Bartlett on the GOP Field: A Hick, a "Dud" and a "Flip-Flopper"

Washington Post ^ | 10/9/08 | The Trail

[teddyballgame]

One of President Bush's closest advisers has a brutally candid analysis of the Republican nomination battle: Fred Thompson is the campaign's "biggest dud," Mitt Romney has "a real problem in the South" because people will not vote for a Mormon, Mike Huckabee's last name is too hick and John McCain could end up repeating 2000 by winning New Hampshire but losing the nomination...

...Bartlett was harshest in his judgment of Thompson, the former Tennessee senator who jumped into the contest a month ago and faces his first televised debate today.

[teddyballgame]

Dan Bartlett, Bush's advisor gives some blunt analysis.

[mewzilla]

Bartlett prefers Huckabee and McCain? Okaaaaay......That explains a lot.

[The Pack Knight]

If I were him, I would have waited until tomorrow to weigh in on this. I suppose we shall see.

[rubeng]

Fred Thompson has been a dud of incredible proportions.

Conspicuously missing from his critique is Giuliani.

[Coldwater Creek]

I agree! Huckabee is an excellent public speaker, and will eat everyone’s lunch.

[RetiredArmy]

With the decisions Bush has been making, this guy must be a true moron. All of his so called advisors can't be too smart. They have made some truly colossal mistakes. I am starting to rank G.W. Bush right up there with Slick Willie Klinton in terms of successful presidential terms. Right now, I have Slick at a Triple “F” Minus. Bush is close behind at a Double “F” Minus. Take out the war on terror, and Bush runs right in there at Triple “F” Minus. GWB has wasted, completely wasted 8 years in the White House. I remember back when he won the first time, and the Republicans had the Congress, I remember clearly all the talk that Republicans could rule for 20 to 25 years!!! What a freaking joke.

[calcowgirl]

The only top-tier candidate Bartlett did not criticize was Rudy Giuliani... "if he's engaged with the Democrats, he's not engaged on ... his own positions, whatever those that would not be very receptive in a typical Republican primary."

For all that, Bartlett declined to make a prediction about who would win the nomination, although he seemed to lean toward Giuliani.

[bmwcyle]

The DEMS -— A crook, a crook, and an idiot.

[rineaux]

IMO, these guys are all pulling for a Clinton again presidency.

[teddyballgame]

The DEMS -— A crook, a crook, and an idiot.

More like: a Marxist, an ambulance chaser and a moron.

[Lazamataz]

IMO, these guys are all pulling for a Clinton again presidency.

It seems that -- by design or by happenstance -- there's a desire to pass the Presidency back and forth between two families.

[mewzilla]

IMO, these guys are all pulling for a Clinton again presidency.

'Rats. RINOs. What's the diff?

[Red Badger]

What a freaking joke.

I ain't laughing.........But look on the bright side.....We could have had ALGORE for 8 years! THAT would have been the cruelest joke of all....................

[mewzilla]

Definitely not happenstance. The suits running the GOP hate conservatives as much as the ‘Rats do.

[dforest]

Come on, you know Bubba is George the Firsts second son.

Its All in the Family!

[teddyballgame]

I think some of Bush’s advisors are a bit disillusioned like a lot of us conservative voters are. Except for them their careers hang in the balance. A lot of these guys benefit financially with a Republican in the White House.

[tennteacher]

Here’s Bartlett breaking the Reagan rule. RINO.

[sitetest]

I remember the “smart” Republican money in 1980 was that Ronald Reagan was unelectable, too old, too conservative, etc.

Of course, the message didn’t seem to filter down to the grassroots, and the grassroots folks nominated him anyway, and the rest, as they say, is history.

It remains to be seen whether Sen. Thompson can put it all together and win the whole thing (he has my support in the attempt), but I wouldn’t give Dan Bartlett 50 cents for his “insider’s” opinion.

[rineaux]

Rats. RINOs. What’s the diff?

Is that a trick question? At the end of the day, they all eat at the same table.

[Mr. Jeeves]

In 1999, GWB was the clear candidate that everyone could live with. We misjudged him, perhaps, but there was no faction clearly stating that "I'm not voting for this guy, no way, no how!"

In 2007, every Republican candidate has a faction sworn to destroy him. A significant percentage of voters belonging to each faction aren't going to reconcile themselves to the eventual primary winner for the sake of winning the general election. All feel they were promised things in 2000 that the Republican Party didn't deliver for eight years.

The mask hasn't quite slipped all the way - most people still believe the Republicans and Democrats are two totally unrelated parties who don't like each other instead of a caste of closely linked professional politicans staging an elaborate puppet show. But the disgust with the Republican troupe of actors is such that we aren't going to see too many of them take the stage in the upcoming 2009-2010 theater season. ;)