Sullivan on Bush

I still find myself unable to understand Obama’s appeal to Andrew Sullivan, but I’m 100% with him when it comes to Bush:

Bush and his acolytes have poisoned the brand of conservatism for the foreseeable future. When you take a few steps back and look closely, you realize that Bush has managed both to betray conservatism and stigmatize it all at once. That’s some achievement.

Sadly, yes.

Posted on Sunday, January 06 2008 | Permalink

Jesse Ventura, Bush 43, even Bill Clinton - the list of politicians who rode in as reformers and fell far short of expectations is endless.  The same could easily prove true of Obama.

But you know what?  Things are so *bad* right now, even a mildly competent, decent president can make the worst things right again.

- end torture
- close Guantanamo - give every single prisoner a trial.  If they’re guilty, fry them but for god’s sake don’t keep innocent people locked up indefinitely without due process
- declare victory in Iraq and get out, get out, get out.  Most Iraqis are dead, exhausted, ethnically cleansed or refugees any way.

Posted by  on  01/07  at  04:08 AM

How can a non-conservative like Bush poison the water for conservatives?  Why should Bush’s sins (defined as his many non-conservative positions, such as he did with immigration, expanding federal spending, NCLB, McCain-Feingold and so on) make it difficult for a real conservative to push a conservative agenda? 

Given Bush’s low ratings, a candidate espousing ‘Bush’ positions will - and should - run into problems, such as McCain and immigration.  But a conservative pushing conservative positions - immigration enforcement, cutting back on federal spending and so on - won’t ever have the problem of the public dismissing his proposals as being ‘just like Bush’.

Posted by steve sturm  on  01/07  at  04:47 PM

Read Obama’s first book.

Then look at his church:

http://www.tucc.org/about.htm

Trinity Church

If his racism comes out he is dead meat.

Posted by M. Simon  on  01/07  at  06:32 PM

Look at what the people of Fallujah are saying about Americans:

Sharply dressed Iraqi men and children got out and walked up to meet us. They were so friendly. An older man in a keffiyeh greeted us so warmly and sincerely it was obvious his affection was real. “Thank you, thank you,” he said. We all knew what he meant. Thank you for being here. Thank you for the security.

http://powerandcontrol.blogspot.com/2008/01/new-fallujah.html

Posted by M. Simon  on  01/07  at  06:35 PM

I would disagree with mint-tea’s list. Bush-elder won by disavowing Reagan and Clinton was always a schemer not a reformer.
But I agree that celebrity reformers like Jesse Ventura and CA’s own Gov Schwarzenegger have come up short. Where can we find pro-American candidates to vote for?

Posted by  on  01/07  at  06:39 PM

Where can we find pro-American candidates to vote for?

In the Democratic Party, of course.

Posted by  on  01/07  at  11:57 PM
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