Originally Posted: March 20, 2006 -- 10:26 PM
Fool Boards Link: http://boards.fool.com/Message.asp?mid=23861296
Apparently, some in the chattering class think Americans are gluttons for punishment. I guess we'll find out sometime in November 2006.
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I've stated before that the biggest danger now facing America is voter complacency -- the idea that Bush's recent spanking in the polls has awaken moderate Republicans out of their slumber (stupor?) to wrestle control of the party back from the neo-cons and will allow the rest of the political spectrum to pull American back to some semblance of "center."
If you have doubts that Republicans still haven't learned any lessons from going down on the good ship U.S.S Bush, you need to read the op-ed piece in the March 20, 2006 Wall Street Journal by Fred Barnes.
The purpose of his piece?
To outline how Bush can 1) shake up his cabinet, 2) distract the media with new confirmation hearings rather than letting them focus on past / current disasters and 3) shed some sunlight on the next round of Republican stars who can carry his agenda into the 2008 term of the next Republican president.
His recommendations?
"Anoint a presidential successor" by putting Condolezza Rice in the VP slot. (The next Republican presidential candidate? Are you kidding? Rice does a horrible job speaking extemporaneously without appearing terrified / trembling, she has demonstrated no strategic insights in her NSA or Secretary of State roles, and has no experience with the campaigning process. Cute boots, though...)
Move Cheney to Defense. (I cannot think of ANYTHING more disastrous than this for our country...)
Eliminate John Snow at Treasury and replace him with Glenn Hubbard. (Neglecting the fact that this administration has had zero luck getting serious academic talent to board the sinking ship.)
Dump Scott McClellan as Press Secretary and replace him with ... (Who cares? Is your PRESS SECRETARY really the problem with your "message"? It's not the messenger the press and public despise, it's the MESSAGE.)
Have Karl Rove take over as Chairman of the Republican Party. (This might be the only change that might help. Help in the sense of putting the electoral tactics of this criminal cabal at the forefront of this entire disastrous 8 year period so the American voters can publicly, completely, unequivocally smack down the entire nightmare with an electoral rout in 2006 or 2008.)
Keep in mind, the tone of this article was primarily one of overcoming an admitted rough patch in public opinion by a bit of staffing slight of hand while somehow trying to set the stage for continuance of these DISASTROUS fiscal, military and social policies of these neo-cons. Fred Barnes isn't conveying any regret over the policies themselves, just the lack of success in getting more of them enacted.
Republicans and the neo-cons in particular have still failed to learn the lessons of the disasters from the past 6 years. If you aren't happy with the direction of the United States, you CANNOT assume these problems will go away. You need to ensure the people who made these disastrous decisions get tossed out on their ear in 2006 or 2008. If they survive their next election, we will get more of the same. GUARANTEED. The damage will not stop until power is removed from the hands of every last one of the neo-cons who played a part since 2001.
WTH
