And why is it that Bush could win and Buchanan couldn't? 100% media laced dribble. That's why. Furthermore, Bush has bloated the federal government much faster than his un-American predecessor.
While I agree that the media spews crap most of the time, Mr. Buchannan helped a lot of that along himself. It is the classic all-or-nothing syndrome. If you're too extreme, you'll eliminate more voters than you can bring in. And you , too are going to extremes here. Bush hasn't done any more or less than any other President to "bloat" the gov't further. Is he perfect? No one can be. But he was the best option at the time. And do you honestly believe that ANY candidate would be able to step in and wield the ax toward smaller gov't? It will take years to undo this Gordian Knot, and I have doubts that I'll see it in my lifetime.
In the meantime, I'll remain a realist.