Redstate

By gamecock Posted in Archived — Comments (22) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

As of less than one week after Thanksgiving Day, 2007, the legacy of the Forty-Third President of the United States includes: the removal of two evil regimes, both of which were at war with us when he took office, and one of which harboured al Qaeda as they planned and carried out acts of war against our homeland on 911; the decimation of al Qaeda post 911; the prevention of any further attacks post 911; the unilateral surrender of Libya and dismantling of their nuclear weapons program; the isolation of North Korea and beginning of verification of the dis-operation of their nuclear program; the surrounding of the leader of the Axis of Evil, on three sides, and biggest terror supporter since 1979 and isolation in the world community; economic performance better than the averages of the past three decades despite a tech bubble, 911 and a sub-prime mortgage bubble; appointment of two new Supreme Court judges that reverses a 5-4 liberal majority into a 5-4 conservative majority on many issues; the restoration of honor and dignity to the White House; and the reversal of the Clinton policy of negotiating with the now deceased terrorist Afafat and the refusal to negotiate with the Iranian backed terror groups, Hamas and Hezbollah.

The legacy of the 42nd President includes: increased taxes and a failed attempt to socialize medicine in America that led to the loss of control of Congress to a Gingrich that, to his credit, President Clinton worked well with to acheive welfare reformand NAFTA; Impeachment; Ginsburg and Breyer; refusal to respond to the acts of war in 1998 when al Qaeda bombed two of our embassies; and transfer of missile technology to China. I would say that President Clinton deserves credit much credit, with Gingrich, for the economy and that I agreed with his Bosnia and Kosovo actions.

Yet, in Jeff Emanuel's front page story President Bush is preparing to give away the store at this week at Annapolis for a chance at Legacy

Jeff, possibly Redstate's best reporter, just returned from laudable work in Iraq, writes:

In what has become somewhat of a time-honored tradition among recent American presidents, President Bush, like Bill Clinton before him, has turned a hopeful eye to the Levant as a solution to his “legacy” problem as the time for him to leave office draws near.

[I love you Jeff, but as most here know, I don't waste my time on, and even inspired the moniker for the likes of The One Whose name Shall Not Be Uttered, and his acolytes. I welcome constructive criticism, and am a better man today because of same that has been doled out to me here. I consider us a family here. I left a morally and intellectually bankrupt Dem Party after 20 years in 2000 to come here. I was won over by the ideas; proven policies; and George W. Bush as compared to Gore. He has defended this country everyday. He has cared not for polls. He deserves better. You don't know his motives, and until the store he has defended to the ire of 65% in polls is sold, I trust him to protect that damn store more than I trust assumed motives in columns. Now, to my useless column! Brother.]

Like his predecessor, the Bush and his presidency stand to be remembered largely for poor choices, big-government policy, and abysmal public relations (the latter not being a trait shared by the Clintonistas) rather than for any large successes in the domestic or foreign policy realms.

Jeff, I'll never forget what one of my childhood friends said to me several years after I finished law school and had become too enamored of my own self importance and the praise of the folks downtown:

"Mike, don't act above your raisin(g)."

Your work in Iraq was great, not because anyone in the MSM said so, but because it was great on the merits.

President Clinton tenure was marked by no great policy successes, as compared to Bush, and his character flaws were part of parcel of the reasons why. Dick Morris tells us, that Bill was consumed with legacy, and polls and a fear of losing popularity due to ground casualties in war, not understanding that popularity doesn't translate well in history.

President Bush's tenure is marked by great policy successes, not the least of which is the result of his stay the course policy that you just came back from. Yes, we had to stay a course before any surge could work. We had to win people over, by staying over TIME, to earn trust.

Bush stayed, not for a legacy the MSM would recognize now, but for a legacy of more live Americans 20-30 years from now.

Bush refused to give Arafat the time of day.

Bush has never sold out national security or Israel. And in your sole comment to mine in your diary, you don't address any issue except that you have "inside" info re what Bush will say with Olmert tomorrow. You don't say what they will say. You contradict your subtitle when you say that Olmert favors this. So Bush is not dragging him, right? And you ascribe motives to Bush that contradict his whole Presidency and insults his character.

You seemingly are unaware of the clarity benefit that would come from bad acting and an unshaken hand by the Arab players, especially should Bush need to defeat the Axis of Evil leader before he leaves office.

There is SO much you don't know, yet you ascribe it all to Legacy envy? As if what Bush has already achieved and is in the process of achieving doesn't dwarf what could possibly come from Annapolis?

WE ARE WINNING IN IRAQ. We have not been attacked since 911.

Why must Redstate and Fox News still let the NY Times tell us what "is" is, even when it isn't?

Is it that too many live in the beltway and have to try and get along with the liberal lying fools over drinks at Happy Hour or Graham's parties?

Would it embarrass too many to take a pro-life stance and mention that part of Bush's legacy is a breakthrough in SCR that could make killing embryos obsolete?

I can't count the columns I have read predicting Bush would cave since 911. He never has on the war and national security. He is smarter than me, and I suspect he is smarter than even Redstate's best.

I KNOW HIS MOTIVES ARE GOOD AND NOT CONSUMMED BY LEGACY MOTIVES.

William F Buckley, famously, had to eat crow after he and many other of the George Will types trashed Reagan in the late 80s.

They didn't understand that Reagan, like Bush today, is bargaining from strength, or making a point in public.

The MSM still acts like we are isolated.

We are not.

France and Germany have come to us.

Iran is bellicose precisely BECAUSE we have them surrounded.

The clarity that will come from Maryland will help our GOP candidates contrast with the Dems.

Redstate and Fox News are needed by the Conservative movement. We need to fight the conventional wisdom of those with false world views and leftist agendas, that would equate Bush's liberation legacy with Clinton's pardon legacy.

Such is conservative Republican apostasy and a lie.

The 50 million purple fingers show the lie. The low unemployment and steady GDP growth show the lie. The absence of Monica II shows the lie. Alito proves the lie on religious free speech and partial birth abortion.

Can we please take up for own? Can we blow our own trumpet?

Can we?

I can, and do, at The Charlotte Observer no less. So I know we can here at Redstate.

We don't have to echo the lies of the MSM about the past 7 years. Let's not. Let's revel in the enemies we make. Drink martinis with the converted if we must. Some of them are nice looking too!

Mike Gamecock DeVine @ The Charlotte Observer
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