In The Shadow of Bush

Yes, everyone read what Phil Duffy wrote! DITTO! Why did NewsweAk leave out Ron Paul? What are they afraid of. Real change will be a good thing. Ron Paul was CORRECT about Iraq, he was CORRECT about our economy! These other candidates are lawyers, do we really want a lawyer in the White House?

What a load. Bush is a two term president who said what he was going to do, then he did it. Today's polls mean very little. History will remember the Bush presidency for the big, important things he did. Like bringing democracy to the middle east. Spreading human freedom, "the glorious cause", to parts of the world who need ed it most. Continuing the struggle started by Jefferson, Adams, Franklin and Washington. I don't think history will spend alot of time on weather issues, (Katrina).

Why leave out a discussion of Ron Paul, the Republican presidential candidate who is most distanced from George W. Bush and all of the Democratic candidates. Here is a man who has a clear vision for America, not just a "movie in his own mind". In fact, he attributes his success to "the message, not the man". I have heard all of the logic of the 'talking heads'. It sounds wise, but I question its depth and balance. So far the exclusion of Ron Paul from any serious discussion in the national media appears to be based upon the argument, "he cannot win". Why should that exclude reasonable discussion? A reasonable case could be made that no Democrat could win the presidency unless he/she were distanced from George W. Bush, who has created a disaster for his party (I believe those were essentially your words).

Phil Duffy
West Chestre, PA

Sorry, I omitted the journalist's name - Peggy Noonan

Newsweek, once again, showing its true colors. Evidently the marketing push for some time now's been to sell to sufferers of Bush Derangement Syndrome. A Bush-voter, supporter, would be a fool to subscribe to Newsweak. By the way, didn't see much "news" in the article, but plenty of opinions, and demeaning adjectives re. GWB.

Exllent article not because I want to agree with you, all, collectively, it's the way you worded it. I would have to say like a James Carville novel. You invited the reader to find out what you had to say and then you kept and alive so they would finish the whole article. Stephen Miller mcspslt@hotmail.com

nawawimohamad, i did not vote for the man.the first election was a fluke.the 2nd was america smoking crack and going to the polls and voting for him.until we get a bonifde 3rd party in the game,i guess i,ll pick the lesser of 2 evils.

This is the most corrupt administration in the history of the united states.the only folks that benifted from this administation was the top 3%.to bad america decided to smoke crack in the 2004 election and vote for this man. can,t wait to see the hearings after this guy leaves office.i remeber the reagan era,it,s like me stepping back i time and reliving bad times over again

The media overstates the dangers to Republicans. They have been the dominant party since 1968 and are and have been structurally in control of the country for 40 years. They dominate business and all levels of government, and the opinion media. Their style of campaigning, often highly negative, has been proven to resonate with Americas anxiety and mindset. Their interest group lineup, large and small businesses, sububanites, religious conservatives, the military industrial complex, hangs together well, and the strains it suffers can be welded together. Their regional strength in the South and West in a winner take all ystem let them focus their considerable resources on key in play states. We have no idea who their candidate is going to be, but whoever wins out will probably play better in the media than his rivals. This structure faces a challenge in that Bush's execution while in office has been abysmal. However Bush's ideas still play strongly within the Republican party and about half the country. In addition while Democrats have narrow majorities in Congress, the president and 40 Senators can and do control the nations agenda, so Congressional Democrats have accomplished nothing, have not sold the people on their program and have popularity that is as low as Bush's, not a good sign if Bush is not on the ballot. Perhaps the most important point is that whoever the Republican candidate is they will be a white man facing most likely either a woman, an African American or possibly both. If the Democrats did not nominate one or the other, the trauma would be so great as to demoralize everyone. Furthermore the woman is not just a woman, she is Hillary Clinton, a person with large personal negatives and even larger baggage of bad memories associated with Monica, pardons and white house fundraising that can be replayed endlessly on videotape. And the African American is also a relative newcomer to high office, who is likely to be easy to grow mistrust about. In times of international and economic uncertainty, Americans have few models of leadership to measure them women and African Americans, and it will take courage and trust to elect such a different president. The election should be the Republicans to lose, despite Bush's record. They need a candidate who can make it clear he will run things better than Bush did. It appears that Huckabee has brought the Christian conservatives back, and is a natural VP candidate. Immigration has split the Republicans who want cheap labor from the ones for whom a secure border is a values and patriotism issue., so they need to finesse this The war and possible terrorist attacks being much uncertainty, but as long as Iraqis cooperate with keeping the carnage below pre-surge levels, it should be manageable. Thus this election is a challenge to the Republican political machinery but one that they may be up for. Like a sports champion, the remain the favorite until they are defeated.

I think that the fault lies in what the President takes more seriously - himself or the Office. JFK was a classic example of taking the Office more seriously than himself, and so we made it through the Cuban Missile Crisis without war. President Bush is an example of the reverse: (" he did not turn to his father for strength. "There is a higher father that I appeal to," Washington Post, November 10, 2006). Evaluate your candidate by that standard.

It is time for the Republican voters in the Sunshine State to help their party select the most electable Republican candidate for President of the United States in the General election. Because of our present difficulties, both domestic and abroad that we and our country face, it is imperative that our party retain the White House in the General Election. With out a Republican President, the values that our great party holds in high esteem, will be imperiled by the unchecked power of a Democrat majority in the House and Senate. There are more voters registered as Democrats than Republicans in our nation; there fore, for any Republican Presidential Candidate to be elected, they must be able to effectively win a majority of the Independents that vote. One candidate has shown himself to be the most able to win those voters. To become President, a Republican must be able to win in the south and they must be able to win in Florida. The ideal candidate should also be able to capture the votes of moderate Democrats in a general election. It is vital for our party to have a candidate who can retain the 55% of the Hispanic vote that our current President won in the last general election. Selecting a candidate that chooses to demogauge, instead of leading on the immigration issue, will not retain 55% of the Hispanic vote. There is one Republican running for President who has shown the ability to deliver more than just the votes of our party members that it will take for us to win in November. There is only one man running for President who has consistently out polled, head to head, all of the Democrats left in the race. There is only one person running for President, whom the Democrats fear in the General Election. That one candidate who can win the White House for our party, in the November General Election is Senator John McCain. The only thing left to find out is if John McCain can win in Florida that is the decision of the Republican voters of Florida. The voters in Florida have determined who has become President in the last 2 general elections. Republicans in the Sunshine state have an historic opportunity to actually pick the eventual President if they prove to the nation that Senator McCain can win in Florida. Florida your time is now, your nation is waiting, your voice is more important than any other, at this time. Choose greatness, choose wisely, make our country proud, and choose Senator McCain.

The reason the wrong wing of the American political process does not include Democrat or others is because they only want loyalist's that keep their mouths shut about the high crimes they have committed--the largest robbery in history of present and future taxpayers--all done in the name of Democracy Freedom, the phony war on terror. They have become a Criminal party rather than a political party. Just Google--"the 14 points of Fascism" and compare to the Bush/Cheney mis-administration, the GOP rubber stampers, the RNC and all of it's brown shirt minions, and the sycophant poodle journalist's that constantly put lipstick on all the Big Hawgs'.