Neo-Cons Robert Kagan and William Kristol (one of the early principal architects and supporters of the whole Iraq Mess) are at least intellectually honest enough to recognize when things are going horribly wrong.
From their article in the latest Weekly Standard:
Bush’s predictably sluggish reaction to what Americans already perceive (rightly or wrongly) as necessary in Iraq continues to damage his case. Witness the foot-dragging about increasing the troop numbers in Iraq — called for now for over a year from both sides of the aisle — which has lead directly or indirectly to the latest mess at Abu Ghraib (or Camp Hubris, as I like to call it) and Bush’s painfully inadequate baby steps towards appropriate apology for the disaster, followed by his inability to recognize the good (for America, if not his own re-election chances) that would come from removing Rumsfeld immediately.
But George W. Bush has never been one to put America before his own political interests, so why should he start now?
Well, one answer is Bill Kristol! If Bush listens to nobody else in the press, he does (or at least his advisors seem to) listen to Kristol from time to time, as Kristol generally takes the lead in representing Neo-Con interests in the media. Lose them, and Bush has lost everything.
In their column, Kristol and Kagan go on to call for moving up the current January ’05 election date to September ’04 and they spell out a number of good reasons for it. Amongst them, the need to increase troop size:
Team Bush seems to have painted itself into a corner on the Elections issue. They want “free and fair elections”, but they’ve been spending over a year now trying to figure out how to avoid the inevitable outcome of the Shi’ite Majority in the country turning the place into an Iranian-style Theocracy. Seems like they shoulda thought of that before they moved in.
There’s a lot it seems like they shoulda thunk of first — but that sort of common-sense look-more-than-one-move-ahead planning has never gotten in their way before. So — again — why should they start now? Answer: Bill Kristol is talking to you! I’d expect Bush may soon begin paying attention. Maybe.
IMO, Bush doesn’t put the needs of America before his own because he thinks that is unnecessary: what’s good for Bush IS good for America. in other words, when Bush thinks God Himself wants him to be president, that’s the kind of mandate that renders voters — and half the country’s opinions — obsolete. that is not a representative democracy; it’s a paternalistic theocracy.
those who oppose Bush policies just don’t know what’s good for us, so the Bushies must go ahead, as planned, for our own good! this is Father Knows Best-ism at its worst, taken to the most absurd and globally dangerous degree.
remember when Wolfowitz said just a few short weeks ago that he was surprised at how things are turning out in Iraq — as if no one had said anything about this potential outcome in the run up to the war? Americans by the thousands pointed out this EXACT outcome, and were brushed off as foolish, stupid, un-American, and worthy of prosecution for "war crimes". even our former allies and friends said the same thing.
and wolfowitz, rumsfeld, et al, are surprised.
i would be surprised if anything less than total disaster would wake the Bushies from their fantasies of world domination, even with Kristol playing Horschak in the back of the classroom, attempting to get their attention.
the bigger they are, the harder they fall. and it’s not gonna be pretty.
History lesson – we are not a "representative democracy." We are a Representative Republic.
We have democratic elections but we are not a democracy.
History lesson – we are not a "monarchy". We are a Representative Republic with 3 co-equal branches of Government. The Bush administration has behaved for 4 years like a Monarchy (or worse, a Theocracy). If nothing else, perhaps this mess will have helped them understand that they neither rule the World or the Country on their own.
Behaving like a Monarchy or Theocracy is just your "opinion." Thanks for getting the Reprensentative Republic part correct along with three branches of government, which includes checks and balances.
Which have – by Rumsfeld’s own admissions – been ignored. At least in regards to the Executive Branch consulting/informing Congress. And of course, in spending $700 Million to prepare for War on Iraq – seemingly – before such expenditures were in any way approved by the only branch of government that is Constitutionally empowered to do so. There’s your Monarchy. Add a King who was "chosen by God to be President" and it begins to become the Theocracy I’m sure you’re pullin’ for.
All leaders on earth are put there by God, including Clinton, Hitler, Bush, etc. You may not agree with that but it is in the Bible, God’s Word. Hitler killed 6 million Jews, yet Israel got its land back in 1948 after losing it in 70 AD. God is in control.
Okay then. You’re saying that Bush, like Hitler, was given his post by God. You must be proud.
Either way, you’ve avoided the point of the article as usual, which is that even (true) Conservatives are falling away from the failed Presidency of George W. Bush.