Posted on 03/28/2002 2:45:26 AM PST by JohnHuang2
Interesting choice of words, comrade.
The press will try to spin it as a defeat for Bush.
Rebeckie, just a ping to let you see that others have different opinions of President Bush's actions overall regardless of your personal assessment of them (Cheerleaders, Kool-Aid drinkers, and Lemmings).
Like so many others on FR, I'm not happy with this act of political strategy but I do understand it and your essay helps put the Bush presidency into a clearer perspective for many of us.
I've stated before that those who disliked Bush from the git-go will simply use this signing of CFR as a club to keep beating on a man they never liked or wanted in the White House for whatever reasons. Meanwhile, for the Republican conservatives that voted for and admire Bush but see this CFR signing as a political gamesmanship that uses constitutional issues as chess pieces and are dismayed, your essay helps put the whole CFR issue into focus as the less-than-constitutional crisis that some wish to view it.
You're right, George W. Bush has been an excellent president and as conservative as Ronald Reagan was in his first year in office. For conservatives, the glass is much more than half full and the complaining that Bush isn't 100% conservative (as some define conservative) on every issue is sometimes simply a combination of naviete and animus toward anyone named Bush. After a few years of active participation this forum, I've also come to the conclusion that some folks simply enjoy complaining and calling both the President and other posters, silly names. So be it, that's FR.
Of course there is sincere opposition to this bill and not every Bush opponent is a crab, a DU troll or a nutcase but your essay gives the wider view of the man and his presidency and again, does a great job of making the CRF signing a little more understandable in the broader political sense.
Of course it won't pacify the folks who simply find Bush to be unacceptable because he's not Patrick J. Buchanan, McCain or Browne but for most reasonable people who don't fully approve of every Bush act, your post is a fair and clear observation of the political situation surrounding CFR and the wisdom of the Presidnt's decision to sign it and take the heat. It doesn't make me like it but it does make obvious the strategy being used and the rationale involved.
Thank you.
Nice read, John.
Morning, King. Where's your 'crown'? Billie demote you? LOL
This jumped out at me as a pithy summation of the way Bush views his signing of the CFR bill.
Some on here fault Bush for "violating his oath of office." Republicans, in general, do the right thing However, there will come times when we need to take off the gloves and roll in the mud with them. If we don't, our republic will be lost.
In short, it goes against my principles to fight, but I'll be danged if I'm going to just stand there while a bully pummels me into the ground.
This is absolutely one of your very best essays. Thanks for the ping. I wouldn't have missed this for the world.
You deserve an award.
That is the standard.
every president in our history was guilty of High Crimes and Misdemeanors
Yes, every President that knowingly signed an unconstitutional bill.
But was the Gipper, by signing the Boland Amendment, openly violating his oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" -- and, therefore, worthy of impeachment? Of course not.
If he knew it was unconstitutional, why not?
The federal budget is another illustration of this principle. Arguably, most of what's in there is unconstitutional -- on its face. You don't need to be a lawyer to know this. Yet budgets get signed year in and year out.
Does that make it ok?
The only thing I would add, is that since it was the dims who pushed the bill, now they are pressed to abide by it. That is those parts of the bill that are left standing after the SC is through with it. My guess is that hillary and terry are so addicted to the power of soft money, that they will end up blatently breaking the law by 2004, if not this year.
Thanks JH2, good job !!
FReegards...MUD
It is irrelevant to the voting public if you ask them in an unbiased situation, sure, but it is not irrelevant to the media. The media think the issue is relevant (or wish it were), and would act as if large numbers of voting Americans cared about CFR, with the result that a veto would have resulted in lots of hand-wringing ultra-critical stories about the subject, keeping Bush's name in the news connected with the words "money" and "corruption" (which of course is what the Dems wanted). This would be bound to have a negative effect, even though nobody really cares about CFR per se.
I'm not saying I totally agree with his decision to sign, mind you, just that I understand the rationale, and it makes perfect sense from a realpolitik point of view - despite the fact that, as you point out, regular voters don't care much about the actual issue.
Dems don't need voters to care about this issue much in order to Make An Issue out of it, you see, because they have the media on their side. The media can make an issue out of it even though there is none, and that can cause real political damage amongst some voters even though you and I would agree that this is stupid.
In this time of indifference with people tuning out of the 6:00 news, I think that's something that needs to be re-evaluated very carefully to see if it is still true. Pres. Bush was elected over a sitting V.P. in spite of everything the libs and the press threw at him.
I certainly agree that the press can report that some huge percentage of Americans support CFR, but when an individual goes into a voting booth, they are more likely to be thinking about how the candidates are going to vote on taxes and abortions and not at all about CFR. It's just nobody's hot button.
That's why I think it is an irrelevant issue: you can't beat someone up with an issue no one cares about, especially since there are not enough gullible people in this country that think CFR will get money and corruption out of government to worry about.
In that day when all nations stand before the Lord Christ to be separated as sheep or goats (Matthew 25:32,33), and rewards for our service in His Name are revealed, the world will be shocked to see the answer to their enigma. It is Jesus Christ, whom Bush named for all the world as the most important person in his life, and upon whom he depends daily to guide him, who is responsible for what the world cannot explain. At that time, everyone will see what only God Himself sees wholly now: It is He who is upholding President Bush with this "incredible" wisdom -- His wisdom and expansiveness of mind -- to rule this nation and bring peace, as peace can be brought, to a troubled, roiling world. May all the nations see somewhat of this and turn their hearts toward Him because of it.
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