GHWB was an establishment guy as well. GWB did his best not to be a Washington establishment regular, but in the end, he's come to look like one, thanks to his stand on immigration.
The best thing about the father was that he was a part of that WWII generation and that gave him, almost in spite of himself, a greater stature than boomer politicians have had. That's not true of the son.
But of course, every President looks weak and troubled after six or seven years. People get tired of the person in charge and on some level, have already accepted that the current leader is already on his way out. Even very successful presidents have had poor approval ratings in their second terms.
Critics compare U.S. anti-terrorism practices to 'gulag' (12/12/2005)
Tom Raum
WASHINGTON – Secret prisons in Eastern Europe. Illegal detentions. Suspects snatched off the streets and shipped without extradition to other countries for harsh interrogation.
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Remember this one?
AP Distorts Republican Senator's Remarks
Posted by Lisa Fabrizio on August 1, 2005 - 18:10.
Okay, so they call it a “Newsview,” which is, I guess, the AP’s way of sliming the administration under its supposedly unbiased banner and not being called on it. Sorry Tom Raum, you’re over the line on this one fella.
In analyzing President Bush’s recess appointment of John Bolton to the U.N., Raum dredges up all of the same adjectives used by ‘objective’ AP reporter-types when it comes to the Bushies and Bolton.
“In-your-face gesture,” “built-in handicaps,” “lame duck,” “streak of stubbornness,” “confrontational,” are just a few of the niceties that grace the prose of Mr. Raum’s tirade--fair enough when the piece is supposed to espouse an opinion. But in his commentary role, he could at least use quotes in context. Consider the following, especially the lack of an ellipsis:
Some Republicans weren't too happy, either, although they generally said they understood Bush's rationale. "I understand why the president had to do this," said Sen. George Allen, R-Va, adding: "I think it's unfortunate that he had to use this option."
The actual quote, courtesy of Mr. Raum’s friends at the AP:
"I accept and understand why the president had to do this. I think it's unfortunate that he had to use this option because John Bolton was denied the fairness of an up-or-down vote. I think John Bolton is well qualified. He is principled. And he will advocate for the U.S. taxpayers." -- Sen. George Allen, R-Va.
Mr. Raum’s byline states that he “has covered national and international affairs for Washington for The Associated Press since 1973.” That explains why this reads like one of their regular stories.
http://tinyurl.com/hcrty
Wrong. Wong. Completely and utterly WRONG!
Unemployment has been @ 5% for YEARS!
While most everything said in the article is wrong, in an odd way the central point is correct.
I think what has hurt GWB the most is the 'vision thing'. Conservatives backed Reagan even when we disagreed on details because we believed in the vision of the future that Reagan was heading towards.
But GWB has been weak on vision. He has been solid on Iraq and terror, but inarticulate in explaining it to an American people awash in media nonsense. And he has badly shaken his conservative supporters with missteps like Harriet, and his stance on immigration - which, to give credit where due, is entirely consistent with his weak stance on immigration forever.
There is no sense that GWB, or his father, share in a conservative vision of where America ought to be heading. So while the economy is strong, and the war in Iraq going well, and progress made in multiple areas - conservatives still feel a need to double check everything GWB does.
It is hard to trust him - as it was hard to trust his father, who in my humble opinion was one of the most underrated of American Presidents.
MAJOR? Using a few strong words and an incident that he had nothing to do with? His biggest mistake was in thinking that he would get fair reporting from the old media.
That assumes avoiding low approvals is the goal of a Presidency. But it's not. A President had to lead us into a confrontation with the screwed up Middle East. Whoever did it, it was not going to make him popular.