Bush is Done

If you read political blogs and the MSM daily as I do, you realize that Bush is done. Reason? There is very little coverage of the guy. SS reform is nowhere, Bolton nomination is a quagmire, Iraq continues to grind away, the economy and employment are soft at best.

The only news I've heard is that Bush is headed for the Ranch for a few days of R and R. Well, apparently he deserves it.

IOWs, Bush is and always was a mediocre President with the typical GOP help the rich, kick the poor platform. If 911 had not occurred, he be at the ranch permanently.

To me it comes down the credibility. Cheney on CNN stating that troops will be out of Iraq before Bush's term ends, that the insurgency is in its least gyrations before being defeated; these statements have no credibility anymore. Its just bla, bla, bla this and bla, bla, bla that. They say this, do that and never admit a mistake. The company line and who cares.

This Administration is like your old grandma who talks and talks but isn't connected to reality. You just learn to ignore them while they ramble on. WMD went to Syria before the war, freedom is on the march in Iraq, the economy is strong, the earth is flat, Jesus loves you. Thank you grandma. Have a nice day grandma.

As a country we are doing ok, so the buffoons in office don't matter as much, (America's greatest strength). Hopefully there will be no need for 911 type leadership in the years to come.

The GOP agenda consists of one thing…consolidation of power. Bush and Cheney are basically post-Christmas window dressing.

Democracy's Slim Grasp

It seems Bush's attempt to consolidate power has failed, or at least was put on hold, with a filibuster compromise between dems and a few repugs in the Senate.

This is good news for democracy. How do I know? Because each side is unhappy. The White House, the base, hard lefties, hard righties, the Dobson Taliban, all are screaming and foaming at the mouth. Cheney probably doubled the dose of his heart machine.

Democracy, as this ordinary citizen understands it, means that no one gets what they want, no one is happy with the results. Witness Bush getting a second term, truly a bitter pill to swallow for many lefties including myself.

But by making everyone unhappy, democracy reasserted it slim grasp over the power hungry Repugs currently in control. (Incidentally, dems would be doing the same thing, perhaps with a different style, but they are no better.)

It seems the Founding Fathers had read up on their Machiavelli and knew that once in power, Presidents try to consolidate and control. Its only natural.

Bush is a little less subtle about this but he admits he doesn't do nuance.

So, once again the guiding principle of our way of governing eeks out a win despite the maneuverings of its powerful players.

The compromise in the Senate seems predicated on Bush nominating less onerous judges which ain't likely to happen, so the game of brinkmanship will continue with the next nomination.

Come on democracy, we need another win.

Meanwhile the seven or so moderate repugs who cut the deal will be under scathing pressure from the White House to get on board. Bagman Cheney will dog their every step. The GOP home office will begin to explore other candidates. And they may find their funding has dried up a bit. There are a lot of ways to apply the pressure in DC.

But they did the right thing by the system and therefore by the people, even though it may cost them in the end.

The GOP Machine

I realized something the other day. I'm taking a vacation with the kids to NYC and Washington DC. We didn't get tickets to the White House but I had this fantasy about meeting George Bush. And you know what, I think he's probably a good guy and in fact we have heard this about him.

This got me wondering what Bush is, other then a nice guy. Then it hits me...

Bush is a GOP man, a party man, a Republican figure head living in the White House with few real ideas of his own. Ah, I know, you already figured that out, but I'm a little slow.

But it goes further.

Rove needed a man that would both appeal to The Base and be somewhat sellable to the rest of us. Remember, Gore and Bush basically tired in 2000. So when Rove and Bush came together in Texas, the idea was to cultivate a figurehead that would carry water for the machine. That is the George Bush we have today.

In others words, the GOP is a bigger machine then just the House of Representatives, its the White House, and maybe the Supreme Court. Its a conservative machine with a lot of discipline and a new vision for the US.

The filibuster is an example of the GOP machine at work. The nuclear option is a shot across the bow of the nation from where I sit. Frist and Cheney, each playing a role in the machine like a Mafia family taking over territory.

The GOP machine wants total power. And their strategy?

They are organized and disciplined.

The Democrats at a little behind in the organization category.