The Bush - Republican schism

WSJ contributing editor, Peggy Noonan raises some interesting observations in a recent opinion entitled "Too Bad" . Referring to the "style" of governing that the Bush administration has become renowned for, the title speaks volumes. She makes, what in my opinion, is an obvious assessment when she says that it is not the party base who has abandoned Bush but rather Bush who has abandoned the party base, and remarkably so. He has forsaken some of the most basic tenets of conservative politics in favor of what can arguably be charactarized as just plain incompetence. His administration is replete with examples of Wasteful spending; The weakening of states in favor of an expansive and more powerful Federal Government; Unsecured borders and an unwillingness to enforce this country's immigration laws to the absolute dismay of native born citizens everywhere; The stagnation of progress in Iraq and the questionable stance of eternal peacekeeper of the region.

Bush hasn't done everything wrong, but there is a great deal that he hasn't done right either. What makes it all so especially difficult to swallow for many Republicans is the arrogance with which he continues to rapidly depart himself from the mainstream conservative base. Noonan draws reference to this fact particularly well by describing both Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. as monumental "wasters of political inheritance". 'Tis true. Both Presidents basically waltzed into the leadership of a unified party and managed, through a series of bungled decisions, to divide and weaken it. Bush Sr. rode in on the the coat tails of Reagan's success and in course of four years, managed to cost his party the Presidency for another eight. He inherited a stable country and a strong, unified party but wasted it. Bush Jr. had the entire country supporting him after 9-11. Men and women, old and young, conservative and liberal...all rallied around the flag and supported their President. He even enjoyed a Republican majority in both houses of Congress, yet somehow, he has managed to divide the party and strengthen the opposition. So many opportunities for greatness were literally dropped in his lap but he wasted the inheritance. This careless squandering is reckless...almost as if loyalty were owed to him.

Perhaps the latest blunder of granting amnesty to law breaking aliens will paradoxically serve to unite, rather than divide the party in 2008 as Democrats share the responsibility by having authored that traitorous, anti-American bill. Perhaps the conservative base will have had enough. Perhaps we will see reason in and elect the supposedly unelectable third party voice of Ron Paul who seems to unapologetically stand for all of those true conservative standards that Bush has abandoned. Perhaps the plain talking, straight shooting Fred Thompson will get the nod and bring common sense and wisdom to a White House that, at the moment, seems devoid of both. Perhaps I'm just grasping at straws and all is lost to the multi-culturalistic audacity of Barack Obama's hope or Hillary Clinton's familyless village of surrogate parents. God I hope not.