November 19, 2007

90% IS JUST SHOWING UP:

For Bush, Advances But Not Approval (Peter Baker, November 19, 2007, Washington Post)

The war in Iraq seems to have taken a turn for the better and the opposition at home has failed in all efforts to impose its own strategy. North Korea is dismantling its nuclear program. The budget deficit is falling. A new attorney general has been confirmed despite objections from the left.

After more than two years of being buffeted by one political disaster after another, President Bush and his strategists think they may finally be getting back at least a bit of their footing.


The President (the country) is basically just reaping the benefits of decisions taken in his first two years in office--which is generally the extent of any administration's window of opportunity--and of the way letting the Left have the illusion of power in the midterm win has drained off much of the Bush Derangement Syndrome. Democrats are back to doing what they do best, hating each other.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 19, 2007 10:23 AM
Comments

Um, Bush didn't let the Left "have the illusion of power" in 2006. His party lost control of Congress. That certainly doesn't seem to have changed much, but it wasn't Bush's doing. He would undoubtedly have preferred it not to have happened.

Posted by: Brandon at November 19, 2007 12:59 PM

If Bush's doing, then whose?

Posted by: erp at November 19, 2007 2:26 PM

Brandon, having a slim majority in Congress is worse than having a slim minority. Party leaders have to work hard to get anything through and have difficulty overriding a veto. In fact the party leadership is often left with using outright bribery in the form of pork to get anything passed. And that lets them in for much scathing ridicule when they do so.

Posted by: Mikey [TypeKey Profile Page] at November 19, 2007 3:56 PM

In fact the party leadership is often left with using outright bribery in the form of pork to get anything passed.

There are other ways to get bills passed?

Posted by: Brandon at November 19, 2007 4:11 PM

Voters let them have the illusion.

Posted by: oj at November 19, 2007 4:56 PM
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