Bush's Record Calls into Question His Conservative Label

The American Partisan ^ | June 5, 2002 | David T. Pyne

[rightwing2]

Bush's Record Calls into Question His Conservative Label

David T. Pyne
June 4, 2002

President George W. Bush, having won an extremely close and hard fought election in November 2000, has been attacked by liberal Democrats for being "too conservative" almost from the time he was elected. However, Bush's overall record since assuming the office of President calls into question the general perception that Bush is a conservative. During his first few months, Bush seemed to set a commendable course as a moderate conservative.

Some of Bush's notable conservative accomplishments include his decision to withdraw the US from the strictures of the ABM Treaty, the US victory in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan, the passage of the biggest defense spending increases since Ronald Reagan and the appointment of a Secretary of Defense who is committed to furthering US national security. President Bush also succeeded in preventing a communist return to power in Nicaragua and has passed limited, but vital protective tariffs to help protect America's dying steel industry under heavy assault from America's steel-dumping trade partners.

During the past year, Mr. Bush's conservative accomplishments have been undermined by his other actions, which indicate an increasing and unwelcome tilt toward the left, likely prompted by advice from Colin Powell and Karl Rove who advocate appeasing liberals both in regards to his domestic and foreign policies. On the domestic side of the house, the Bush record has been a disappointing one as the President has submitted balanced budget-cap busting budgets which will return the US to a time of $200 billion a year deficits increasing government spending 15% over two years, a far higher rate of increase than his more liberal predecessor.

Bush also signed the radical Ted Kennedy education bill, which federalizes education and provides tens of billions more a year for the liberal-dominated Department of Education to indoctrinate America's children in their socially liberal value-free philosophy. Bush's record on social issues has been decidedly mixed with his support of federal funding for grisly stem-cell research, his failure to reverse pro-abortion executive orders signed by Bill Clinton in 1993, and his appointment of pro-abortion activist and White House Counsel, Al Gonzalez, to lead his Supreme Court nominee search team.

President Bush has undertaken a major effort to remake the GOP in "his" image, alienating many of his conservative supporters in the process. He has engineered a successful liberal takeover of the California Republican Party by a man who has branded all pro-lifers as extremists. Bush has supported moderate to very liberal candidates against their more conservative opponents in California, North Carolina, Tennessee and elsewhere throughout the country, appointed a pro-choice governor to head the Republican National Committee and helped install a liberal abortion supporter as RNC treasurer. In addition, Bush has attempted to push his proposal through Congress to grant amnesty to two million illegal immigrants in the US in a bid to buy the Latino vote in America and appease Mexican President Vincente Fox.

Most troublesome of all to Republicans, Bush broke a campaign promise in signing the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill. This Democrat congressional majority insurance bill will have the effect of legislating a permanent Democrat party stranglehold on the majority of both houses of Congress, reversing the hard-won and historic gains by the Republican congressional majority during the past decade. Initial implementation of this bill in the 2004 election cycle will likely result in the defeat of scores of Bush's loyal Republican supporters in Congress.

On foreign policy, Bush supported PLO terrorist Yasser Arafat in power and repeatedly urged Sharon to halt Israel's counter-terrorist operations until Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon finally succeeded in persuading him to change course and find enough moral clarity to support the Israeli war against the Palestinian terrorists. However, Bush still supports a Palestinian state, something that not even Bill Clinton would support. In addition, the Bush Administration actually tried to enlist Iran, listed by the State Department as the greatest state sponsor of terror including Al Queda, as a strategic partner to fight terrorism back in September.

In pursuing relations with Communist China, the president has opted to pursue a Clintonian policy of accommodation, if not outright appeasement. Last year, Bush signed an executive order to permit the sale of significantly more advanced supercomputers than those allowed to be sold by the Clinton Administration. He has also championed the awarding of permanent most favored nation trade status and WTO membership for Communist China, whose record on killing hundreds of thousands of its political and religious dissidents, forcing tens of millions of Chinese women to have abortions every year, threatening nuclear incineration of American cities and continued unrestricted sales of advanced nuclear warhead and ballistic missile technology to America's enemies leaves much to be desired. The Bush policy of appeasing the Butchers of Beijing has had the effect of rewarding them for their 'bad behavior' while encouraging future offenses and escalated threats against our Free Chinese allies on Taiwan.

Bush has also forged a new, overly trusting relationship with the Russian Federation led by former KGB spymaster, Vladimir Putin. Bush has pledged to destroy and dismantle 75% of the US strategic nuclear deterrent that has kept the nuclear peace for nearly sixty years, signed an agreement admitting Russia as a full partner with veto power in NATO, and offered to jointly develop US missile defenses with Russia. It is not at all clear that Russia can be trusted to keep its treaty obligations, let alone serve as a reliable US ally. President Bush also supports the implementation of a Clinton-era plan to disarm the US Army of its tanks, tracked vehicles and much of its artillery that will likely result in the unnecessary deaths of thousands of American soldiers if they are called upon again to fight a major war.

For the good of the country, President Bush should move away from governing from the mushy middle and return to governing to the center-right. He may need to do so in order to regain lost conservative support and avoid a major conservative challenge in the 2004 presidential election.

© 2002 David T. Pyne

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David T. Pyne, Esq. is a national security expert who works as an International Programs Manager in the Department of the Army responsible for the countries of the former Soviet Union and the Middle East among others. He is also a licensed attorney and former Army Reserve Officer. In addition, he holds an MA in National Security Studies from Georgetown University. Mr. Pyne currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Virginia Republican Assembly. He is also a member of the Center for Emerging National Security Affairs based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Pyne serves as a columnist for American-Partisan.com, OpinioNet.com and America’s Voices. He is also a regular contributor for Patriotist.com. In addition, his articles have appeared on Etherzone.com and AmericanReformation.org where he serves as a policy analyst.

[dead]

Cutting taxes doesn't mean cutting government spending, even non-military spending. It just means less revenue.

Actually, cutting taxes often increases revenue (as under Reagan) due to the tax cut’s positive effects on the economy.

This should spur additional tax cuts, but usually just spurs increased spending (as under Reagan).

[rightwing2]

I'll bash Bush on many issues, but for you to cite that big government, socialist-union loving suck up as a "conservative" is too much. Bush's crappy protectionist tariffs pale in comparison to the unholy hell Buchanan would have unleashed on our economy with his idiotic plans.

Arch conservative far-righter Pat Buchanan a "big government, socialist union loving suck up"? BAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! I think your mind has been possessed by an alien entity for you to come up with this kind of Commie smear leftwing hogwash! The other possibility is excessive drug addiction which has caused you to suffer from mass delusions. Let's review together...This is your brain...This is your brain on drugs...NEXT TIME, JUST SAY NO!

[Southack]

"Bush supports the UN and his father's dream of realizing a New World Order."

Nonsense. Bush pulled the U.S. out of the International Criminal Court. NWO proponents support the ICC, yet Bush clearly opposes it.

Bush told the UN to stuff their International Ban On Small Arms Trafficking Treaty, too. That's standing up for our Second Amendment rights and putting the UN back in its place on the shelf, hardly a New World Order position to take. Heck, Ashcroft is investigating Koffi Anan's UN security guards for illegally importing their own weapons into the UN in New York. That's hardly a pro-UN position to take!

New World Order types are big on the Kyoto Treaty. Care to admit what Bush did to that one? No. Let me guess, you'll claim some Rush-esque Kyoto-lite nonsense now that you've been called tot he carpet on that one...

[JohnGalt]

David T. Pyne, Esq. is a national security expert who works as an International Programs Manager in the Department

I guess we are suppose to believe he's better at politics then what he does for a living?

[hobbes1]

Going forward if you can't be bothered to type "Bush Repeals Clinton Executive Orders" into google, try not to raise a specious argument, just for the sake of it.

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[Southack]

"Arch conservative far-righter Pat Buchanan a "big government, socialist union loving suck up"?"

Who was Buchanon's running mate?

[rightwing2]

Rubbish. Democrats aren't exactly big fans of Bush's national missile defense. Democrats weren't thrilled with Bush enforcing the SCOTUS "Beck" decision, either. Democrats didn't like Bush repealing Clinton's CO2 executive orders, and they certainly didn't like Bush killing OSHA's home-office "Ergonomic" regulations. Was Bush "caving" to Democrats when he signed into law TWO tax cuts (one for individuals and a later one for businesses)?!

Well, Bush is pretty good on missile defense that is when he is not pledging to codevelop US missile defenses with the Russians so that they will no exactly how to defeat them! He would be better on missile defense if he hadn't promised the Russians in the strategic framework agreement accompanying the Treaty of Moscow that the US missile defense he envisions WILL BE TOTALLY USELESS IN DEFENDING THE US AGAINST RUSSIAN NUCLEAR ATTACK due to its limited scope. On the other hand, Bush's withdrawal from the ABM Treaty is his best accomplishment yet. Unfortunately conservative decisions like that are most definitvely the exception in this adminsitration. Bush left 99% of Clinton's radical executive orders in place, a policy decision which the liberal Democraps applauded. Bush's vaunted 2% GNP tax cut did not impress me. It would have impressed me far more if he had scrapped the hated federal income tax altogether.

[NittanyLion]

Any data on what programs' budgets have been reallocated to military spending?

[dead]

I guess you were hitting the pipe, pal, when Pat went a'courtin' the unions with promises of protectionist goodies at the expense of the American consumer.

Dopey Pat let them string him along for a while, with dreams of a big money and endorsements from the corrupt socialist cabals.

But in the end, they went with their buddy Al Gore, leaving Pat (and his sidekick, Marxist Dreamboat Lenora Fulani) looking silly.

The unions are corrupt and socialist, but they weren't stupid enough to jump onto Pat's sinking ship.

[hobbes1]

Well, if you would like to sit down and tread thru the entire federal budget, that would be helpful, but I do know he cut Klintoons COPS program 13%.....Not much, but a start...

[Spiff]

The Bush Administration wrote to the Supreme Court last month stating that the new position for the U.S. government was that the 2nd Amendment was an Individual, not a "collective", right.

No one said that Bush didn't talk a good game. But let's keep watching the hands and see what they're doing while the mouth is running.

[Southack]

"It would have impressed me far more if he had scrapped the hated federal income tax altogether."

Bush isn't a King.

Scrapping the entire federal income tax would require CONGRESS to vote to overturn it.

Somehow I just don't see that happening with 51 Democrats in the Senate...

[Tuor]

Did I miss anything?

No. That was far more helpful to the peace process. I'm sure Powell will give you a Gold Star when he hears about your helpful post.

Tuor

[dead]

Somehow I just don't see that happening with 51 Democrats in the Senate...

Unfortunately, I don’t see that happening with 100 Republicans in the Senate either.

[rightwing2]

Flame away. and just for starters, I ain't anti-American, I ain't a liberal or a democrat, I ain't Godless or satanic, I ain't a libertarian or a disruptor.

Sorry to dissapoint but I couldn't find much to disagree with in your E-mail except the part about your wish that Bush had nuked a bunch of other countries. I would have had a BIG problem with that since that would be far worse and far more murderous and terroristic than mere suicide bombings. I am happier with Bush than Gore, but he has really let me down with his betrayal of the Republican Party with his signing of the McCain Feingold "Democrat Congressional Majority Insurance Bill" to a greater extent than I ever imagined he would. Like Sean Hannity, I am arguing for some more intellectual honesty in the "conservative" crowd. You seem to have it with your fair-minded comments, but a lot of Bush apologists don't.

[ex-snook]

"But in the end, they went with their buddy Al Gore, leaving Pat (and his sidekick, Marxist Dreamboat Lenora Fulani) looking silly. "

Spewing Goebbel's big lies? Pat's VP was Foster, a black lady. Fulani was a holdover from Perot and was dumped by Pat when she wanted to take over the Party. Pat wants to conserve America first. That makes him the best conservative in politics today.