Skip to comments.
Dubya's End
New York Post ^
| June 29, 2007
| John Podhoretz
Posted on 06/29/2007 4:14:31 AM PDT by Truth29
DUBYA'S END
BORDER BILL THE LAST BLOW
June 29, 2007 -- PRESIDENT Bush's disastrous second term has not been without its moments. Unfortunately for him, these moments have come primarily when members of his own party have risen up against him to defy his wishes. That's what happened yesterday. For the second time in four weeks, Republicans in the Senate put a stake through the heart of Bush's beloved but politically catastrophic immigration bill.
It's also what happened in the early months of the second term, when Bush chose to nominate his unqualified aide, Harriet Miers, to the Supreme Court - and finally backed down and had her withdraw her name after three weeks of lobbying and complaining.
(snip)
He would not and could not back down on immigration reform, an issue far too close to his heart. But after the Senate first rejected the bill at the end of May, Bush could have left it alone and accepted defeat. He could have seen reason, as he did in January 2004 when he first proposed a piece of legislation and was met with an uprising from his conservative base - whereupon he prudently dropped the subject because he was running for re-election and needed a united and enthusiastic Republican electorate behind him.
(snip)
And perhaps most interesting, Bush chose to believe it was more important to court potential future Republican voters - those illegals who would have gained a "path to citizenship" under the terms of the bill in 13 years' time - rather than listen to the concerns of present-day Republican voters.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: amnesty; bush43; deathofthegop; illegalaliens; illegalimmigration; podhoretz; politicalcaptial; term2; vampirebill; victory
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80 ... 421-436 next last
To: Truth29
Do not misunderestimate W
21
posted on
06/29/2007 4:37:10 AM PDT
by
bert
(K.E. N.P. +12 . Happiness is a down sleeping bag)
To: ruination
Our laws will be enforced and the fence built completely 2009, when a real conservative gets into the White House.
We can make it happen.
22
posted on
06/29/2007 4:38:22 AM PDT
by
SolidWood
(UN delenda est.)
To: Truth29
Wishful thinking from the kneejerk Bush haters.
Guess you all forgot about the thing called a VETO?
23
posted on
06/29/2007 4:39:15 AM PDT
by
MNJohnnie
(If you will try being smarter, I will try being nicer.)
To: bert
I voted for him, like him still, will not jump ship on him like so many, this is designed by the dimwitts.
To: Buffettfan
These ungrateful foreigners (once the become able to vote here) will never vote Republican. Everyone of their racist, separatist so called civil rights groups La Raza (The Race), LULAC, MALDEF and all rabid democrats. The republicans are delirious if they think they can capture the ungrateful hispanic vote. It was never ours to lose. The Dems could well have lost millions of voters, though, if we actually start sending the ILLEGALS home.
25
posted on
06/29/2007 4:41:22 AM PDT
by
Gorzaloon
(Global Warming: A New Kind Of Scientology for the Rest Of Us.)
To: bert
Do not misunderestimate W I am a professional Estimator. I know estimating. Estimating is not applicable to the current POTUS.
By his fruits he shall be known. Some good. Some bad.
26
posted on
06/29/2007 4:43:58 AM PDT
by
don-o
(“I don`t expect politicians to solve anyone's problems.The world owes us nothing” Bob Dylan)
To: Truth29
tick tick tick tick, 18 months and counting, tick tick tick tick......................someone wake me when it’s over!
27
posted on
06/29/2007 4:44:33 AM PDT
by
rockabyebaby
(HEY JORGE, SHUT UP AND BUILD THE BLEEPING FENCE, ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS.)
To: Truth29
28
posted on
06/29/2007 4:45:26 AM PDT
by
KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle
("Proudly keeping one iron boot on the necks of libertarian faux 'conservatives' since 1958!")
To: Truth29
John Podhoretz is right something got broken on Election Night in 2004. He doesn't spell it out so allow me to offer my own theory. Once the President was re-elected, he allowed his sure political instincts to desert him now that he no longer had to worry about facing the voters again. He became convinced of his own rightness and this led to hubris. Its like watching a Greek Tragedy being played out. Ironically, the President might have stood a better chance if he had pushed to reform Social Security. He never tried hard enough and its an opportunity really gone. Bush could have had a good immigration bill had he sounded out the party and the base on a consensus approach and gone from their. Maybe the Democrats would have rejected it. We will know if an enforcement only approach could have worked. The President is a decent man but I think politically, he can be too dense at times. That's why things haven't gone for him in his second term the way he'd hoped, both as a party builder and statesman.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
29
posted on
06/29/2007 4:48:39 AM PDT
by
goldstategop
(In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
To: bert
Do not misunderestimate WThat's a scary thought!
I campaigneded for W during 4 campaigns. I was his "Re-elect" county chair. I took my bumper stickers off weeks ago.
I'm an East Texas Fredneck now.
30
posted on
06/29/2007 4:48:45 AM PDT
by
lonestar
To: backhoe
31
posted on
06/29/2007 4:49:43 AM PDT
by
Dante3
To: MNJohnnie
Veto what? The law was passed last year. Build the border fence. Duncan Hunter was the one who pushed it through. W is breaking his oath of office by not enforcing the current laws.
32
posted on
06/29/2007 4:51:42 AM PDT
by
mirkwood
("May noise never excite us to battle, or confusions reduce us to defeat.")
To: ruination
Bush will have an excellent legacy: he signed the Secure Fence Act of 2006. He'd have an even better legacy if he would force the implimentation of the secure fence and build the damn thing.
To: bert
Do not misunderestimate WDo you think it's possiblistic to misunderestimate W?
34
posted on
06/29/2007 4:51:52 AM PDT
by
varon
(Allegiance to the constitution, always. Allegiance to a political party, never.)
To: Gorzaloon
The Dems could well have lost millions of voters, though, if we actually start sending the ILLEGALS home. Not necessarily, they'll just obtain absentee ballots ;-)
35
posted on
06/29/2007 4:53:23 AM PDT
by
varon
(Allegiance to the constitution, always. Allegiance to a political party, never.)
To: Truth29; Diogenesis; don-o; backhoe; IndyTiger; Buffettfan; Kakaze; monkapotamus; mo; ruination; ...
While Jorge deserves a lot of criticism on this issue, it's predictably bizarre to watch the leftistABC/NBC/CBSmedia describe this Kennedy alienamnesty bill as Bush's initiative.
As always they're trying to put up a smokescreen for the Demrats.
36
posted on
06/29/2007 4:54:59 AM PDT
by
ProCivitas
(Duncan Hunter '08: Pro-Family, Pro-Fair Trade)
To: bert
"Do not misunderestimate W"
Other than his being a patsy to the MSM and the Dems, who control him,
and his being quiet as Iran continues their invasion of Iraq and their importage of IEDs killing our people,
what is there to 'underestimate'?
Perhaps, W was overestimated.
37
posted on
06/29/2007 4:57:59 AM PDT
by
Diogenesis
(Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum)
To: Truth29
Bush chose to believe it was more important to court potential future Republican voters - those illegals who would have gained a "path to citizenship" under the terms of the bill in 13 years' time - rather than listen to the concerns of present-day Republican voters.
That could have been his major reason for pitbulling this issue -- to create a large Hispanic voter base for Hispanic nephew George P or another young relative to continue the family dynasty in a decade or so.
38
posted on
06/29/2007 4:58:36 AM PDT
by
TomGuy
To: IndyTiger
"I still don't regret my vote in '04, if for nothing else than the Roberts and Alito nominations." I don't give him the credit for Alito. He tried his best to ram Harriet Miers down our throats. But the conservative base, not the President, won out and we got Alito instead of Miers, a woman who had never even been a judge. Bush has not shown a lot of wisdom in his presidency, imho.
To: Truth29
“And perhaps most interesting, Bush chose to believe it was more important to court potential future Republican voters - those illegals who would have gained a “path to citizenship” under the terms of the bill in 13 years’ time - rather than listen to the concerns of present-day Republican voters.”
Yes, “potential” if you count one chance in a million.
40
posted on
06/29/2007 5:00:02 AM PDT
by
Pravious
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80 ... 421-436 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson