A trifecta of terrible prospects for the GOP

[unhappycamper]

A trifecta of terrible prospects for the GOP
Paul Mulshine, Newhouse News Service
August 29, 2005

Last year I pointed out that it might be better for the Republican Party if George W. Bush would follow the example of the prior Texan in the White House. I suggested he should announce that for the good of the country he would not seek another term.

Did he listen to me? Nope. And now look at the mess he's in. A mere eight months into his second term, Bush's approval rating has fallen to about what Lyndon Baines Johnson's was when he dropped out of the presidential race in 1968.

In both cases, the dismal poll numbers were the result of a bungled war. Like Bush, Johnson had a remarkable facility for domestic politics but was at the mercy of his advisers in the international arena. Also like Bush, Johnson was misled by technocrats who turned out to be nowhere near as sharp as they claimed to be. The parallel is amazing, right down to the eerie physical resemblance between Johnson's overconfident defense secretary, Robert McNamara, and Bush's overconfident defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld.

It is on the question of character that the parallel breaks down, however. Johnson agonized over the way his mistakes in Vietnam had shattered the bipartisan consensus on foreign policy. "This war's upset the hell out of him," said one close associate the evening Johnson announced his intention not to run for re-election. "He really doesn't have his mind on politics." Bush, meanwhile, has yet to admit to even a minor technical error in Iraq, such as having no plan whatsoever for the post-invasion period.

MORE
http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5581648.html

[leftchick]

1. A great read except for this...

A Just Cause???

<snip>

Unfortunately for him, those feelings remain deeply held. The cause may be just in the instance of Iraq, but the goal remains vague and the victory has been underwhelming, to say the least. I don't do polling, but if the e-mail I receive is any indication, the only people still buying the Bush spin on the Iraq debacle are a handful of neoconservatives here in the East and a dwindling crowd of Rush Limbaugh listeners in the Heartland.

[Strelnikov_]

7. And This: "If Patrick Fitzgerald Wants To Be A Real SOB . .

-- and that seems to be his sole purpose in life -- he could quite easily indict at least two of Bush's key advisers for violating their oaths concerning the handling of classified information."

Sounds like this guy is still in denial.

[wli]

2. Remarkable facility for domestic policy???

What kind of crack are they smoking? His domestic policies have turned the USA into a Third World country.

[emanymton]

5. Yes! But All The While Majority Of People In USA Allow It!

Majority of people in USA know they are being screwed by shrub and Co.

Majority of people still cheer as they get screwed.

shrub and Co do know how to manipulate the domestic sheeple.

[liberal N proud]

3. Bu$h is not capable of admitting error

He mentally can not accept failure.

Bush on the Couch: Inside the Mind of the President
Justin A. Frank
As the author clearly details, Bush’s dominant worldview of competitiveness, coldness and restless anxiety bordering on paranoia have led him to where we stand now in history – in a quagmire of a war in Iraq, poverty on the rise at home, and on the brink of environmental collapse. All of these issues seem distant, even unimportant, to Bush, the man, who seems to have no capability of feeling the pain and suffering of others, or even recognizing and fixing his own mistakes. As the author deftly points out, Bush’s inability to take responsibility for his actions and his illusions of omnipotence and grandeur have led him and our nation on a disastrous path. This is a man who laughed when he executed dozens as Texas governor, including a born-again Christian woman who pleaded for forgiveness. So much for a culture of life.

Book review located at:
http://www.curledup.com/bushhead.htm

[Upfront]

4. Bush = Johnson On domestic politics?

What might you be smoking today? Give me a break! lol

[emanymton]

6. shrub and Co Know How To Control The Masses!

shrub repulses to no end and I detest what he has accomplished. But one must acknowledge his mastery over the mob.

Regardless of what is thought of him as a person, shrub and Co have succeeded in isolating the sheeple and stampeding them for his own benefit when it is necessary.

[klyon]

9. it is different

Bush has mis-lead the mob
Johnson lead the mob
Bush controlled thru deception
Johnson passed many things good for the people

KL

[Demeter]

8. Mulshine Is A Horrible Person!

This must be what a moderate, pragmatic Republican sounds like--a genial madman! Talk about fiddling while Rome burns! While the GOP hacks rearrange the deck chairs on the Titanic, and Captain, My Captain stands on the burning deck, any sane person is well past the "Maybe...if" stage, and just waiting for Reality to bite them all really hard where it hurts most.