To: Tenchusatsu who wrote (197532 ) 8/12/2004 2:19:31 PM From: tejek Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 1573694 Ted, personally I don't see why Bush needed to coin the phrase "compassionate conservatism," because conservatism is the best philosophy for allowing compassion to fluorish. Then conservatism is not what Bush practices. His philosophy is compassionate capitalism.........its designed to make the rich richer and keep the poor in their place. I don't know whether true conservatism would result in compassion, but compassion is not what we have witnessed the past 4 years.The alternative is having a heartless, faceless system (well, faceless except for the politicians who take credit for it) substitute for said compassion. What in God's name makes you think that Bush has put a face to the system?Its not politics but what a good leader does........he tries to get most of his people behind him. Yes, I know, the "please everyone" candidate, who ends up pleasing no one because he isn't decisive enough for the extremists, yet too inconsistent for the moderates to believe in. Excuse me, Ten, for I am about to get rude..........someone has brainwashed you very badly. You need to get with a deprogrammer before you turn into a DR. A leader is responsible and beholden to all his people, not to just the ones who elected him. He needs to move the nation forward with as many people behind him as possible. When that does not happen, a nation becomes divided.....like with the Vietnam war, like with the Civil War, like now. The similarities between now and the Vietnam war era are astounding. Then as now we had a president who mislead his people in order to fight a war he thought needed fighting. Then as now, the president originated from TX. Then as now, the president concocted a war provoking story that failed the reality test. Then as now, the nation became polarized.....protests and civil disobedience broke out. Then as now, the economy began to spin out of control and oil began to spike up. Bottom line: Bush has failed as president of these united states........I hope there is now enough people aware of this important fact to vote him out of office. EOM ted