The American Conservative: "GOP MUST GO"

[doppelganger]

From the conservative newsmagazine, "The American Conservative," comes another for the "No Brainer File":

It should surprise few readers that we think a vote that is seen—in America and the world at large—as a decisive “No” vote on the Bush presidency is the best outcome. We need not dwell on George W. Bush’s failed effort to jam a poorly disguised amnesty for illegal aliens through Congress or the assaults on the Constitution carried out under the pretext of fighting terrorism or his administration’s endorsement of torture. Faced on Sept. 11, 2001 with a great challenge, President Bush made little effort to understand who had attacked us and why—thus ignoring the prerequisite for crafting an effective response. He seemingly did not want to find out, and he had staffed his national-security team with people who either did not want to know or were committed to a prefabricated answer.


As a consequence, he rushed America into a war against Iraq, a war we are now losing and cannot win, one that has done far more to strengthen Islamist terrorists than anything they could possibly have done for themselves. Bush’s decision to seize Iraq will almost surely leave behind a broken state divided into warring ethnic enclaves, with hundreds of thousands killed and maimed and thousands more thirsting for revenge against the country that crossed the ocean to attack them. The invasion failed at every level: if securing Israel was part of the administration’s calculation—as the record suggests it was for several of his top aides—the result is also clear: the strengthening of Iran’s hand in the Persian Gulf, with a reach up to Israel’s northern border, and the elimination of the most powerful Arab state that might stem Iranian regional hegemony.


The war will continue as long as Bush is in office, for no other reason than the feckless president can’t face the embarrassment of admitting defeat. The chain of events is not complete: Bush, having learned little from his mistakes, may yet seek to embroil America in new wars against Iran and Syria.


Meanwhile, America’s image in the world, its capacity to persuade others that its interests are common interests, is lower than it has been in memory. All over the world people look at Bush and yearn for this country—which once symbolized hope and justice—to be humbled. The professionals in the Bush administration (and there are some) realize the damage his presidency has done to American prestige and diplomacy. But there is not much they can do.


There may be little Americans can do to atone for this presidency, which will stain our country’s reputation for a long time. But the process of recovering our good name must begin somewhere, and the logical place is in the voting booth this Nov. 7. If we are fortunate, we can produce a result that is seen—in Washington, in Peoria, and in world capitals from Prague to Kuala Lumpur—as a repudiation of George W. Bush and the war of aggression he launched against Iraq.

 

[MaddLlama]

It's nice to know that Conservatives are rallying to take back the party.

 

[Djamila]

I hope it works.

 

[PureX]

I've never disparaged genuine conservatism. The strength of ideological conservatism is as essential to a healthy society as the adaptability of ideological liberalism is. We must have both, willing to function in harmony, to be a healthy society and nation. The Bush administration has never represented ideological conservatism. What it has represented is ideological absolutism and the dysfunction that always results from such an absurdly extremist ideology. All I can hope, now, is that the Bush presidency will stand as an indelible lesson to the American people, NEVER to fall for such ideological absolutist nonsense, again.

 

[Djamila]

I've never disparaged genuine conservatism. The strength of ideological conservatism is as essential to a healthy society as the adaptability of ideological liberalism is. We must have both, willing to function in harmony, to be a healthy society and nation. The Bush administration has never represented ideological conservatism. What it has represented is ideological absolutism and the dysfunction that always results from such an absurdly extremist ideology. All I can hope, now, is that the Bush presidency will stand as an indelible lesson to the American people, NEVER to fall for such ideological absolutist nonsense, again.

Oh, but the night is so young.

Truly, America is a very young country. It still has to go through many of the same phases most European countries went through. Even if the American politicians were more willing to learn from the mistakes of others, there are some situations we're all facing at the same time - immigration, for example - for which there is no great example to follow.

 

[Scott1]

All I can hope, now, is that the Bush presidency will stand as an indelible lesson to the American people, NEVER to fall for such ideological absolutist nonsense, again.

Amen!

Well said... thanks.
S

 

[Ciscokid]

I've never disparaged genuine conservatism. The strength of ideological conservatism is as essential to a healthy society as the adaptability of ideological liberalism is. We must have both, willing to function in harmony, to be a healthy society and nation. The Bush administration has never represented ideological conservatism. What it has represented is ideological absolutism and the dysfunction that always results from such an absurdly extremist ideology. All I can hope, now, is that the Bush presidency will stand as an indelible lesson to the American people, NEVER to fall for such ideological absolutist nonsense, again.

Amen! I actually look forward to voting for a Democrat thanks to Bush.

 

[FatMan]

Even as a die-hard republican, I've become disenchanted that the party does not discern the difference between the seperation of church and state. By pandering to the Religious Right, they have shown that they feel they cannot maintain a family values program without basing it on religion, and I vehemently disagree. Generally accepted Good values are good values no matter what the belief system is of the people exhibiting.

To me, it is disheartening that they are fostering an atmosphere of religious elitism. And it is dangerous as well.

I want religion as far away from a Party's platform as possible, especially when it involves Robertson or Falwell.

 

[Sunstone]

Here in Colorado Springs, the traditional conservatives have largely been forced out of local politics by the neo cons lead by Focus on the Family and other Religious Right groups.

 

[doppelganger]

Bush turned out to be a "uniter" after all.