The Bush(s) are the reason the Republican party is in the shape it’s in now. They were both horrible leaders. The elder coined the phrase ‘vodoo economics’ referring to Reagan don’t forget. And then looked like a whiny putz when he had to back-track on his ‘no new taxes’ pledge. And the younger got us involved in Irag, and then couldn’t put together a coherent sentence to defend any of his policies or take on his critics when it mattered the most.

Let’s move on.

Kevin

However; one beef with the GOP was there lack in defending Bush during the campaign. The left has dictated what are party is, and what it will be in the future…. because they allow it…, all with the assistance of the media… Rather than listening to the mantra that McCain had to separate himself from Bush, why not have defended him and educated the public on matters of foreign policy? They have put themselves in a position where it is almost too late to defend him on anything. Think back on all the rhetoric regarding regulations…. Why did the GOP not explain to the people what regulations really are? A good part of the country choose not to pay attention to politics, these are the individuals that need to be reached.

urging us to give up our nostalgia for the Reagan era.Our “nostalgia” represents our faith in the principles of liberty and small government Reagan espoused.I agree with the notion that we should formulate new ideas in a forward looking way-but not without an eye clealy fixed on our conservative heritage.Seems to me this whole forget Reagan mantra has become a code phrase for moderating our principles in order to broaden the tent.Perhaps a Bush by any other name is still….!

I hear Jeb is tempermentally and philosophically different from GW. I heard this before regarding GWB and his father, 8 or 9 years ago. It turned out GWB was his father on steroids. Even less willing to articulate and defend his own actions, even more clueless about the motives of his Democratic oppenents, even more willing to flatter them and defend them rather than stand up to them and try to defeat them. I’m skeptical when I hear now that don’t worry, Jeb isn’t like his brother.

Jeb seems every bit as clueless as his brother in immigration.

I am familiar with one even that involved Jeb as governor. It was the Terri Schaivo case, and he did not impress me. I for one supported government intervention to try to protect her interests. But Jeb seemed to act in a typical Bush fashion through the whole tragic saga. He kept on politely bringing briefs to the same judge who had repeatedly thrown out all previous briefs, and who had decided to ignore all laws passed to keep her feeding tubes from being removed. Rather than trying to find a way around this judge (try appealing to a higher court, try going to another legal authority, try having the judge removed, have the National Guard sent in to protect her) Jeb doggedly continued to present briefs before this judge. It was an utterly futile thing to do, it was doomed to failure, but Jeb kept on doing it. This seemed politically uncourageous, a trait I find much in common with his brother. It also showed the Bush trait of continuing with the same strategy no matter how many times it fails, rather than using a little imagination to find something that might actually work. (GW Bush examples of this include “new toning” no matter how many time Democrats visciously attack him in return, and keeping with a failed military strategy in Iraq for years before changing.)

Is Jeb really different from his brother and father? I am very skeptical.

Good strategy.

Worked REAL well in 2008, didn’t it?

and that is why they are in the minority.