Posted on 07/18/2009 11:10:59 AM PDT by libh8er
Stateline, Nev. - Former Vice President Dan Quayle gives President Obama high marks for surrounding himself with quality advisers on national security and the economy. But he says the verdict is still out on whether his Democratic administration will govern as liberally as he campaigned.
"I think his biggest challenge is to tame the left wing of his party," Quayle said in an interview with The Associated Press at Lake Tahoe.
"I guess we'll find out how `left' Obama really is because he's going to have to make some very tough decisions where he is either going to have to go with the left wing of his party or stare them down and govern more like (ex-president Bill) Clinton governed, which is sort of center-left. That jury is still out," said the Republican who served in the first Bush administration.
Quayle, who is playing golf at Lake Tahoe through the weekend at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, said Democrats had been out of power for eight years so "they just tried to throw everything out there and see what stuck and see what they wanted to do."
"To get elected, he clearly ran sort of center-left and we (the Bush-Quayle ticket) ran center-right. That's the normal situation. Same way with Reagan," he said in an interview after he finished his opening round Friday in a group with former Notre Dame basketball coach Digger Phelps and television personality Maury Povich.
"Now I think they will have to make some tough decisions," Quayle said. "He knows the deficit is menacing. Whether he is willing to stare down the left wing of his party and say, `Guys, we've got to get this budget in order before we take on too many things,' I don't know. I think the jury is still out."
Obama has surrounded himself with "good people" with regard to the economy and national security, Quayle said. He singled out as "solid" Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, budget director Peter Orszag and Lawrence Summers, head of the National Economic Council.
"He's got a good team," the former Indiana senator said. "He has a strong national security adviser, strong State Department and Defense Department."
But he said he's curious to see how "the sort of subbing out the State Department" is going to work, with Hillary Clinton as secretary of state and special envoys Richard Holbrooke in charge of Afghanistan and Pakistan, George Mitchell in charge of the Middle East and Dennis Ross overseeing the peace process in Iraq.
"I'm not exactly sure how that's all going to work out because sometimes you get into all sorts of turf fights and things of that sort," he said.
As for the GOP, Quayle said the best thing the party may have going for it right now is the Democratic leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., which he views as a negative.
"We're the out party now. We just need to focus on these congressional elections. I think Pelosi and Reid will help us in that endeavor."
Potato.
Danny boy.....you're a bit out of touch, I think....go back to your cave, please.
Dan! Baracko IS the "left wing" of his party.
Don’t get much more liberal than Obama himself, Dan.
HELLO!!!!!! Dan, you obviously are NOT paying attention to CURRENT events.
I guess the MSM was right about how stupid this guy is.
*POUNDS HEAD ON DESK! POUNDS HEAD ON DESK! POUNDS HEAD ON DESK!!!*
Now why would the ultimate leftist want to tone down his party’s leftist tendency’s? Oh, Dan.
STFU Dan!
Take another drink from the koolaid you dumbass.
Did someone just mention ‘deer in the headlights’ ?
Say whaaaaaaa ?
Early onset of dementia is what I think.
No freaking kidding! What the hell is he even talking about?
Someone here, just in the last week, opined that Quayle would be preferable to Palin as a conservative leader. I don’t recall who it was, but if the FReeper who posted that is reading this... “here’s your sign”.
Sad to say, it looks like Quayle’s gone Beltway on us.
Okay, the thought of Barry fending off his nutters with a whip, a pistol and a chair does have its charms.
Where’s Quayle been? The assistant to the “Read my lips” Bush has spoken. He gives high marks to the BAM man. I guess he doesn’t see that we are descending into socialism like a jet dive-bombing. Oy vay!! If only we had leadership with spine. My money’s on Sarah.
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