Bush will go down in history as an arrogant, incompetent from Texas.
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From Capitol Hill Blue
The Rant
Republicans say Bush's arrogance is his downfall
By DOUG THOMPSON
Mar 17, 2006, 00:01
Sit down with a Republican member of Congress, party leader or political
strategist and you hear a recurring theme: President George W. Bush has
gotten too big for his britches and needs to be taken down a notch or two.
"The White House has been non-responsive and arrogant," admits South
Carolina GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, who adds that he and fellow
Republicans "put up with it when things are going well" but says
"problems rear their heads when things are not going well."
Bush's arrogance goes way back. This salute to a TV cameraman is from
his term as governor of Texas.
And things are not going well for the troops at 1600 Pennsylvania
Avenue. Public opinion polls show Bush's job approval and popularity
ratings in free fall, especially among Republicans. A new poll by Pew
Research says 70 percent of Americans feel the President went into the
Iraq war without a clear plan. More than half feel he lied about his
reasons for invading the country.
"This President has a political tin ear," says Minnesota Republican
Senator Norm Coleman, normally one of Bush's strongest supporters. "He
needs to shake up his staff and those around him."
Other Senators have suggested new blood in the White House, including
Indiana Republican Richard Lugar. Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott, former
Republican leader, joined the chorus of those calling for new blood in
the White House, even suggesting Bush hire a former GOP Senator who help
the administration deal better with the Hill.
Pennsylvania Republican firebrand Arlen Specter is a frequent critic of
what he calls "the President's highhanded attitude."
Republicans in both the House and Senate still fume over the aborted
Dubai ports deal, the Harriet Meirs Supreme Court nomination debacle the
failed Iraq war and other administration screwups which they see as
hurting them back home with voters.
Others say Bush's arrogance when a lawmaker approaches the White House
for help adds to the anger.
They point to how the White House hung South Dakota Republican Senator
John Thune out to dry as a prime example. Thune, recruited in the
all-out GOP effort to defeat House Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, won by
promising to keep Ellsworth Air Force Base open. When the Pentagon
targeted Ellsworth for closing, Thune appealed to Bush for help.
Bush's response? "Why are you whining?"
"This administration needs to help us if they want us to help them," an
angry Thune says.
Republicans complain openly about how they feel Bush misled them on the
true cost of the Medicare drug prescription program. Florida Republican
Rep. Tom Feeney calls it "buyer's remorse" when he talks about finding
out he was lied to by the White House.
"It was probably our greatest failure in my adult lifetime," he adds.
The anger is not limited to Republicans who hold office. Conservative
budget expert and author Bruce Bartlett calls Bush a "traitor to the
legacy of Ronald Reagan" and adds that Bush has sold out both the party
and the nation. Even staunch White House defender Peggy Noonan says
recent scandals surrounding the White House and Congress show a "new
Republican culture indifferent to government largesse."
William F. Buckley, the conservative's conservative, now labels the
invasion of Iraq a mistake.
"The most damning critique of the Bush administration is that it has
failed to foster political surrogates and intellectual allies," says
Daniel Casse, senior director of the White House Writers Group and an
advisor to four Republican presidents. "There are few 'Bush
Republicans' who champion his type of strong government. With his
approval rating in the low 40s, it is safe to assume no one is running
in the 2008 presidential race on a platform of continuing his legacy."
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