***George W. Bush: Master Politician and Great American***

Stardate: 0203.28 | the Wizard

[The Wizard]

It was so clean it was un-noticed by his enemies, and decried by his supporters, but GWB has just demonstrated a political ability that no-one on the left, and very few on the right ever saw.....

I always refer to the old Zorro scene with Basil Rathbone as the villian slicing a candle to show Tyrone Power how deft he is with a sword, because when "Zorro" does it the candle doesn't move....(The point is then shown that Tyrone's cut was SOOOOO smooth he sliced the candle so well he cut it without moving it....a truly great scene)

The First Lady did the same thing to Algore with her "...My husband sleeps with a teacher EVERY night..." comment that was so smooth a cut most of the media hasn't picked up the wound even today....

Well good Freeper Friends, that's what Old George did to the left with Johnny McCain's unconstitutional CFR Bill....

He fooled them into passing a billl that allowed more hard money, (something they would never ever allowed because it has NEVER, EVER been raised by anyone like our Commander and Chief) allowing them to include provisions that they thought would give them the edge, while knowing that others would attack and have thrown out all the offending provisions before they ever took effect, but the severably would allow the things not challanged to stand: Outcome

hard money limits have been raised and will stay raised, and the bad parts will be strck down, and we can now see that McCain was always working with GWB and the poor dems never knew it.....

What a political play.......cut to the bone and not even seeing it til after surgery is complete......

[uncbob]

Valin says, Talk is cheap. Put your money where your mouth is.

And that is another reason why this is an abomination
I am now being asked to spend money, THAT COULD HAVE GONE TO CAMPAIGN OR POSITION ADS , to preserve my freedom of speech because a GREAT AMERICAN signed a bill HE SAID was unconstitutional.
If that doesn't strike people as pathetic than I don't know what does

[cake_crumb]

Hmmm..."Bush Urinates on Constitution" threads: HUNDREDS of rabid posters. Single thread iteration the other side of the coin: eighty-something. I sense that the lynch mob has no wish to hear reason. While not surprising, it is certainly very disappointing, that so many of us are ready to eat our own over this.

[The Mayor]

I agree, with one caveat: I think McCain was not an accomplice to Bush in this, but rather a sad tool for the democrats.
I agree 100%

Well, I am not going to be driven from this board by people who want to push their agenda, which is NOT what they portray it to be. I am here for the long haul...because this is MY part of the war on terror..

Bingo! well said!!

Let's face it, folks. Bush is a good man, a decent man. No, he's not perfect. But who is? There isn't a politician on this earth with whom I will agree 100% of time. Sooner or later, there are bound to be letdowns and disappointments. It goes with the turf....John Huang2

Bravo!!
This is exactly why I come here and like Miss Marple I am here for the long haul....
At this point we can only Pray the the SCOTUS knocks down the unconstitutional sections of this LAW....

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!

[Kakaze]

" Sure. See, GW Bush figured out what his father didn't understand: popular at wartime? Just keep the war indefinitely! We will always be at war under GW Bush. That much is clear. "

We may always be at war with "dubya".....I think it was a given no matter who was elected and we are better off with him

With that said....our rolling over and watching the constitution dissappear is as big of a injustice as a president that allowed terrorism to reign.

It, is our job to tell him what we want and NOT allow him to trample the document that has held this nation for the last 200 + years.

[Zviadist]

Agreed and agreed.

[uncbob]

SCOTUS declares bill unconstitutional

John McCain
I only sponsored and pushed this bill brcause I KNEW it was UNCONSTITUTIONAL and wanted the SCOTUS to put the issue to rest once and for all so the democrats would shut up

John McCain brilliant politician and great American

[rbmillerjr]

This is exactly why I come here and like Miss Marple I am here for the long haul....

We'll be seeing you around then.

At this point we can only Pray the the SCOTUS knocks down the unconstitutional sections of this LAW....

On this we agree

[cake_crumb]

"Great suspicion needs to be given to those that blindly follow a "leader" that dishonors those that supported him based on what HE SAID HE WOULD DO, then sells those principles out for political gain"

True. And we who have READ the bill and understand the political seige President Bush faces, as well as the consequenses of that seige, but will defend him on the grounds that A:)we've read it B:)This country needs his leadership and C:) he publicly expressed his belief that the SCOTUS will slash the parts of the bill that he believes are may be unconstitutional (there are more reasons, most or all of which have already been outlined by others on this thread.) What about us? We are sheep because, while we may disagree with the offending portion of the bill, we STILL maintain a different outlook on the situation? This makes us all blind sheep?

[beckett]

Nice essay, John --- a tour de force. Now if we can only get W. to stop saying stuff like "the most strongest of terms," as he did yesterday, I will be happy. The man's grammar irritates me no end.

[Howlin]

When you say something, it's reasoned and cogent but when others disagree, it's ascribed to being a pathetic, rationalized, party line view.

I believe you got it. :-)

[ModernDayCato]

You're all wasting your time. The people on this board want to believe that GW is the conservative icon that will best the Dems after all this time.

Personally I think he's a coward and a RINO. And I voted for him, and I'm on the GOP VIP invitation list (just got an invite yesterday to a Bush breakfast - I tossed it in the trash can).

The truth is just too difficult for some to accept. Dems = Repubs, Clinton = Bush, welcome to the machine.

Anyone who truly, honestly, and rationally believes that what just happened with CFR is not a blow to the Republic but a political masterstroke has the same affliction that we made fun of with the liberals who unwaveringly supported Clinton.

JH2, I enjoy your writing style and usually enjoy your commentary. This time I think you're trying (like everyone else is and like I did) to spin the unspinnable.

[Armando Guerra]

Time will tell who is right.

I agree with you. When the offending provisions are stricken and all that is left of CFR is increased limits and greater disclosure, I wonder if all the Bush bashers will come back and admit it was the best way to deal with CFR once and for all.

What we won't get to see (fortunately) is the alternative scenario if he did veto it. Months of hammering by the press from here to the election. McCain on every talk show for the next 7 1/2 months. The constant talk from the left (politicians, newspapers, and TV news) of Enron and the influence of big money corrupting politics and this administration. They would all have had the same talking point memos. Come November when the House and the Senate both ended up in Democratic hands, we would have seen only hard left judges confirmed, tax cuts becoming tax increases, military pay being cut to make way for bureaucratic pay, Kyoto again becoming an issue, missile defense being scrapped and some real Constitution shredding being done. All the "but at least I was right on principle" talk would not have made up for the damage.

But what if the Supreme Court doesn't strike the law you say? I ask all of you Bush bashers where in the Constitution it specifically states that campaign contributions equals free speech? Read it carefully because you won't find it there. Where you will find it is in Supreme Court decisions from this court! Your very arguments against CFR come from the very Court in which you have so little faith. Yes, BillyBob and the NRA will spend money in litigating this case, but how much has been spent already and would have been spent in the future lobbying against CFR year in and year out? John Huang was right, this was the smart way to deal with CFR. Kill it once and for all while gaining political advantage for the next issues to fight on.

[going hot]

George W. Bush: Master Politician....

The same words were used to describe Clinton.....I'm not impressed.

Ahem, clinton was a bater, not a politician

[Howlin]

And you can bet it will be used just as READ MY LIPS was by the very democrats who pushed the bill

Explain how they will do that, please, sir. He signed a bill they BEGGED and THREATENED for; how can they turn that around and bash him with it?

[rbmillerjr]

On Rationalization:

Let's face a few facts. Two weeks ago 99% of the posters on this board were vehemently opposed to CFR, and were certain Bush would veto it. Ever since Bush indicated he would sign the bill into law there have been rationalizations on this site as to his reasons. Over the past few days, these rationalization have grown into full-blown support for the signature, claiming Bush is a political genius.

...Nittany Lion

[uncbob]

I agree

Hey all you geniuses that think BUSH did the right thing

How about you digging deep and donating the $$$$$ that is going to be needed to defeat this thing

You know the $$$ the lawyers are going to have to be paid to rebut BUSH's DOJ who gets to use our tax money to defend it

I know you all can be counted on for lots of $$$$ support

[Howlin]

How about linking a post that has somebody SUPPORTING this bill.

[uncbob]

Explain how they will do that, please, sir. He signed a bill they BEGGED and THREATENED for; how can they turn that around and bash him with it?

They same way the broke his father's gonads over a tax increase that THEY PRESSURED him to pass

[cake_crumb]

...of you who have been hanging out on the CFR threads, rope in hand:

Yes, I was opposed. Am still opposed to the portion of this bill which is so ambivalently worded that it allows almost unlimited opportunity for abuse by corrupt politicians. I even wrote the president outlining EXACTLY which portion and which wording. I included examples of more obvious opportunities for abuse.

He signed the bill with with a public expression of faith that the Supreme Court would strike any unconstitutional portions. So be it. I believe the SCOTUS will strike any portions which are unconstitutional.

...and I will vote for him in 2004. Our country needs him.

[ModernDayCato]

I'm so flipped out over this (both what he did and the way people here are reacting) that I haven't been able to work for two days.

I'm beginning to get over it, and I'm starting to understand the cult-like devotion people have with W.

That doesn't change the fact that the Constitution was raped. And it doesn't change the fact that no one cares, not even the people here, who I thought were the people that wanted to change things.

But I'm just being unrealistic or bashing Bush.