Getting The Band Back Together
History will show that in the first year of George W. Bush's second term he was somehow overshadowed by his father's governing persona, attempting to "reach out" to the Democrats and "govern" with them in the "spirit of bipartisanship" rather than build upon the momentum of his re-election triumph and that of his party in Congress and steamroll right over the top of them. The result was best symbolized by the fiasco that was his Social Security reform initiative, in which he didn't field his own plan but instead appealed to Democrats to "come to the table" and "work together" to save the oldest entitlement program (the Harriet Miers debacle also comes to mind).
The Dems never came to the table because they don't want to work with George W. Bush. They only thing they want to work toward is his political destruction. It has been that way for five years, and it is never going to change. And perhaps the greatest mystery of the second Bush presidency is why he has never been willing, or able, to come to grips with this implacable partisan hostility and abandon his "New Tone"-driven other-cheek-turning, which has by now knocked out, depending upon which poll you believe, anywhere from 57% to 64% of his PR teeth.
That perplexingly mystifying passivity may, finally and emphatically, be coming to an end:
Well praise the LORD and pass the ammunition. It's about f'ing time.
I've opined on numerous occasions that the Bush presidency started softening ever since his triumphant carrier landing photo-op at the close of "major combat operations" in Iraq two and a half years ago. Had he faced a strong Dem challenger last year he'd have been a one-termer just like his dad. And after winning a second term he went right back to the same head-scratching flaccidity.
But after caving on Katrina blame, the Miers detour, and now taking all this recylced prevaricating Democrat crap on pre-war intelligence, the President certainly has nothing to lose by actually going on the offensive for a change. Perhaps he's finally come to see the Clintonian wisdom of the perpetual campaign, especially in concert with the weak, pathetic lunatics that constitute the leaders of the opposition.
Twenty-five years ago there was a pro wrestler named "Iron Mike" Sharpe. He was a big, burly babyface (good guy) whose gimmick was fair play to the point of absurdity, never even using his size and power to his advantage in his matches. Since that size and power was not matched by a scintillating personality, it was less than surprising that his character never got over with the fans, so the promotion turned him heel (bad guy) and moved him permanently to the bottom of the card.
I provide that seemingly irrelevant background material for metaphorical purposes - namely, the match in which Sharpe did his heel turn.
He was in the ring with a preliminary wrestler (or "jobber," a worker whose role is to be cannon fodder for the top performers) who was a lot smaller than he was, and was, not to put too fine a point on it, getting his ass kicked. Suddenly, Sharpe snapped, as if he'd had enough of being the Baby Huey of professional wrestling, and he proceeded to destroy the guy inside of thirty seconds.
That's what the political landscape looks like right now. A great or near-great (at one time, anyway) president letting himself get nibbled to death by rabid ducks that never stop quacking, and all the while letting his shotgun just sit there, rusting.
If Kenneth Walsh is correct, hunting season may have arrived at last.
[HT: RCP]
The Dems never came to the table because they don't want to work with George W. Bush. They only thing they want to work toward is his political destruction. It has been that way for five years, and it is never going to change. And perhaps the greatest mystery of the second Bush presidency is why he has never been willing, or able, to come to grips with this implacable partisan hostility and abandon his "New Tone"-driven other-cheek-turning, which has by now knocked out, depending upon which poll you believe, anywhere from 57% to 64% of his PR teeth.
That perplexingly mystifying passivity may, finally and emphatically, be coming to an end:
Far from being chastened by recent setbacks, including the indictment of his chief of staff, Vice President Dick Cheney is thumbing his nose at his critics - and encouraging President Bush to do the same. "Bush and Cheney are standing as one," says a prominent Republican who regularly advises the White House. "Their strategy is to get the conservative base solidified again."
Behind the scenes, Cheney is feeding Bush's instinct never to give ground when under attack........President Bush, meanwhile, is thinking in bigger terms. Friends say he has decided that he will never catch a break from the Democrats or the media - on the CIA case or anything else - so he will govern from the right, as he did on most issues in his first term. [emphasis added]
Well praise the LORD and pass the ammunition. It's about f'ing time.
I've opined on numerous occasions that the Bush presidency started softening ever since his triumphant carrier landing photo-op at the close of "major combat operations" in Iraq two and a half years ago. Had he faced a strong Dem challenger last year he'd have been a one-termer just like his dad. And after winning a second term he went right back to the same head-scratching flaccidity.
But after caving on Katrina blame, the Miers detour, and now taking all this recylced prevaricating Democrat crap on pre-war intelligence, the President certainly has nothing to lose by actually going on the offensive for a change. Perhaps he's finally come to see the Clintonian wisdom of the perpetual campaign, especially in concert with the weak, pathetic lunatics that constitute the leaders of the opposition.
Twenty-five years ago there was a pro wrestler named "Iron Mike" Sharpe. He was a big, burly babyface (good guy) whose gimmick was fair play to the point of absurdity, never even using his size and power to his advantage in his matches. Since that size and power was not matched by a scintillating personality, it was less than surprising that his character never got over with the fans, so the promotion turned him heel (bad guy) and moved him permanently to the bottom of the card.
I provide that seemingly irrelevant background material for metaphorical purposes - namely, the match in which Sharpe did his heel turn.
He was in the ring with a preliminary wrestler (or "jobber," a worker whose role is to be cannon fodder for the top performers) who was a lot smaller than he was, and was, not to put too fine a point on it, getting his ass kicked. Suddenly, Sharpe snapped, as if he'd had enough of being the Baby Huey of professional wrestling, and he proceeded to destroy the guy inside of thirty seconds.
That's what the political landscape looks like right now. A great or near-great (at one time, anyway) president letting himself get nibbled to death by rabid ducks that never stop quacking, and all the while letting his shotgun just sit there, rusting.
If Kenneth Walsh is correct, hunting season may have arrived at last.
[HT: RCP]
posted by JASmius at 10:14 AM
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