Posted on 05/26/2006 5:55:18 PM PDT by Pokey78
FOR A PRESIDENT who is (allegedly) the lamest of lame ducks, George W. Bush had a pretty good month of May. Not quite a merry month of May. Certainly not a Lerner-and-Loewe-like lusty month of May. But a pretty good month, and perhaps a sign of better things to come.
To wit:
Congress extended, and the president signed, the wildly successful supply-side tax cuts on interest and dividend income originally passed in 2003. The new tax rates are now in force until 2010, providing helpful certainty for the economy and the markets, and forcing Democrats in this year's congressional elections, and in the 2008 presidential election, either to accept a core element of Bush's economic policy, or to be for raising taxes.
Speaking of the economy . . . last week the Commerce Department revised first quarter growth up to 5.3 percent. Not too lame. Then we learned that new home sales had risen in April, suggesting a reasonably soft landing for the housing market. And gas prices even began to drift down. How much longer can people talk themselves into thinking the economy's in bad shape?
They can talk themselves into a frenzy about illegal immigration, of course. But on this issue, the Senate managed--contrary to the conventional wisdom of late April--easily to pass a sensible and comprehensive immigration reform bill. And House Republicans now show some signs of coming to realize that talk radio is not always the best source of policy guidance. Enough of them may come to realize that passing legislation they regard as flawed would be better than going home to the voters having achieved nothing. So Bush could have an immigration reform signing ceremony to look forward to in the fall.
Meanwhile, on the personnel front, new chief of staff Josh Bolten seems to have improved White House performance, and Tony Snow took over as press secretary to rave reviews. Michael Hayden was easily confirmed by the Senate as CIA Director--as all the hoopla over warrantless wiretapping and data mining of phone records came to nothing. The imminent departure of John Snow as Treasury Secretary--though Snow has actually done a creditable job--will allow for the announcement of a fresher face (perhaps Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez) sometime soon.
The administration also got reenergized on the judicial front, shepherding Brett Kavanaugh through to confirmation to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. If a Supreme Court seat comes open in a month, the administration seems prepared, with (sources say) a short list of well vetted and well qualified conservative candidates.
The silly flap over the FBI search, pursuant to a judicial warrant, of Rep. William Jefferson's office serves as a reminder that, for all the talk of the dire consequences of the Abramoff scandal for the GOP, congressional scandals are not limited to the Republican party. Indeed, Jefferson's refusal to yield to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's plea to quit his position on the Ways and Means committee suggests some disarray in Democratic ranks.
In the meantime, the May 15 deadline for signing up for the Medicare prescription drug benefit passed with some 90 percent of eligible seniors enrolled, and most of them telling pollsters they're pretty happy. Given early rumblings that the program might be a nightmare of red tape, this is good news for the administration.
What about the world, and the war? There is a new Iraqi government, and we saw an impressive display of resolution on the Iraqi front by President Bush and Prime Minister Blair at their press conference last Thursday night. The president seems to have resisted calls to draw down troops precipitately, correctly understanding that he will get no credit for losing Iraq with 100,000 troops rather than 135,000. The bad news is that there has been no apparent reconsideration of military strategy. There has been no attempt to take advantage of the existence of a new Iraqi government to launch a more aggressive counterinsurgency, with additional U.S. troops, in order to help put the Iraqi government and its army on a path to real progress and victory.
As for Iran, the State Department seems to remain in charge of U.S. policy, and unwilling to come to grips with the urgency and gravity of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's challenge. Iran and Iraq are very likely to define the historical judgment on the Bush presidency. So these foreign policy splotches on the picture of a rosy May painted above are important. But if the president realizes he really isn't a lame duck, and that he has two and half years left, two and half years in which his foreign policy can either succeed or fail--he can begin to turn his attention to reenergizing that foreign policy in June.
--William Kristol
Get burned a few times, and you'll see my point. Meanwhile, I suggest you keep a count of your silverware.
I do think that there are a few (only a few) good ones. Guess I'm an eternal optimist compared to you.
There are a few. It's just to confuse us. Just don't invite any of them to dinner, and your silver will be safe.
No, just the rabid FR posters.
I agree with EVERYTHING that he stated in his plan. I'd vote for him for POTUS if he ever chose to run.
Guess we're on the same side then.
["I don't like the fact that we have so many illegals in this country and I blame both Bush and the current Republican party..."]
Well, to be consistent, I would suggest that you should also blame Ronald Reagan.
In fact, if you look at the bill the Senate recently passed (a couple of days ago), the language in it is not much different than what was passed during the Reagan Administration.
I buy it and agree with it.
And I bet you it turns out to be the prevailing wisdom on the immigration debate. Just wait and see.
Thank you! A voice of reason.
Doesn't mean I am one bit happy about it though...
At least you accept reality.
OK, I understand where you are coming from now. I am trying to fight against the perception that is oft-repeated that since we have 12million illegals, deportation is not an option. Well, which is harder, deportation or making that many illiterate uneducated third world laborers part of your body politic?
Jail and fines for people who employ illegals (that's the current law, it's just not enforced);
Jail and fines for people who use false ID to get jobs. When they are caught, hold them, then boot them out. Not to border towns, but interior towns. Let them know that a second offense, if they try to come back, will result in serious jail time.
State initiatives to stop schooling, medical care and welfare benefits to illegal aliens. Let the ACLU sue; the Constitution does not require us to give benefits to illegals. Let's see if the Supreme Court wants to revisit this issue, now that Sandy is gone. By the time it gets there, we will be rid of one of the old geezers, and it will be a cinch.
Federal laws along the same lines, cutting off federal benefits for illegals. A law denying automatic citizenship to the children of illegal aliens--that is not required by the Constitution because they are not "subject to the jurisdiction of the United States."
Every time an illegal is stopped for a traffic ticket, they are sent to detention and then deported.
Make it illegal to give them drivers licenses and bank accounts. If they are here illegally, they should not be allowed to have those things. Without them, they can't rent houses, buy things and live a normal life.
Pretty soon, the number of illegals here will drop substantially--from 12 million to a few hundred thousand stragglers, the ones who live the "hidden lives". Those are the ones we had 25 years ago, before Simpson-Mazzoli, the ones who came here to work for a few months, then went back home, unless they were caught by "la migra" first.
No need for mass deportations, although I see nothing wrong with it myself. Eisenhower did it to hundreds of thousands, and the rest saw what he was doing and went home on their own. I think Eisenhower did the right thing. We'd have to come up with a new name for it, though, in this PC era.
Ahem, politics doesnt *HAVE* to be about selling out this country.
The House passed a viable and responsible bill.
The Senate passed a vile special-interest-written sellout to open borders fanatics that is quite possibly the worst bill either House of Congress has produced in decades.
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=15145
It will add 60 million immigrants to this country in 20 years. It has provisions that that guarantees our failure to enforce immigration law at the workplace. This bill represents the greatest increase in welfare in 35 years.
The 'temporary worker program' is anything but, its a way to mainline millions of immigrants, working or not, and having the lowest skill levels and education and wage levels, as American citizens. We are importing Mexico's poverty and turning them into our underclass citizenry. ... the the tune of possibly 60 million more Americans.
It's a sellout of all our values of law-and-order, of fiscal responsibility, of American sovereignty. It is a catastrophe. A total catastrophe.
I didn't walk precincts, contribute thousands of dollars, put up signs, make phone calls, and help race after race after race for Republicans ... for *THIS*:
"But politicians are all about expediency and that's just what they are going to do. Claim they did something to reform immigration then go out and pander for Hispanic votes. Call it spineless, call it cowardly but don't forget to call it politics because that's what this is about."
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