, but my comment is about your tagline. Seems to not fit your ID name.

[plain talk]

I liked Reagan better but Reagan wasn't perfect either. Bush is Bush. He is a strong conservative on some issues like national security and taxes and mushy on other issues like spending and borders. So its a mixed bag which is how it usually is with politicians. But he is great compared to Al gore or John Kerry and I'm grateful that he was elected rather than them.

Overall If I had to sum up I'd give him a B. Compared to Kerry I'd give him an A+.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Overall If I had to sum up I'd give him a B. Compared to Kerry I'd give him an A+.

I would give him a C. And I wouldn't even attempted to compare him to the nuanced one.

[LibertarianInExile]

Whoever he is, evidently his opinion is important enough to the White House and its fellow travelers for them to smear and attack him.

[RegulatorCountry]

Extremism in pursuit of moderation is, uh ...

[detroitdarien]

I am thankful for the fact that President Bush is no Ronald Reagan.

Ronald Reagan had to deal with a Dem House his entire 2 terms. We didn't have an attack on our country when Reagan was in charge. The Soviet Union collapsed because of his leadership. And some of us ARE seeing our taxes raised... the ATM is already hitting folks I know.

What exactly are you thankful for?

[LibertarianInExile]

DD, I think you mean AMT (alternative minimum tax)

[dalereed]

Thank you Richard A. Viguerie!!!