Masterful planning or no clue?
I read a series several years back by Stephen R. Donaldson where the main plot was about a king who was feigning weakness in order to draw out his enemy. I have seen Bush and Rove maneuver their way through the political landscape with dazzling skill. In the end they get their way, regardless of public opinion or which group is offended. They turn around and set it up again, meet resistance, then presto suddenly they are getting their way again.
The current climate surrounding the Bush administration seems to be different. We have some conservative commentators out there that are very concerned that Bush has "lost his way". They wonder if he is tired, run down and needs to shake up his administration. While I admit wondering what exactly is going on, Bush's history leads me to entertain the possibility this is somewhat planned and still in control.
What Bush does next could signal what is going on. When conservatives "panic" they almost always move left. Case in point: Arnold. If Bush moves left by coming out with some liberal initiative we will know the game is likely over. If he comes out with some wild announcement about global warming, or government funded health care we will know he is in panic mode. So what is the next move?
The current climate surrounding the Bush administration seems to be different. We have some conservative commentators out there that are very concerned that Bush has "lost his way". They wonder if he is tired, run down and needs to shake up his administration. While I admit wondering what exactly is going on, Bush's history leads me to entertain the possibility this is somewhat planned and still in control.
What Bush does next could signal what is going on. When conservatives "panic" they almost always move left. Case in point: Arnold. If Bush moves left by coming out with some liberal initiative we will know the game is likely over. If he comes out with some wild announcement about global warming, or government funded health care we will know he is in panic mode. So what is the next move?
posted by All_I_Can_Stands @ 8:45 AM
12 Comments:
At 11:12 AM,
Anonymous said…
Yes, the media would have us believe that Bush is coming unraveled. As a matter of fact, listening to them, you can tell they are having a spring-break-like orgy right now similar to the activities you mentioned in your previous post. But the fact is that Bush has not changed. Unfortunately, many Republicans in Congress have decided to act like school children and try to exert their authority. (Could it be there are some elections coming up?) They were faced with this port issue and were afraid they would lose ground to their Democrat counterparts. The problem is, they chose to oppose the President on an issue that I fear is now going to have serious economic repurcussions on the U.S. It's unfortunate that they tackled an issue based on fear rather than the facts, but then again, about 80% of the American people are doing the same thing. I know my statements on this issue fly in the face of your position on it, but maybe it's time to get back to some serious debate on this blog rather than frittering away our time on such earth-shattering topics as Chinese food in San Fransisco.
At 1:07 PM,
All_I_Can_Stands said…
Chinese food is important stuff! And likely one of the few things Joe and I will agree on. However, there are more important items to discuss.
My stance on the port issue is simply that we should never have a foreign entity responsible for such an important security point. I would not want a clear ally such as England to have such a responsibility nor would I want the UAE to assume it.
When the story "broke", the Dems were fixated on the Dick Cheney hunting accident. When they finally pounced on it, they completely lacked any credibility on the issue.
As for tackling it based on "fear", I disagree on that somewhat. Most of the arguments I heard were in the "rational caution" category. You are correct, though, that for Congress this decayed into a fear of election ramifications.
It is really too bad this story did not get the needed attention back in November when DP World first began trying to complete the purchase. The irresponsible media was in its continual mode of trying to stick it to Bush on secret camps and wiretapping to give this the focus it needed.
Bush may not have changed. He feels no need to explain his actions to Dems or his supporters. This can be frustrating at times, but the fact is every time he might explain something, the media has an opportunity to spin it negatively. So perhaps in the long term it is best to remain silent until something concrete happens, then point out it was the right thing to do. In the meantime we stay in the dark.
At 11:54 PM,
LA Sunset said…
I have seen Bush and Rove maneuver their way through the political landscape with dazzling skill. In the end they get their way, regardless of public opinion or which group is offended. They turn around and set it up again, meet resistance, then presto suddenly they are getting their way again.
When the story "broke", the Dems were fixated on the Dick Cheney hunting accident. When they finally pounced on it, they completely lacked any credibility on the issue.
I love Machiavelli, don't you? He truly was the Father Of Political Science.
The Portgate story sure did knock Cheney's hunting accident off of the front pages, didn't it? The media had planned to run another week of Cheney's unfortunate accident, then suddenly out of nowhere, here comes the Portgate story. What brilliance, what genius, what timing.
Do yo think Rove has read Machiavelli?
I love Machiavelli, don't you?
;)
At 10:45 AM,
Malott said…
I hope you are right.
If you are, then Bush and his advisors are brilliant and we have much to look forward too.
If you're wrong, then Bush is lazy and tired of fighting over issues with reprobate Democrats and disloyal, spineless Republicans... and the '06 elections will be a disaster for this country.
I hope you are right.
At 6:04 PM,
Joe Smoe: American Citizen said…
Do you think Rove has read Machiavelli?
Let me tell ya, KARL ROVE IS Machiavelli’s THE PRINCE incarnate!!!!
Like I said way back when this Part thing broke that Bush was going to loose this one and it was gonna hurt.
What did Bush and Co. expect??? For the last four years they have been playing that US vs Them Fear card that carried a Muslims face i.e. Bin Laden. This is what you get. I don't know what he was thinking? He may have a lot of Buddies that wear turbans from the Middle East, but the average Gomer from Nowhere,GA equates anyone of Muslim Descent as a Terrorist.
Don't expect anything to change, but those Poll numbers to continue to head further south. In the real world and Bush's world Loyalty to ones friends and associates is a commendable trait, but in the land of Politics it as a chain that holds that lead weight around your ankle that continues to take you down. Reagan realized this in his second term and made the necessary personnel changes, but Bush won’t. Some of the people that got him to the show now maybe a liability, but they ain’t going anywhere. What you have seen happening now is merely the real Bush and the Culmination of his policies over the last six years. With two more to go it’s gonna get real good…wait and see.
Also, look for Halliburton to take over the Ports. Under Bush "ALL THE WELL CONNECTED GET PAID"… at the expense of the Tax Payer of Course
At 6:08 AM,
LA Sunset said…
So AICS, are you ready for Word Verification yet? ;)
There's more porn here, than in a Danish red-light district.
At 11:14 AM,
Joe Smoe: American Citizen said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 11:14 AM,
Joe Smoe: American Citizen said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 11:14 AM,
All_I_Can_Stands said…
LA, I may have to add the word "stubborn" to my profile. I am going to hold out a little longer to see if "your" and "Sally" go away.
It usually takes me 2-3 tries to get through word verification because of "u's" and "v's", "ohs" and "zeroes". I am trying to keep it simple.
I think some of those women I was posting about decided to send these nasty comments my way.
At 11:17 AM,
Joe Smoe: American Citizen said…
Porn????? Where???
At 11:28 AM,
All_I_Can_Stands said…
Joe, I just removed some spam links where the descriptions would make a sailor blush. Trying to avoid word verification.
At 12:36 PM,
Joe Smoe: American Citizen said…
You gotta do what you gotta do.
Oh by the by..you got a good blog here man. You are one of the Few right leaning ones that allows dissenting opinions.
Rock On!!!
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