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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jim S who wrote (23215)	7/7/2006 3:45:16 PM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541461

Having worked in embassies, especially in public affairs, I know that the impression that foreign publics and leaders take away from what America does can never be reduced to carefully parsed official statements delivered by wooden officials at press conferences, despite what many officials believe they can achieve with their spin. Believe me I wrote a lot of those statements and set up a lot of those press conferences. Anyone who watched Bush, his Cabinet, his Republican Congressional colleagues and all the commentators who come from Bush's movement knew exactly what the mood was in Washington pre-invasion. Toe the line or go screw yourself, because we are on a righteous crusade that won't tolerate dissent. Some people think that leadership is taking a strong position and never giving a millimeter. But when digging in your heels and demeaning your opponents' character and wisdom doesn't work, you are suddenly SOL with nothing else to try. That's where Bush ended up by late 2003 and afterward. Apart from his immigration policy, I don't find much of what Bush does desirable or effective. It says in the thread header that bashing politicians and policies is fine, as long as you don't demonize whole parties and ideological movements. A "reasonable" discussion of Bush's presidency comes down to what he did, why he says he did it, who approved and did it work. At this point in his presidency, we know what he has done and what he proposed that never flew. We know why from years of official statements. But a majority of Americans and about 2/3-3/4 of independents and moderates really don't like the results, myself included. So I dump on Bush and his performance and look to the Republicans to put up somebody better in 2008. Not that I will necessarily vote for them. I am genuinely undecided.