 Withdraw Miers nomination  Nominate Janice Rogers Brown Fire Andy Card |
Posted on 10/28/2005 7:35:26 PM PDT by Pokey78
LAST WEEK THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S second-term bear market bottomed out. On Monday, Bush nominated as the next Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, who of all the leading candidates will be the central banker least hostile to tax cuts and least likely to direct monetary policy to any end other than combating inflation. At the end of the week, the Commerce Department announced that economic growth in the third quarter had been 3.8 percent, suggesting that, thanks in large part to Bush's supply-side tax cuts, our economy may remain strong enough to overcome the twin hurdles of high energy prices and rising interest rates.
Meanwhile, the political process in Iraq continued in a relatively promising direction, as some Sunni groups seemed increasingly reconciled to pursuing their goals through politics rather than betting on the success of the insurgency. On the military front, the joint U.S.-Iraqi effort to fight an effective counterinsurgency seemed to be making some progress. And the prospects for less troublemaking by Syria seemed to improve as well, with the Assad regime thrown back on its heels by a U.N. report implicating it in the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister.
On Thursday, Harriet Miers withdrew her candidacy for the Supreme Court, producing a massive sigh of relief from Bush supporters and conservatives throughout the nation. Now the president has the chance to pick a strong nominee and to rally his supporters for a winning fight on his or her behalf.
And then, of course, on Friday, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's two-year
investigation came to an underwhelming conclusion with the indictment of Vice President Cheney's chief of staff, Scooter Libby--not for any underlying crime but for impeding the investigation through perjury and false statements. This is a distressing development for those of us who have known and admired Libby for many years. If Libby is guilty of purposely lying to a grand jury, that cannot be excused or minimized. But let's not forget that he has not yet had his day in court.
The larger story on Friday was that Fitzgerald indicted no one else. The wrongdoing leads in no way beyond this one individual and what he allegedly said to FBI investigators and the grand jury. There was no conspiracy, high level or otherwise, at the White House, or involving the Defense Department or the State Department--all scenarios that enemies of the administration had been fantasizing about for months.
It may sound odd to call this good news for the president. But go back and read the fevered anticipations and lethal expectations of Bush's critics over the last month. This was going to be the moment when the case for war was discredited. This was going to be the moment when the supposed venality and corruption of the Bush administration was going to be exposed. This was going to be the moment when the whole criminal conspiracy would unravel. This was going to be the moment of paralysis and disgrace for Bush and Cheney and the assorted warmongers in their employ.
This does not mean, of course, that the Bush White House and its supporters should heave a sigh of relief and relax. It does mean that the administration and its allies have a chance now to go on the offensive: to make the tax cuts permanent, to look for occasions to insist on spending restraint, to make progress in restoring constitutional jurisprudence, and above all to make strides toward winning the war in Iraq, and the broader war on terror.
With the dénouement of the Miers fiasco and the Fitzgerald investigation, President Bush's beaten-down political fortunes should be ripe for a rebound. As we've said before, the recipe for starting a rally is straightforward: Get back to basics on the economy, the courts, and foreign policy. Go on the offensive in all of these areas. To regain the ground that was lost and to forge further ahead will require energy, discipline, and boldness from the Bush administration, and from the president himself.
- William Kristol
I wish Bill Kristol would just go away.
he's one of those people who is always an anti-guy.... everything is always wrong and nothing is ever right ...
"the administration and its allies have a chance now to go on the offensive: to make the tax cuts permanent, to look for occasions to insist on spending restraint, to make progress in restoring constitutional jurisprudence, and above all to make strides toward winning the war in Iraq, and the broader war on terror."
What? Nothing in there about securing the borders??
I think he's right on this one.
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Withdraw Miers nomination Nominate Janice Rogers Brown Fire Andy Card |
A stopped clock is right twice in 24 hours, and I agree with Kristol here, myself. Of course, we have to see whom he selects as his next nominee for SCOTUS. Hopefully, it will be someone with credentials that no one can attack, except on ideological grounds from the usual suspects.
Why???? This was an excellent article. What is wrong with it? He was saying all good things. Especially in the beginning when he talked about the gloom and doomers.
Did you read the column? He said that things are pretty good.
I disagree with Kristol most of the time, but I see nothing to quarrel with here.
I like Bill!
I think he is a true conservative who tells it like it is; what more can you ask for?
He sounds much better than he did on TV yesterday. Maybe he's coming out of his Miers funk.
To hear the Left talking, Mr. Fitzgerald is going to put the Iraq War on trial. At best, one underling got fingered for lying.
Thanks to Rush, I did get to hear Fitzgerald for a long portion of his announcement and I got the impression he is not inclined to carry the Left's water for them. He is interested in what can be proven in court rather than what innuendoes he can dig up for the Left to use in their P.R. war. OTOH, he is saying only what he needs to say to secure the properness of any trial, as he should.
But the Left can still have a little orgy over 2,000 Americans dead in Iraq. That's been 2-1/2 years in the making. How many Americans died in one week from Hurricane Katrina?
"I wish Bill Kristol would just go away."
He ain't Irving. And I disagree with him often. But this time I gotta say he's on target. This article represents the reality, rather than the MSM/Lefty spin, of the present situation.
The rope-a-dope ends now.
In some circles, Stuart would be considered mentally handicapped. Actaully, make that all circles.
I hope the President will take Bill Kristol's advice!
Me too. And I wish he'd take that shrew, Ann Coulter, with him. Both of them are repulsive.
Why? So Kristol can set up his bud, John McCain, for another presidential run in '08. Slime is slime, whether or not it has a pretty gloss from time to time. Kristol is slime.
I'll still never forget the post in DU where they were saying that American soldiers deserved to die, and the more the better if it meant getting GWB out of office. If this were WW II they would be telling us that we deserved to be surrounded at Bastogne and that we should surrender for giving the Germans so much trouble. There is no measure to the contempt these Marxists deserve.
Love your things to do list. Can I play too?... Here's mine, as of tonight...........Pardon Libby, nominate Janice Rodgers Brown or Luttig, invade Syria, Iran, and France all in that order.........
Just read the advise:
"As we've said before, the recipe for starting a rally is straightforward: Get back to basics on the economy, the courts, and foreign policy. Go on the offensive in all of these areas."
It doesn't matter who said it, do you find anything wrong with it?
I think if you are not on the offensive, you are on the defensive, and that's what happened to Bush. It's time to change it. The Dem piranhas are smelling blood in the water, it's time to fight back.
So....now Kristol put on his "patronizing" smirk.
Question: Why are you visiting DU?!
"It is wise to understand the ways of one's enemy." ;^)
Many of us are coming out of our "Miers funk." Bush rode the rough edge of disaster hard with that nomination. We were along for the whole ugly stomach-turning ride.
Now much has changed.
A quality 30 year conservative appointment to the Supreme Court is on track. A top notch Fed Chair has been selected to replace Greenspan. Rove is back where be belongs, guarding his boss's six o'clock. Sheehan is so stale she can't draw flies. The Iraqi constitution vote was a spectacular success.
It's a marvelous new morning.
If I was stumbling around in the dark and Kristol offered me a light, I'd refuse it. I don't make kissy-kissy with my enemies just because they burble sweet things from time to time. The level of loathing I feel for him, Coulter and a few others at this time is beyond healing.
Well, I guess we can agree to disagree. Seems to me everything I have seen Bill Kristol has been on the side of our President. Maybe he has disagreed with one policy or another but on the whole, I DO believe Bill Kristol likes and respects President Bush.
He is trying to get his White House sources back. Fat chance I would say.
If this was Bush's worst week, he is in great shape.
More than half of the people in this country do not even know who Harriet Miers or Scooter Libby are.
The bad comb-over talking heads on tv will rattle on for a day or two and that's it.
Ha. Exactly my first thought.
Sorry, Bill, it'll take longer than this to earn back respect. Even as I read this fairly obvious summary, I find myself wondering if Kristol has some hidden agenda behind it.
You must have been a Miers supporter.
Bill forgets to include the din that will come from the MSM over "Plamegate" - whatever that is. They will somehow neglect to mention any good news.
great list. may i add, use every legal means possible to bring wilson back to planet earth.
Bill "Bushwhacker" Kristol. ESAD. Trying to explain that backstabbing is not too painful for the recipient.
Won't work. Won't work for Coulter either.
How many Americans died in a few hours on September 11th?
It doesn't help when people like Kristol spend more time putting the President on the defensive than supporting his initiatives. There's no question, Kristol can join the gang and become a destructive voice...but I'll take note of him and his when they actually manage to persuade more than their close circle.
You don't have to be a supporter of Miers to realize that Bill Kristol is long overdue for a trip to the boneyard. That the man dubbed "Dan Quayles brain" is still looked to as anything other than a political pariah is almost amusing. His "wisdom" is about as useful as a Magic 8 ball.
If the President believed in "the basics" on any of those issues, he wouldn't have gotten in trouble in the first place. He is trying to build a permanent Republican governing majority - and he thinks he has to jettison most of the fiscal conservative basics to do it.
You forgot "Effectively Seal the Southern Border for $3.2B".
yes . it looks like they are getting ready for a civil suit. i saw somewhere on this site a story about death threats on his wife. here it comes . another reason to settle up . it also gives the left endless bitching rights and keeps the story alive. i suppose they to will hire bennett.
"I wish Bill Kristol would just go away.
Me too. And I wish he'd take that shrew, Ann Coulter, with him. Both of them are repulsive."
I assume your comments are a jest, if not, you oughta to the Dim side.
About 16 hours ago, before any indictments had been issued, Kristol was on Fox saying what a horrible day this was for the White House...a sad day for the White House, gloom, doom.
I wouldn't loan lunch money to this guy.
Anyone that has ever read my posts knows that I am not a fan of Kristol by any stretch of the imagination. My nickname for him is "General" since he is devoted to running the war from his armchair while trying to sabotage Rummy per McMaverick's orders.
I tended to avoid his columns, even if we agreed on Miers. For the same reason I avoided Coulter and Buchanon generally.
Nevertheless, is the sole reason some showed up in this post to bash him? If so, why not just avoid the thread? I avoided columns by those I didn't respect throughout this even though they were persuing the same end goal. By same token I didn't visit every Hugh Hewitt thread. At very least, address the ARTICLE. Bash away, but at least show there is more to you than namecalling and bitterness that you lost the debate. Take the arguments in his piece and combat them if you disagree on merit.
personally I agree with the essence of the article. Could have been a bad week, turned out to be a promising week.
GDP good. Constitution adapted of recent. Rove still with the W.H. Positive feeling a nominee acceptable to the vast majority of the base will soon be nominated. Compared to where we started the week, this is a good place for a nice steady rebound from here on out.
kristol may have his own suspect motives, but the advice is no different than what most conservatives have offered and agreed with.
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