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Conservatives Shouldn't Abandon Bush
Townhall.com ^ | July 13, 2007 | Mike Gallagher

Posted on 07/13/2007 5:15:02 AM PDT by Kaslin

Watching a steady stream of Democrats like Harry Reid, Dick Durbin, and Chuck Schumer each take their turn delightedly pummeling President Bush over the war in Iraq today, I couldn’t help but think of fellow conservatives who are starting to give aid and comfort to these Democrat Party loyal oppositionists.

According to Byron York of the National Review, the Republican Party base has simply decided to throw Mr. Bush under the wheels of the bus. Since so many of us disagree with him on things like illegal immigration and Scooter Libby, York opines that a whole bunch of Republican loyalists are practically counting the days until Jan. 20, 2009, when a new commander-in-chief takes up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Other conservative voices are jumping on the Bush-bashing bandwagon. The other night on Fox News, I saw a radio host proclaim that the president’s soft stance on illegals has cost him support for the war in Iraq.

Just what, precisely, is the point?

Why do conservatives believe that trashing the Bush Administration’s efforts on everything from this complicated war to a commutation of a vice-presidential aide will accomplish anything but give Democrats more ammunition against the GOP in 2008

Look, I’m as disappointed in this administration’s attempted amnesty for illegals as anyone. But I looked President Bush in the eye in the Oval Office and saw a man who truly believes in his heart that giving illegals a “path to citizenship” is the right thing to do.

I believe he’s wrong. But I know that this good and decent man believes he’s right.

So because of this issue, I’m supposed to abandon my president?

I’m expected to go on radio and TV and give miserable attack dogs like Dick Durbin more ways to say, “See -- even Republican supporters of Bush are defecting!”?

From the day the bombs started dropping on Baghdad, President Bush kept telling us that nothing about this war would be easy. Our nation has never attempted something as bold as installing democracy in this troubled part of the world and attempting to make a country like Iraq stable enough so that they can handle their own terrorists without our intervention.

Simply put, the vast majority of Americans supported our country’s pre-emptive strike. The longer this battle rages, the more we see impatient Americans start complaining. I guess that’s what a society in a Tivo/Iphone era does.

And I certainly expect that from Democrats who blame George W. Bush for everything from hurricanes to health care.

But I think it takes some guts to stand behind a president who is doing what he believes to be right, even in the face of enormous opposition.

Liberals are emboldened by Republican-fueled criticism. And if good folks like Byron York aren’t careful, we’ll be handing over the White House on a silver platter to Hillary or Barack. After all, just how far can Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson distance themselves from the Bush Administration?

Liberals are emboldened by Republican-fueled criticism. And if good folks like Byron York aren’t careful, we’ll be handing over the White House on a silver platter to Hillary or Barack. After all, just how far can Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson distance themselves from the Bush Administration?

Besides, who really wants to be on the same side of the political fence as Harry Reid, Ted Kennedy…or Betty Williams?

Betty Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for creating a group that helped initiate peace talks in Northern Ireland. This week, she was the keynote speaker at The International Women’s Peace Conference in Dallas. According to the Dallas Morning News, during her speech she told the thousand or so attendees, “Right now, I could kill George Bush.” The paper said she went on to demand his impeachment since “the Muslim world right now is suffering beyond belief” as a result of this administration’s foreign policy.

What a woman of peace. That’s some “peace conference.”

I’m not sure what would happen if an American traveled to Northern Ireland and expressed a desire to kill Mary McAleese, the current President of Ireland. I doubt that such an opinion would be met with cheers and a standing ovation, as was reported had occurred when the Nobel laureate said what she said in Dallas.

And when we tracked Betty Williams down and put her on my radio show, I was shocked to hear her claim that any published report that quoted her as saying, “Right now, I could kill George Bush” was lying. I reminded her that according to numerous published reports, she used the exact same phrase in a July 24, 2006 speech to schoolchildren at the Brisbane City Hall. At that point in the interview, she sounded totally defeated and said she not only “regretted” saying it, when I asked her if she was sorry for saying it, she said she was. In fact, the Dallas Morning News sent me the audio of the speech which confirms their reporting of Ms. Williams comments about the president.

You can hear my interview with this awful woman at www.mikeonline.com.

People like Betty Williams and Michael Moore and Nancy Pelosi and Keith Olbermann and so many others on the left have made it quite clear what they think of George W. Bush. They teem with hatred and contempt.

They sure don’t need to get any assistance from us. Now, more than ever, we ought to stand behind President Bush.

But if people on the left OR right don’t want to support him these days, I have a heartfelt reminder: November of 2008 will be here soon enough.

Until then, how about getting off the president’s back?


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: amnesty; bashbotbait; bbs; bds; bush; bushbotbait; bushbotslaststand; conservatives; gop; mikegallagher; republican; republicanbase; term2; vampirebill
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1 posted on 07/13/2007 5:15:04 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Why not, he abandoned us a long time ago.


2 posted on 07/13/2007 5:16:13 AM PDT by Hydroshock (Duncan Hunter For President, checkout gohunter08.com.)
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To: Kaslin

Bush abandoned the Conservative base that elected him twice to the presidency. He only has himself to blame...


3 posted on 07/13/2007 5:16:44 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner ("Si vis pacem para bellum")
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To: Hydroshock

Beat me to it.


4 posted on 07/13/2007 5:16:59 AM PDT by Lee'sGhost (Crom! Non-Sequitur = Pee Wee Herman.)
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To: Kaslin
For just a second, let's not talk about Iraq.

Let's talk about immigration. I didn't leave the president, the president left me. If he will build the fence and enforce the laws of this country, then I will walk through fire for him. Let him make a commitment to rejoin Conservatives on this issue.

Then we can talk about Iraq.

5 posted on 07/13/2007 5:17:37 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Progressives like to keep doing the things that didn't work in the past.)
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To: Lee'sGhost

Me, too! I supported him through both Presidential elections, and when he was Governor of Texas. It is he who has abandoned us.


6 posted on 07/13/2007 5:19:08 AM PDT by Rockhound
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To: Kaslin
I couldn’t help but think of fellow conservatives who are starting to give aid and comfort to these Democrat Party loyal oppositionists.

The effect on party politics is irrelevant (and crass to even bring up). Abandoning support of Bush is simply the right thing to do, as he has violated his oath of office and exhibited contempt for our laws, our Constitution and for the people who sign his paycheck.

7 posted on 07/13/2007 5:22:08 AM PDT by Sloth (The GOP is to DemonRats in politics as Michael Jackson is to Jeffrey Dahmer in babysitting.)
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To: Kaslin
"Liberals are emboldened by Republican-fueled criticism. And if good folks like Byron York aren’t careful, we’ll be handing over the White House on a silver platter to Hillary or Barack. After all, just how far can Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson distance themselves from the Bush Administration? "

Excellent points. Much agreed.

8 posted on 07/13/2007 5:22:58 AM PDT by TAdams8591 ( Guiliani is a Democrat in Republican drag. Mitt Romney for president in 2008! : ))
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To: Hydroshock
After reading the article, I was rushing to make the same comment you did.

We didn’t abandon Bush, he abandoned the conservatives that put him in office. Now the other RINO’s think that they are going to be able to move left and still maintain our support. They think we have no other choice. In other words, you will just have to take what you get!

Bad mistake!

9 posted on 07/13/2007 5:23:45 AM PDT by parthian shot (I can't stand much more of this!!)
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To: Kaslin
According to Byron York of the National Review, the Republican Party base has simply decided to throw Mr. Bush under the wheels of the bus.

Gallagher couldn't be more wrong.

Conservatives got tired of defending Bush and then having the White House not join the defense OR come out against his own defenders.

And then there are policy difference with McCain-Feingold and Illegal Amnesty. Those are huge disagreements with his base, and he's chosen to fight them over it, and they fought back.

Abandon the President? He's not abandoned. He's supported on points of agreement and not supported on points of disagreement.

10 posted on 07/13/2007 5:24:24 AM PDT by xzins (Retired Army Chaplain And Proud of It! Those who support the troops will pray for them to WIN!)
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To: Kaslin

The only problem I have with this President is his inability to deal with the illegal immigration issue the right way. Maybe I just don’t understand his motivations on that issue. But as for just about everyting else, he has been a good President, despite what you may hear and see in the media and from the far left types.

The 2008 election, however, scares me. Those who villify the President now will be even less happy next year. Unless Fred Thompson runs, there is not one single good Presidential candiate among the whole lot — that includes both parties. I’m expecting we will have a socialist Democrat in the White House in 2009, and it may well be Hillary. Four more years of Clinton rule will be far worse than eight years of George Bush. You can take that to the bank. (Well, actually, if Miz Clinton does get elected, you won’t have a bank to go to once she destroys the economy.)


11 posted on 07/13/2007 5:24:31 AM PDT by fatnotlazy
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To: Kaslin
It is impossible for me to leave someone that left me. When he comes back, and I see more than mere words, I will consider my options. Till then, I've moved on.

My only issues are National Security and Border Security. Everything else to me comes under these two banners. I voted twice for the man, but when it came time for the man to give me what I voted for (twice) he failed me and then left me in a cloud of dust. If he reforms, I'll lay on a bed of nails to cushion his body from the barbs, otherwise he may go lay on his own bed of nails without me to cushion him.

12 posted on 07/13/2007 5:24:42 AM PDT by From One - Many (Trust the Old Media At Your Own Risk)
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To: Kaslin

this wise@ss frat-boy abandoned us.

... “I’ll see you at the bill signing.”


13 posted on 07/13/2007 5:24:55 AM PDT by Vaquero (" an armed society is a polite society" Heinlein "MOLON LABE!" Leonidas of Sparta)
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To: Kaslin

I’m more concerned about how to seriously and successfully prevent the Democratic Party from winning “the whole enchilada” in ‘08.


14 posted on 07/13/2007 5:27:20 AM PDT by johnthebaptistmoore
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To: xzins
Gallagher couldn't be more wrong.

Conservatives got tired of defending Bush and then having the White House not join the defense OR come out against his own defenders.

And then there are policy difference with McCain-Feingold and Illegal Amnesty. Those are huge disagreements with his base, and he's chosen to fight them over it, and they fought back.

Abandon the President? He's not abandoned. He's supported on points of agreement and not supported on points of disagreement.

Dittos.

15 posted on 07/13/2007 5:27:40 AM PDT by Lurking in Kansas (Nothing witty here...)
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To: Hydroshock

President Bush has been with us on the WOT and the Justices. He has opposed us fiscally and on immigration, all of which was clear when he ran for office the first time. He has governed pretty much the way I always thought he would.


16 posted on 07/13/2007 5:27:42 AM PDT by TAdams8591 ( Guiliani is a Democrat in Republican drag. Mitt Romney for president in 2008! : ))
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To: Vaquero

He probabley does not want my support either since I am a narrow minded, bigotted xenophobic person who opposed the shamnesty.


17 posted on 07/13/2007 5:28:49 AM PDT by Hydroshock (Duncan Hunter For President, checkout gohunter08.com.)
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To: Kaslin
Even Jethro Bodine is smart enough to know that amnesty for 20+ million proto democrat aliens will literally hamstring the republican party for the foreseeable future..

The ONLY question is, is he stupid or traitorous savant.. or a democrat mole..

18 posted on 07/13/2007 5:28:53 AM PDT by hosepipe (CAUTION: This propaganda is laced with hyperbole....)
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To: From One - Many
It is impossible for me to leave someone that left me. When he comes back, and I see more than mere words, I will consider my options. Till then, I've moved on.

My only issues are National Security and Border Security. Everything else to me comes under these two banners. I voted twice for the man, but when it came time for the man to give me what I voted for (twice) he failed me and then left me in a cloud of dust. If he reforms, I'll lay on a bed of nails to cushion his body from the barbs, otherwise he may go lay on his own bed of nails without me to cushion him.

Dittos to you. You took the words from my mouth.

19 posted on 07/13/2007 5:29:28 AM PDT by Lurking in Kansas (Nothing witty here...)
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To: Hydroshock

This has been coming on like a tidal wave since the last election. The President has made some horrible decisions on people and policy and is going to pay the price.


20 posted on 07/13/2007 5:31:22 AM PDT by Recon Dad (Marine Spec Ops Dad)
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