Many Republicans may be tempted to give up in exasperation on a Bush administration that often seems incapable of defending itself. This would of course be bad for the country, leaving the nation at the mercy of the Democratic Congress for the next year and a half. But it would also be a political mistake. Even though Giuliani and McCain and Romney and Thompson have a fair amount of distance from the Bush administration, there is almost no precedent for a party’s retaining the presidency if the outgoing administration ends its term in a shambles. So if Republicans–even not-particularly-Bush-friendly Republicans–want to save the country from a Democratic president and a Democratic Congress in 2009, with all that implies for foreign policy and the Supreme Court, they need to fight to save the Bush administration. It would be helpful if Bush would fight too.
The wheels on the bus go ’round and ’round…
That is, they go ’round and ’round until they fall off. At what point do the Republicans want to get off the bus? That’s the question. If they don’t impeach Bush and his quail-hunting sidekick soon, they are going to wind up having to defend them to the bitter end. And, trust me, things are not going to get any better for the Bush administration. Why? Well, first of all, look at their track record. But, secondly, there is some truth to this:
Surely President Bush must realize that the Democratic Congress is not merely struggling with him over policy, or jousting for political advantage. The Democrats in Congress are trying to destroy his presidency. They are trying to cripple his ability to govern for the rest of his term. And they are not far from succeeding.
I’d switch around a couple of words and change the emphasis in places, but Kristol has it basically right. He simply fails to note that the President has destroyed his presidency and his ability to govern, and the Democrats are merely trying to clean up a really sordid mess. But I’d agree that we are not far from succeeding. Success will come if and when the Republicans’ will to self-preservation kicks in. Exhorting the President to fight back can only carry them so far. He can’t fight back because he’s a crook and a liar. His administration is filled with underqualified evangelicals, party hacks, and sleezy businessmen.
We’d have to legalize drugs to find enough cell rooms for them all.
When Congress gets back from their vacation, Henry Waxman, Pat Leahy, and John Conyers are going to start nailing the coffin shut. The Republicans would be well advised to prepare themselves for a slew of indictments, scandals, invocations of the 5th amendment, and possible impeachment hearings. And if it does come to impeachment hearings, they better get out in front of them and make sure there are convictions. No one want to go on the record as saying what this administration has done is okay…not if they want to see a sniff of power anywhere after the 2008 elections.