Stephen Bainbridge “heads for the exit”:http://www.professorbainbridge.com/2005/09/the_bed_wetting.html:
bq. let’s review some basic facts. The head of the National Guard has acknowledged that the deployment of his personnel to Iraq delayed the response to Katrina by at least a day. Senior Bush administration personnel told the NYT that politics delayed their response. Bush’s choice to head FEMA has been relieved. Conservative pundit/NRO Corner blogger Rod Dreher observes that “a raft of FEMA’s top leaders have little or no emergency management experience, but are instead politically well connected to the GOP and the White House. This is a scandal, a real scandal. How is it possible that four years after 9/11, the president treats a federal agency vital to homeland security as a patronage prize?” There’s a big difference between incontinence and telling the truth about an administration that is, if I may resort to being crude, screwing the pooch. Only fanatical Bush defenders like Snow can’t see the difference. It’s time for real conservatives and RINOs to unite in holding this administration’s feet to the fire.
{ 36 comments }
Delicious pundit 09.10.05 at 12:01 pm
It’s time for real conservatives and RINOs to unite in holding this administration’s feet to the fire.
How on earth? We already had the accountability moment. Seriously, though, where is the check and/or balance for this administration coming from? Disillusioned bloggers?
John Emerson 09.10.05 at 12:21 pm
Yes, the unicorns may come into being at any moment now, after five years hiding under mushrooms.
Jim Harrison 09.10.05 at 12:27 pm
I’m skeptical that Bush’s supporters will desert him. His government may be incompetent, but it has been extremely profitable for many of them. Principle or sentiment may win a trick or two in this game, but interest is still trumps.
roger 09.10.05 at 1:28 pm
Okay, I give. What are RINOs? Republicans in name only? Racy Interns from Nixon’s Office? Roosters in Naughty Outerwear?
bob mcmanus 09.10.05 at 1:52 pm
“It’s time for real conservatives and RINOs to unite in holding this administration’s feet to the fire.”
It is way too late for Bainbridge. Bush was total BS about the deficit during the 2000 campaign, and no seriousness about governance should have ever been expected.
Walt Pohl 09.10.05 at 1:57 pm
John: The unicorns will come out from under the mushrooms as soon as real conservatives hold the administration’s feet to the fire.
Troutsky 09.10.05 at 2:26 pm
The unifying slogan among these conservatives is “we can run government as efficiently as we run our corporations”. The same people who allowed Baghdad to turn into chaos and looting allow the same thing to happen on the Gulf Coast.They have these elaborate plans all set up for every contingency then the plans invairably crumble because something obvious was overlooked, bureaucratic snafus etc.. Not only do they not learn from history ,they do not learn from experience and they are running the global capitalistic empire!Be very afraid.
Uncle Kvetch 09.10.05 at 2:54 pm
Several hundred days late; several hundreds of billions of dollars, and thousands of lives, short.
Kieran Healy 09.10.05 at 5:23 pm
If you hold their feet to the fire, it’s much harder for them to screw the pooch, you see. At least when they are suffering from incontinence, I mean.
Matt Weiner 09.10.05 at 5:24 pm
4: right first time–it means “moderates”–and I agree with all the rest of the comments, that moderate Republicans and prinicpled conservatives have been a pathetic joke during Bush’s administration (indeed, since the ascent of Gingrich). If you believe in principles like fiscal responsibility and accountable government, you belong in the Barbara Hafer/Marshall Wittman wing of the Republican party.
Sven 09.10.05 at 5:38 pm
I never understood the profundity of the phrase, “A day late and a dollar short” before now.
hello 09.10.05 at 5:40 pm
A RINO is a republican in name only. Here’s a Wikipedia discussion.
Jephary 09.10.05 at 6:26 pm
Surely Bainbridge meant ‘incompetene” not ‘incontinence”, although…
Matt Weiner 09.10.05 at 6:40 pm
Tony Snow referred to “the bed-wetting right,” meaning apparently Republicans who dared criticize Bush. That’s the context for the post.
Oddly, reading Snow’s column did not improve my mood any.
Uncle Kvetch 09.10.05 at 6:45 pm
Tony Snow referred to “the bed-wetting rightâ€
If Bush’s approval rating goes below 35%, can we expect to see the phrase “a bunch of pole-smoking faggots” making the rounds on InstaPuffball and PowerTools? I mean, at a certain point you have to throw caution to the wind.
Jephary 09.10.05 at 7:24 pm
With apologies for my “incompetence”. Note to self: read post before commenting.
Dæn 09.10.05 at 7:25 pm
It’s never too late to see the light, and I for one am heartened at every conservative I see leaping from S.S. Bush. Katrina isn’t a partisan issue at all–basic competence was simply not in evidence at the federal level, and that’s something I’d take any administration to task for. I’m really hoping that this tragedy can at least help show voters and pundits why efficacy in gov’t really matters, regardless of party.
Rich Puchalsky 09.10.05 at 8:54 pm
What good does this do now? “This administration” has already been selected for its second term. The only possible thing that Bainbridge could do for accountability is to stop voting for other Republicans — which he carefully avoided mentioning.
Mr Ripley 09.10.05 at 9:15 pm
The quote suggests to me that Bainbridge doesn’t believe that the President has any opponents other than conservatives and Republicans who could effectively criticise him, or perhaps who would bother to stand up and do so. He doesn’t say that it’s time for real conservatives and RINOs to make common cause with Democrats on this one. Telling.
Brian 09.10.05 at 9:57 pm
Anyone want to take bets on how low Bush’s approval rating will go? I’m thinking 35% is the floor. The dead-enders so warped by the cult of personality that they can’t be reached with reason. The people who think Bush is Jesus. Might be as low as 30%.
Can’t do anything about Bush, obviously, but he might be in the process of destroying the Republican party for a generation or two. Congress is going to go into full rats/sinking ship mode. Despite the pretty much toothless, supine, oblivious democrats.
Brian 09.10.05 at 9:57 pm
Anyone want to take bets on how low Bush’s approval rating will go? I’m thinking 35% is the floor. The dead-enders so warped by the cult of personality that they can’t be reached with reason. The people who think Bush is Jesus. Might be as low as 30%.
Can’t do anything about Bush, obviously, but he might be in the process of destroying the Republican party for a generation or two. Congress is going to go into full rats/sinking ship mode. Despite the pretty much
Dæn 09.11.05 at 12:06 am
What good does this do now? “This administration†has already been selected for its second term. The only possible thing that Bainbridge could do for accountability is to stop voting for other Republicans—which he carefully avoided mentioning.
Unpopular presidents generally have a more difficult time realizing their agenda.
Davis X. Machina 09.11.05 at 1:18 am
The people who think Bush is Jesus.
This is easily shown to be no exaggeration.
nick 09.11.05 at 2:22 am
Can’t do anything about Bush, obviously, but he might be in the process of destroying the Republican party for a generation or two.
Tricky, tricky. It really does take something exceptional to swing Congress these days. Factor in gerrymandering and the pork-generating role of local incumbents and unseating a long-term congresscritter is a bit like invading and occupying a small country.
DS 09.11.05 at 3:13 am
A cakewalk!
bad Jim 09.11.05 at 3:18 am
Anybody read the L.A. Times or Kevin Drum?
A reporter sets out to interview NASCAR dads, skips those who speak Spanish, dallies with the dollies, and comes up with this:
abb1 09.11.05 at 5:43 am
Oh, so it was Tony Snow, not Olympia. I thought I missed something when I read “Bush defenders like Snow“.
Well, I think they still have a couple of aces up their sleeve: crackdown on illegal Mexicans, for example. Gay marriage’s still good. Enviros driving gas prices up. Who knows what else. Don’t write them off just yet.
jet 09.11.05 at 8:40 am
Bush’s ratings won’t move much at all and will probably recover as the details of what went wrong come out. And this recovery will be along philosophical lines. Those on the right tend to believe that laws and ideas are worth dieing for in the ancient Greek philosophy (which until a few years ago I thought was universal in America). So they will say that Bush had no authority to rectify LA’s mistakes. Those on the left believe in fairy tales and “right makes right” as long as that right is saving puppy dogs (can you say Kosovo). So they believe Bush is ultimately to blame no matter how bad LA screwed up because he could have ordered the 82nd Airborne to save everyone. Since FEMA hasn’t really failed (no matter how much Bush set it up for failure), the left has to attack him for LA’s failures. And that is why Bush’s numbers will go up from here.
Abb1,
Hillary Clinton is way right of Bush on Illegal Immigrants, so I don’t think he has that card left to play.
Uncle Kvetch,
” “a bunch of pole-smoking faggots†making the rounds on InstaPuffball…” do you actually read Instapundit, or are you just an il-informed asshat? The idea that Instapundit would call its ideological opponents “pole-smoking faggots” is beyond ridiculous. You on the other hand have no problem going there. Projection anyone?
Dæn 09.11.05 at 9:42 am
Jet, you’re really doing the right a disservice with your poor logic and name-calling.
Those on the right tend to believe that laws and ideas are worth dieing for in the ancient Greek philosophy (which until a few years ago I thought was universal in America).
Those on the right say they’d die for lots of things, I’m sure. But the proof is in the recruitment numbers, which continue to fall short every month.
Those on the left believe in fairy tales and “right makes right†as long as that right is saving puppy dogs (can you say Kosovo).
Using schoolboy-caliber insults to accuse your opponents of juvenilia, how rich. As for Kosovo, the left generally didn’t support it at all:
“Many on the left of Western politics saw the NATO campaign as US aggression and imperialism, while critics on the right considered it irrelevant to their countries’ national security interests.”
Since FEMA hasn’t really failed
Is this what you call success?
W.B. Reeves 09.11.05 at 9:47 am
Jet:
“Bush’s ratings won’t move much at all and will probably recover as the details of what went wrong come out. And this recovery will be along philosophical lines.”
This assumes that nothing else goes wrong. Hardly a safe bet at this point.
“And this recovery will be along philosophical lines. Those on the right tend to believe that laws and ideas are worth dieing for in the ancient Greek philosophy (which until a few years ago I thought was universal in America).”
You thought that Greek philosophy was a universal belief in America? Forget what country you’re from. What planet are you from?
Uncle Kvetch 09.11.05 at 10:10 am
You’re beautiful when you’re angry, Jet.
jet 09.11.05 at 6:19 pm
daen,
Not to split hairs, but the Army almost always missed its enlistment goals when the economy turned up.
And the implications of this quote from your link go beyond the enlistment debate:
Why are so many re-enlisting? (maybe CT will tackle this one some day)
Steve Burton 09.11.05 at 6:23 pm
uncle kvetch: your suggestion that Instapundit would ever use the phrase “pole-smoking faggot” really was quite stupid and offensive. Shame on you.
Uncle Kvetch 09.11.05 at 7:04 pm
OK, I overstepped with the reference to Instapundit, and I apologize for it.
When I made the comment, I didn’t really have the sites’ respective owners in mind, so much as some of their more colorful commentators. That was before I remembered that Instapundit doesn’t even have comments.
Mea culpa.
Gareth 09.12.05 at 2:20 pm
You guys all have the wrong attitude. There is more joy in heaven when one Bush-apologist repenteth than for all the sheep safely in the shrill fold.
Barry 09.14.05 at 10:01 am
Jet, two things about re-enlistment stats – first, the Army has jiggered the figures before, dropping quotas when it was clear that they weren’t going to be met. Second, if you’re offered a re-up bonus for re-enlisting, or transfer to a stopped-loss unit if you don’t re-enlist, which would you do?
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