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Bush seems to be using his political capital as a chance to become more liberal. It has always failed for conservatives in the past and will fail again. No one cares for pols who have no backbone. They would rather see a tough conservative stand on principle than one on their knees begging to be loved by Demoncrats. As a powerful figure, Bush risks looking pathetic.

You guys are pretty funny. Bush is who he is and who he always was---a "compassionate conservative." I don't know how many times the man has to tell you what he believes in. He believes in MANY conservative principles, but he also believes in many (what I would call) liberal principles. It is just idiotic to claim that he is "moving" in any direction, though. Obviously, you didn't listen to him during the campaign, because he hasn't changed.

I find him stunningly like Reagan on many big-picture issues. He has done more for pro-life, more for national defense and security, and more for bringing blacks and minorities to true conservatism than anyone. But I also find him annoyingly like Teddy Roosevelt at times---willing to use government for purposes that are (in my view) completely unconstitutional. But the key phrase is "in my view." He certainly doesn't see it that way, nor does the Congress, nor do the courts. The one thing that TR, Reagan, and Bush all have in common was their honesty and love of America, and that, in the long run, is worth almost any transitory policy you can come up with, because policies change.

Spycatcher, GWB is in danger of becoming merely a clone of GHWB -- like a teapot spouting out steam, but unable to harness the steam into anything productive. Right now, he is merely riding the popularity wave on the basis of the Sept. 11 calamity. What else has he actually done for us? Remind me, as I forget easily just what he has done? Mostly he is simply not clinton, right?