I’m glad Jeb! ran for president. It motivated me to study up on the Bushes. I learned a lot about the Clintons too, as their paths join a lot in our recent history. The Bushes were as dirty as they come. And yes, I would have crawled over broken glass to vote for Bush. YES, smart FReepers can be fooled by people claiming to be conservative (and even meaning it... But working for other than the American people). We are so desperate for conservatives in power that we cling to what we can get.
I always believed a big part of Dubya’s success in the elections of 2000 and 2004 is that he had the good fortune of running against two of the most reviled liberals of the time.
On the other hand, there is no doubt at all that the republican in congress and the senate would have prevented Gore or Kerry from getting away with some of the things they eagerly helped Dubya implement.
Imagine the republican reaction if Al Gore as president had allowed the Saudis to fly out of America the day after 9/11. Or is he had been the one to keep secret the Saudi involvement with the 9/11 terrorists. Or if he tried to pass the Patriot Act.