Sea Change

by DemFromCT

Andrew Sullivan continues the emper-has-no-clothes observations, from the R side:

CONSERVATIVE BLOGS AND BUSH: A sea-change? Dan Drezner, who actually criticized this administration when it could have made a difference (yes, he even endorsed Kerry in frustration at the incompetence of it all), notices a change in right-wing blogs. Check out the comment section. Money quote there:

Funny, these are the same guys who idolized him for the first five years of his presidency. What changed, all of a sudden? Certainly not Bush, he is still acting the same way he has his entire career.

What's changed is that after five years of presidency, the elections are finally over. It is now safe to criticise Bush, because such criticism can't possibly matter any more - it can't affect his reelection chances.

Forgive me if I don't perceive this as responsible conservatism. Responsibility would have been criticising him before it's too late to do anything about his weaknesses.

Ahem.

Since Bush will be in a WH a few more months, it'll be both interesting and important to see what pressure the non-hard right brings to bear. That has SCOTUS implications amongst other things. Not that President Stubborn will listen, but those around him might, or the Senate might. And it's always interesting listening to post-election view of Kerry as well as Bush.

See if you can find something there you didn't already know.

Bob Herbert, behind the new Times firewall, sums up:

Mr. Bush's "Top Gun" moment aboard the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln was two and a half years ago. It was another example of the president in fantasyland. The war was a botch from the beginning. Mr. Bush never sent enough troops to get the job done, and he never provided enough armor to protect the troops that he did send. Thin-skinned, the president got rid of anyone who had the temerity to suggest he might be wrong about some of the decisions he was making.

Here at home, even loyal Republicans are beginning to bail out on Mr. Bush's fiendish willingness to shove the monumental costs of the federal government's operations - including his war, his tax cuts and his promised reconstruction of the Gulf Coast - onto the unsuspecting backs of generations still to come.

There is a general sense now that things are falling apart. The economy was already faltering before Katrina hit. Gasoline prices are starting to undermine the standard of living of some Americans, and a full-blown home-heating-oil crisis could erupt this winter. The administration's awful response to the agony of the Gulf Coast has left most Americans believing that we are not prepared to cope with a large terrorist attack. And Osama bin Laden is still at large.

This is what happens when voters choose a president because he seems like a nice guy, like someone who'd be fun at a barbecue or a ballgame. You'd never use that criterion when choosing a surgeon, or a pilot to fly your family across the country.

Hurricane as metaphor? Peak oil plus two monster storms plus everything you're unhappy with about the economy and Iraq equal an electorate unhappy with their president, but nowhere else to go.

Someone wil capitalize on this. Let's see who it turns out to be. Someday, Kerry may beat Bush in the polls. Until then, it's not him.

Comments

[DemFromCT]

And as Digby pointed out long ago, how about a little respect for those who clued in early about the clueless and empty suit in the WH?

[Raenelle]

I read yesterday that Bush is going to talk to a bipartisan group of senators about whom he should choose to replace Sandra Day O'Connor.

When he knows he's down, he caves. That resoluteness of his was never more than the stance of a bully. Bipartisan? That's a first. The only thing he has left is to try an appeal to the Liebermans, Brazile's and Beinarts of the Dems--our party enablers, who never know self-will run riot until it's almost killed them and then believe the drunk when he indicates he'll change.

I remember watching Tommy Herns fight. He drew blood, and then he pounced so fast and hard, it really stunned me. That's what we need--not someone who immediately handicaps themselves when they see the enemy stumble, but someone who wants to win.

The time to feel sorry for Squander Boy and his gang is when they can no longer hurt anyone.

[DemFromCT]

when it rains, it pours.

For two full days, President Bush was bashed. He was taken to task on his handling of stem cell research, population control, the Iraq war and, especially, Hurricane Katrina. The critics were no left-wing bloggers. They were rich, mainly Republican and presumably Bush voters in the last two presidential elections.

The Bush-bashing occurred last weekend at the annual Aspen conference sponsored by the New York investment firm Forstmann Little & Co. More than 200 invited guests, mostly prestigious, arrived Thursday (many by private aircraft) and stayed until Sunday for more than golf, hikes and gourmet meals. They faithfully attended the discussions presided over by PBS' Charlie Rose on such serious subjects as ''global poverty and human rights'' and ''the 'new' world economy.'' The connecting link was hostility to Bush.

''All discussions are off the record,'' admonished the conference's printed schedule. Consequently, I will refrain from specifically quoting panelists and audience members. But the admonition says nothing about personal conversations outside the sessions. Nor do I feel inhibited in quoting myself. Even if I am violating the spirit of secrecy rules, revealing criticism of Bush by this elite group, and the paucity of defense for him, is valuable in reflecting the president's parlous political condition.

[Mimikatz]

Well, when they finally figure out that Bush/Cheney's incompetence is bad for business, there will be a change of some sort. I would like to think it will come on energy policy. Where is the Dem who will stand up and say we have to get serious about reducing oil dependence? Then say we have to end the folly in Iraq as cleanly as we can?

[jonnybutter]

DemFromCT: Is this a typo or am I dense?

Since Bush will be in a WH a few more months,...

If 'WH' is 'White House', would that it were only a few more months!

[DemFromCT]

eh, NE distate for exaggeration. 36 months sounds so much better than 3 years.

[cr]

Can you really even count the last 12 months? Lameness becomes even more exaggerated in the last year. So we've got 24 months....and really only 12, since '06 is driving the agenda now. And the subsequent 12 will matter only if the GOP defies expectations in the elections, which we know is very, very unlikely.....so really, Bush is finished now!!!!

[Newsie8200]

I think it's partly a concern or fear that through Bush's ineptness, that the right will piss away some of its gains in the last couple of decades.

[rj]

I think Newsie's right. And I second Raenelle's point: especially now, while the Republicans are still floundering around for a post- or even anti-Bush platform to run on, the Dems have got to get focused on a solid message (macro and micro, already formulated at this site and elsewhere), and have got to get strong and relentless in delivering it. And leave Bush and the Reps no wiggle room: Bush, to prevent him from inflicting what's left of his agenda on the country, and the Reps, to keep them from being able to gussy themselves up in new drag in time for '06 and beyond. If our guys don't realize they must finally seize the moment, we could still lose this. Any clue that the establishment Dems are finally getting it?

[Barry Freed]

Since Bush will be in a WH a few more months,...

If 'WH' is 'White House', would that it were only a few more months!

DemFromCT is right jonnybutter, you're forgetting to include all that vacation time back on the 'ranch'.

[Meteor Blades]

39 more months in the White House. And while I'd like Bush to follow Bill Maher's advice and do what George has always done in a pinch - walk away - I doubt his dad will let him do that no matter how much some of the rightwingholes would like dear Dick Cheney to take over the reins and at least offer the semblance of competence, something Dubyanocchio is unable to do except when everything is going perfectly OK.

As for the rightwing blogs, let's not forget that many of them have been trashing Bush for a long time, not just recently, because he wasn't being hard-core enough. I'm not sure the White House listens to these guys any more than the Democrats listen to us.

[DemFromCT]

MB, someone should go to freeperland and see what they're saying. That's the hard core of the hard core. But I don't recall Michelle Malkin being so critical before, e.g. If many of them have been critical, many also have refused to criticize the War Preznet about anything.

[Redshift]

I read yesterday that Bush is going to talk to a bipartisan group of senators about whom he should choose to replace Sandra Day O'Connor.

Hmmm, I wouldn't read too much into that. He talked to a bipartisan group before the Roberts nomination, too. It doesn't mean he listens just that he's pretending to "advise and consent" to undercut any opposition from the Gang of Fourteen.

I doubt his dad will let him do that no matter how much some of the rightwingholes would like dear Dick Cheney to take over the reins...

Now there's something I'd like to see! Cheney can hardly run the show and screw things up any more than he already is, and Bush's low poll numbers are nothing compared to what we'd see if Cheney was the public face, too.

[Karen M]

I dunno... I think Cheney would make a major power grab that would make what we've already been through look like a cakewalk.

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