Conservatives Restive About Bush Policies

After three years of sweeping actions in both foreign and domestic affairs, the Bush administration is facing complaints from the conservative intelligentsia that it has lost its ability to produce fresh policies.


The centerpiece of President Bush (news - web sites)'s foreign policy -- the effort to transform Iraq (news - web sites) into a peaceful democracy -- has been undermined by a deadly insurrection and broadcast photos of brutality by U.S. prison guards. On the domestic side, conservatives and former administration officials say the White House policy apparatus is moribund, with policies driven by political expediency or ideological pressure rather than by facts and expertise.

Conservatives have become unusually restive. Last Tuesday, columnist George F. Will sharply criticized the administration's Iraq policy, writing: "This administration cannot be trusted to govern if it cannot be counted on to think and, having thought, to have second thoughts." Two days earlier, Robert Kagan, a neoconservative supporter of the Iraq war, wrote: "All but the most blindly devoted Bush supporters can see that Bush administration officials have no clue about what to do in Iraq tomorrow, much less a month from now."

more ...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&ncid=1802&e=1&u=/washpost/20040510/ts_washpost/a13027_2004may9

Trust me. The conservatives aren't going anywhere. Bush owns them.

Conservatives may well stay home come election day.

Unfortunately, true conservatives represent only a tiny, tiny percentage of those who self-identify as conservative.

Any true conservative would find Bush repulsive in the extreme.

and not the other way around. He thinks a lot like the neo-cons but Bush is a puppet. He isn't smart enough to be in control.

Left on his own with no advisors, he probably doesn't actually have an agenda. Other than collecting a paycheck.

If they had been reading DU for the last year they would have been able to know what to do.

Glad that conservatives are finally getting it. It will not change the way they vote however. Will will vote for the Rethugs whatever they do.

Maybe not. They will not vote for John Kerry but perhaps they will vote for Ralph Nader instead of Bush. Nader says that's one of the reasons why he is running. Interesting.

to move quickly to replace Shrub as their candidate? Maybe McCain, or someone else that's a Rethug rather than risk loosing control to a Dem?

Just a thought.

I was happy for the first time since 9/11 yesterday when my neighbor across the street FINALLY dumped his damn flag. That doesn't mean I don't love our flag as much as the next American but to use our flag a a symbol for supporting the BFEE has been chewing at my neck for the last ~3 years now.

It is truly sad that the events we have witnessed since the stolen election has driven the American people to such lows.

Alas, reclaim America! Our flag is now ours once again! Hurrah!!

That to me is true victory!

One of the greatest annoyances has been having the flag used as kind of a club against anyone who doesn't support Whistle Ass's murderous policies. As soon as my Kerry bumper sticker gets here, I'm getting a flag decal and plastering it right next to "Kerry '04." I already reclaimed Jesus with "Jesus is a liberal."

for the flag I have on my car says under it, "Teamster's Union Local #50" ... lol ... the message is too clear! Who is really running America? :evilgrin:

...but please have them check their assault rifles and WMD's at the door.

Has Bush imprisoned them somewhere?

Who/Where are they?

from the link:

"Michael Franc, vice president of the Heritage Foundation, said the criticism by O'Neill, Will and Kagan has a common thread: a concern that the administration is "using an old playbook" and not coming up with bold enough ideas, whether the subject is entitlement reform or pacifying Iraq. Conservative intellectuals "are saying, 'Don't do things half way,' " he said.

Using an old playbook?

Who's 'old playbook'--
what former Republican president would that be from?

I can't see it..

They are peddling smoke to cover-up the Greed and Malice!

A neo-con rat deserting the sinking ship. I hope the ahole doesn't start calling himself a neo-liberal.

Reagan also suffered during his second term. He could not maintain his ideological offensive. Bush and the neo-conservatives are already becoming spent of resources.

I'm seeing that word used lately usually to describe Fallujah. May this election be as big a disaster for Bush as the war is.