Redstate

This is a very inane New York Times article.

By Moe Lane Posted in 2008 | Inane | Oy Veh! | Women and Minorities Hardest Hit — Comments (9) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

This was such an inane New York Times article that it almost didn't get front-paged, but the bad thinking it represents is probably widespread. So let's take a look.

A President Gets His Way, but There May Be a Cost
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

WASHINGTON — With Democrats beginning to give in to the White House on energy and spending bills, and with their hopes of expanding a popular children’s health program all but dashed, President Bush has scored three political victories this week on Capitol Hill.

As with earlier battles over the war in Iraq, the victories underscore the surprising amount of clout that Mr. Bush still wields against a Democratic-run Congress. Late in his presidency, with his poll numbers stuck at record lows, he has been able to persuade Republicans to stick with him.

But winning may have come at a price.

As a fan of the one-sentence zinger myself, I must note: the author almost certainly wished that there could be a knife chord associated with that one. Or at least bolding.

Read on.

The author goes on to make the following two statements which sum up her point, such as it was:

Instead, he has vetoed bills he does not like, refused to budge on spending limits and let his subordinates do the negotiating — a strategy that has his critics, including some Republicans, wondering why the most powerful dealmaker in Washington is not practicing the art of the deal.

and (regarding Bush's support among Congressional Republicans):

But the real test of their loyalty will come next year, at election time, when they may be forced to distance themselves from their unpopular president.

Let us dispose of those two statements separately. I suppose that a New York Times journalist might have difficulty understanding why somebody in the President's position "is not practicing the art of the deal," but I trust that the regular readers of this site don't need to have it explained. Still, for those wandering in late, let me spell it out: he's not practicing the art of the deal because he doesn't need to. He has veto power over legislation, he has easily enough legislators on hand to enforce it, his Party's base has been begging him to find his veto pen for the last six years, and he doesn't give a tinker's dam about what the Democrats, the New York Times, or the punditry thinks about him. President Bush, in other words, has gone through lame-duck status and out the other side, and discovered that there's actually a good bit of power there for somebody who isn't terrified of what the history books will say about him fifty years down the road*.

Secondly... um, no. Republican Congressmen aren't worrying at all about distancing themselves from the President. He's distancing himself, or being distanced, or whatever you want to call the process of not running for reelection. Oh, I'm sure that plenty of people are going to try to hang Bush around various Congressmen's necks; and they're all muttering right now that it worked in 2006, didn't it? Only muttering, because the new Congress turned out to be the same as the old Congress, only less effectual - and they know it, and we know it, and they know that we know, and so on. Besides, even the Democrats know that running against the guy that isn't even running isn't likely to be the smartest play in the book.

Well, the Establishment Democrats, at least. I don't know whether the netroots got that memo. Or believed it, if they did.

Anyway, our author pretty much ends with this line:

And in the end, if everybody in Washington is fighting, nobody is really winning.

I hesitate to suggest the political affiliations of others, but if that isn't a stereotypically Democratic process-over-events kind of statement, then I don't know what is. Not true, either - given that the rest of the article was about how Bush was ('zounds!) really winning...

Moe

*I'd like to thank the netrooters for helping with ensuring that happy state of affairs, by the way. Aren't you pleased with what all your money, time, and burnt photons bought?