Ms Noonan writes:
George W. Bush destroyed the Republican Party, by which I mean he sundered it, broke its constituent pieces apart and set them against each other. He did this on spending, the size of government, war, the ability to prosecute war, immigration and other issues.
Last I checked, this is a free country and Ms. Noonan is entitled to her opinion and to voice her "declarations", however misguided, ill-informed, pandering to the conservative elite, and removed from reality it is.
Let me see if I can try and analyze her profound declarations for which we wait with bated breath every week.
He sundered it, broke its constituent pieces apart and set them against each other.
He was the last one who could get the votes in 2004 of the social conservatives, the fiscal conservatives (except those heartless brutes whose god is mammon), and the national security conservatives. Compare him with the present crop. No one remotely comes close to coalescing the constituent pieces. In 2004, according to the exit polls- see http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/hughes/041105- the following statistics emerge:
- Liberal: Bush 13%
- Moderate: Bush 45%
- Conservative: Bush 84%
He did this on spending, the size of government,
Government Outlay Budget Deficit
A 20.0% 2.6%
B 21.3% 3.1%
C 21.7% 2.7%
Government Outlay Budget Deficit
A 20.0% 2.6%
B 21.3% 3.1%
C 21.7% 2.7%
I ask Ms. Noonan try matching rows A,B, and C in the table above, with Presidents Carter, Reagan and George W. Bush. The answer is A - Pres. Bush; B - Pres. Reagan; C - Pres. Carter. And I have deliberately put the worst figures of Pres. Bush with the last year's figures of Pres. Carter and Reagan. And neither of these Presidents dealt with crises as big as 9/11 and the stock market crash, etc. Not even close.
And the increase in the Bush presidency (from 18.5% to 20%) has been in the area of defense, homeland security and the war. Otherwise, discretionary spending has decreased every year of his presidency.
war, the ability to prosecute war,
And perhaps General Noonan can tell us how the war can be prosecuted. No doubt she can draw on her extensive experience and knowledge of fighting an asymmetric war against a group of suicidal maniacs intent on nothing short of subjugation and the annihilation of America. No doubt her speech-writing prowess would have made the Al-Quaida types quake in their sandals. Especially her short sentences, innumerable question marks and the ellipses: they are killers.Seriously, even the kamikhaze pilots in WW-II were honorable in that they targeted the military not innocent civilians. No president, repeat no president, has had to fight a suicidal enemy willing to harm innocent civilians with no compunction. Not George Washington, Abe Lincoln or Roosevelt/Truman.
And this war has been fought under the glare of 24 x 7 news coverage with an abundance of arm-chair generals with 20/20 hindsight operating in the environment of blame-America-first media. Remember that during WW-II, the media and even Hollywood was patriotic. And the god of the religion of conservatism, Pres. Reagan, is partly to blame for 9/11 when he blinked and pulled out of Beirut. Isn't it true that OBL used this response to tell his followers that America is a "paper tiger"? Don't get me wrong- I love Pres. Reagan and what he did for the country. He made mistakes- after all he was human, except to the high priests of Conservatism. What bothers me- and I suspect a lot of Americans- is that the conservative elites deify Pres. Reagan and have selective and/or convenient amnesia on the same issues where they vilify Pres. Bush.
immigration
And who, pray, is the savior who will deliver us from the evil of (illegal) immigration? Rep. Tom Tancredo, perhaps? Or Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage or Sean Hannity? These are outstanding individuals with rich executive experience whose actions speak louder than their words. Yeah, right! While the aforementioned elite conservatives are under the stupor of selective amnesia of Pres. Reagan's total amnesty they disparage and rubbish the comprehensive immigration reform of Pres. Bush. Oh! it is a great rallying cry- "We defeated the 'Illegal immigrants' Amnesty Bill". Yes- and that's why Ms. Pelosi is the speaker of the House. (Perhaps, the high priests-Limbaugh, Savage and Hannity- want Hillary to win- how else will they build up their listener base?)Perhaps, Ms. Noonan would institute the department of Homeland Secret Service on the lines of the KJB of the the Nazi SS. But wait! Will it not increase the size of the government? But it may be worth it! I'm sure it would make America respected around the world to see the ASS (American Secret Service) flush out illegal immigrants with bayonets and load them on buses and planes. How in keeping with American character over the centuries!
and other issues.
Like the Miers-contra scandal? Or his communication skills or the lack thereof owing to which Pres. Bush is unable to talk for hours without saying anything? Maybe he didn't fire Rumsfeld? Or, he didn't adopt the surge strategy soon enough? Or, he didn't appoint conservative-enough judges in the mold of Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony Kennedy?
President Bush increased the Republican party tally in both houses in 2002 and 2004. If only the cowardly Republicans had stuck with him instead of "distancing themselves" from him, we might not have Speaker Pelosi. And the scandals didn't help. Further, the high priests and the prophets of Conservatism held crusades against the apostasy of the immigration reform bill. And, instead of focusing on the economy and urging for patience and persistence with Iraq, the lily-livered poltroons of the Republican party capitulated to the media onslaught on Iraq and to the right wing crazies on immigration. Largely as a result of these factors, they lost.
Ms. Noonan and the conservative elites deserve a President Clinton. However, as my wife says, it is too much of a price for the country to pay. Hopefully it will teach them a lesson to have a President McCain, who I don't like, but is the better of the 3 front runners, now that Huckabee seems to be out of the running.
