Yes. Who still thinks he's a conservative?

"The campaign over, Americans are expecting a bipartisan effort and results. I will reach out to every one who shares our goals," Bush said. (AP, today, in the same press conference)

anyone who believes the media when they say this is "a message of unity" isn't listening to or reading the actual words. Bush plans on expending very little effort to reach out to the other half of the country that doesn't agree with him. in keeping with the closed-minded tenor of his first term, he will only be a "uniter" with those that follow him.

i imagine that this tickles the Bushies no end. they treat the concept of the political process like one big football game, ignoring that the resources of the country belong to all of us. the election is not a game of who gets to 'own' a trophy called the United States for four years... it's about who gets to manage the resources that belong to ALL of us. we pay taxes, too.

that's why reaching out to the other side and finding areas of compromise and consensus is the basis of mature. resonsible government. "winner take all" is is fine for poker, but this is not a game, folks.

the childish gloating and arrogance from others on this blog, egged on by Bush, is what makes me fear for the direction of our country --- not only our resources here at home, but the lives of the millions around the globe that are at stake.

what a concept: a president of *all* the people, not just the half of them that completely agreed with him. it's how Kerry would have governed. frankly, i don't know that conservatives are yet mature enough to work within such a sophisticated and nuanced approach. so far they don't seem to be able to grasp the concept of true compromise, or the spirit of selfless patriotism it requires.

we've got our work cut out for us over the next four years, folks.

Yow.

And say good-bye to bi-partisanship. That took, what, one day?

Anyone else love the hagiography in the image? Nice halo, Sir.

Des, you should run for office. Think about it.

Excellent post Des. i was thinking about the actual statement earlier and found it odd that people were reporting it as a statement of bipartisanship. Apparently they dont know or care that you need another side --- one that doesnt share the same goals --- for bipartisanship.

Yes Teddy. noticed the halo. cringed.

Great post Des.

"what a concept: a president of *all* the people, not just the half of them that completely agreed with him. it's how Kerry would have governed. "

Apparently this thought frightens people? To us, a president who doesn't force his religious beliefs on his people is a better candidate, but to the conservatives, this seems to scare them. They can't co-exist with what they don't understand.

The more I think about this, the more I'm sure of it. I should've have understood it a long time ago when Bush told Canada "You're either with us or against us". That statement in itself proves that diversity and different opinions are not appreciated.

"so far they don't seem to be able to grasp the concept of true compromise, or the spirit of selfless patriotism it requires. "

Yup. And not to mention the selflessness required to understand that people are dying everyday in Iraq for no good reason. They had the power to put an end to the administration that started the mess in Iraq but they didn’t. 59 million of them didn’t. And I’m completely and totally floored.

The liberal Idea of reaching across the isle is to adopt the ideas of the losing party.

You lost. We won.

More people wanted our ideas, less wanted yours.

Cracker. Enough said.