Political Confusion

Resolute, shmesolute

While I'm certainly in no position to mock a recovering alcoholic (or "quitter", depending on your perspective), I felt my journalistic integrity would suffer if I didn't give a shout out to The National Enquirer's recent bombshell.

On a more serious note, you certainly know that what passes for "conventional wisdom" in DC is usually more than just a little suspect outside the Beltway. Nuggets like "Gore should distance himself from Clinton if he wants to win", "The American people will never tolerate the legalization of marijuana", "The Family Guy is too offensive and must be cancelled", or "The Nationals will finish ahead of the Phillies" are regularly uttered with confidence at DC cocktail parties--yet each and every one of them has been (or will be) exposed as nonsense. So I'm a little shocked your BS detector has failed you on another piece of quasi-dogmatic Beltway wisdom: That George W Bush is a strong and resolute leader.

About four seconds of googling yielded the following:

· Bush is against campaign finance reform; then he's for it.

· Bush is against a Homeland Security Department; then he's for it.

· Bush is against a 9/11 commission; then he's for it.

· Bush is against an Iraq WMD investigation; then he's for it.

· Bush is against nation building; then he's for it.

· Bush is against deficits; then he's for them.

· Bush is for free trade; then he's for tariffs on steel; then he's against them again.

· Bush is against the U.S. taking a role in the Israeli Palestinian conflict; then he pushes for a "road map" and a Palestinian State.

· Bush is for states right to decide on gay marriage, then he is for changing the constitution.

· Bush first says he'll provide money for first responders (fire, police, emergency), then he doesn't.

· Bush first says that 'help is on the way' to the military ... then he cuts benefits

· Bush-"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. Bush-"I don't know where he is. I have no idea and I really don't care.

· Bush first says the U.S. won't negotiate with North Korea. Now he will

· Bush goes to Bob Jones University. Then say's he shouldn't have.

· Bush said he would demand a U.N. Security Council vote on whether to sanction military action against Iraq. Later Bush announced he would not call for a vote

· Bush said the "mission accomplished" banner was put up by the sailors. Bush later admits it was his advance team.

· Bush was for fingerprinting and photographing Mexicans who enter the US. After meeting with Pres. Fox, he's against it.

I would also add that he renegged on his promise to fire anyone involved in the Plame leak and on his pledge of $20 billion for NYC post 9/11. The fact of the matter is that Bush changes his mind about big issues at least as much as any other President did. One could even accuse the Bush team of "paying attention to the polls", given his I-don't-know-whether-to-laugh-or-cry Habitat for Humanity PR stunt this morning.

posted by Gabe @ 9:57 PM