Posted on 11/4/2004, 1:06:38 PM by Former Military Chick
AMERICAN politics has come to resemble a never-ending episode of Dynasty. The current President is the son of a former President (and the grandson of a senator). His predecessor now serves as the political consort to a wife who is the Senator for New York. One of her colleagues and opponents in that chamber is a woman (Elizabeth Dole) who is married to the man (Robert Dole) who ran against Mr Clinton in the presidential contest eight years ago. America is fond of family businesses. This arrangement, though, looks positively incestuous.
It may be worse come the 2008 election. For the two big winners from this epic presidential battle, besides George W. Bush himself, are Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, the President’s brother and Governor of Florida. In a development that would make those who write soap opera scripts blush with shame, America may well be a mere 1,465 days away from a showdown between the Bush and Clinton tribes.
Mrs Clinton has proved how easy it is to win an election by losing one. Had John Kerry been elected, then any chance of her running for the White House in 2008 would have disappeared entirely. His pain is, without doubt, her gain. But the outcome is even more delicious for the senator. There had been real fears among her supporters that even if Mr Kerry lost, the seemingly charismatic Senator John Edwards would do well enough in the course of the campaign to establish himself as a serious rival to her.
As the contest evolved, it became obvious that Mr Edwards was not all that he had been cracked up to be. He did not outperform Dick Cheney in their one debate. His home state of North Carolina was easily captured by Mr Bush. The senate seat that he rashly chose to abandon was seized by the Republicans. Nice hair and teeth. No future.
And while Mrs Clinton will obviously have shed some tears for him, the defeat of the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Tom Daschle in South Dakota, has not hurt her prospects either. He was a possible competitor in 2008 and certainly a rival for the limelight in Washington. His likely replacement as the Minority Leader, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, will not even attempt to compete with her in the media.
The situation for Mr Bush (of Florida) is more complicated. He has made himself the darling of his party by delivering such a crucial state for his brother. There is not much doubt that his own local popularity helped the President. He has, nonetheless, been less than enthusiastic in the past about the idea of seeking the Oval Office. He once described the notion as something that only the Raelians (a notoriously weird cult) would consider. The dominant conservative branch of the Republicans does not, however, have an obvious attractive candidate for the 2008 ballot and would accept the Florida Governor if he made himself available. Provided that the President is reasonably popular with Republican activists at the end of his second term, the party nomination could well be there for the taking.
Another Bush-Clinton struggle four years hence would be an amazing spectacle. It sounds like the sort of competition that might occur in an unstable Latin American banana republic and not a superpower. And if either Mrs Clinton or Governor Bush were to win in 2008 and run again in 2012 it would create an astounding sequence. It would mean that by 2016 every American election since 1972 had involved the surname “Bush”, “Clinton” or “Dole” as either a presidential or vice-presidential candidate.
She is the smatest woman ever to live. How can you "rats" possibly go wrong with this magnificent candiate?
She is the smartest woman ever to live. How can you "rats" possibly go wrong with this magnificent candiate?
Who were on the ticket in 1972 and 1976 that invoked Bush, Clinton, or Dole??
Oops.. Dole in 76 as VP..
But who in 72?!
Jeb is very much beloved by Florida and will make many of us sorry that there are term limits on the governorship. If anything, I see Jeb taking on Bill Nelson for his Senate seat in '06 and winning it. Following immediately in his brother's footsteps would cost him millions of votes from those simply choosing not to create a dynasty. That would be too much of a burden to overcome.
That is a GREAT idea. I hope you are correct.
Dan Quayle
Jeb is an appealing candidate in many ways, but he has too many personal skeletons to run for president successfully.
'72 was the last election w/o a Bush, Dole or Clinton...
Me too. Jeb will never happen.
I don't believe Jeb would or could run. I believe the 2000 fiasco in Florida would have killed his chances just because the Rats saw it as a Bush conspiracy. I believe Hillary's best opponents in 2008 are Guiliani or Pataki. I don't think McCain could carry it (would be more of Dole caliber of opponent).
Jeb could not win. It's too soon. George P. Bush, now that's a different story - down the road.
Look at what happened in this great country two days ago. Americans are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore. IT'S TAKE BACK TIME in this great country, and SCUM THE LIKES OF CANKLES ARE NOT PART OF THIS AWAKENED COUNTRY'S PLANS.
The LEFT is DEAD. BURIED. REJECTED. PROJECTILED.
The Democrats need to spend a lot of time in the mirror, and lifting shirts to navel-gaze, and figure out what the HELL is wrong with them that they SMELL AND TASTE SO BAD to the American Public.
I think that they're figuring out that they have to BUNKER BUST their party, and START ANEW. And start with some PRINCIPLES, MORALS, and MAINSTREAM, FORWARD LOOKING, positive, inspiring IDEAS and GOALS.
That means BUNKER BUSTING McCauliffe and his FACE WART HILLARY.
BUNKER BUSTING BUMP.
Giuliani is far too liberal to win GOP primaries. He also has many skeletons.
Pataki is a Rockerfeller Republican. He won't excite most of the Republicans outside the NE.
I expect a few cabinet-level people are thinking of running. Perhaps Powell. Perhaps Condi. (though she's single which many will look at suspiciously.) Perhaps Ridge. I could also see Santorum and Frist running. Governor Bill Owens of Co. Tancredo might give it an outside try.
There are lots of good candidates outside Giuliani. Giuliani would make a fine VP pick, though.
Yeah, right. Another Northeastern ultra-liberal trying to capture the votes of those in the Bible-Belt, throughout the South, and in flyover country. People she and their party hold in deepest contempt. Put 'er up in '08. You think we came out to vote down Kerry in great numbers? Think about how many would turn out to smack Hillary down.
I do think, though, that they will surprise us and install Bill as head of the DNC, and very soon.
Run, Jeb, run!
Now that's a hunka Bush.
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