Some Key Conservatives Uneasy About Bush

[True_Blue]

WASHINGTON - When an influential group of conservatives gathers in downtown Washington each week, they often get a political pep talk from a senior Bush administration official or campaign aide. They don't expect a fellow Republican to deliver a blistering critique of President Bush (news - web sites)'s handling of the Iraq (news - web sites) war.

But nearly 150 conservatives listened in silence recently as a veteran of the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations ticked off a litany of missteps in Iraq by the Bush White House.

"This war is not going well," said Stefan Halper, a deputy assistant secretary of state under President Reagan.

"It's costing us a lot of money, isolating us from our allies and friends," said Halper, who gave $1,000 to George W. Bush's campaign and more than $83,000 to other GOP causes in 2000. "This is not the cakewalk the neoconservatives predicted. We were not greeted with flowers in the streets."
more....
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=694&ncid=703&e=7&u=/ap/20040711/ap_on_el_pr/bush_conservatives

[POed_Ex_Repub]

1. Don't forget to rate the story a "5" n/t

[Don_G]

2. Domestic And Foreign Policy Sucks

How can anyone same blow through over $700 Billion Dollars unless they're insane?

[Tellurian]

4. The $$$$ is funneled through military enterprises then to Caryle

Investments..

The military enterprises such as Halliburton, Boeing, Douglas Aircraft are using taxpayer dollars to fund the war...then the profits from those companies flow to corporate brokers basically Carlyle. And are buying up big corporate blocks such as Lowes theaters, Verizon Hawaii, and the like...They take our money and move it through their system, where it ends up theirs in the end game..

[Zen]

8. Based on your plot, * is clearly the worst president ever.

The stuff in my sig doesn't help either. Man Bushco is a poorly run outfit - I mean. like the WORST EVER!

[Trillo]

10. For most of my years of life, there's been a deficit.

Clinton's years were the obvious exception. I remember listening to Reagan on TV news telling Americans they'd have to "cinch their belts" a little.

Is this part of the government's control mechanism? Keep us constantly in debt, requiring higher taxes every year?

Is there any likelihood of a balanced budget amendment, ever?

It seems more than a little more important than "protecting marriage" in a severely overpopulated world.

[Eric J in MN]

3. The article doesn't give the date of the speech, or say

The article doesn't give the date of the speech, or say whom Stefan Halper was talking to, other than "conservatves."

Aren't journalists suppose to say things like WHO and WHEN?

[Tellurian]

5. The date is at the top of the page, embedded in the blue line...

today, July 11 2004.

[Eric J in MN]

11. That isn't the date of the speech. That's just today's date (nt)

nt

[Tellurian]

12. Yes, it is! The speech may have been given yesterday

or today, but it's fresh and new and reported today.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

16. Sorry, but the same article appeared in SFGate.com dated 7/11/04.....

<http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/07/11/politics1256EDT0476.DTL>

[Ann Arbor Dem]

14. The article mentions that it was last week....

Yet, Halper said his critical review on the administration's performance on Iraq last week was met with expressions of support in the conservatives' weekly meeting, which is closed to journalists.

[calimary]

6. What's truly intriguing, and encouraging, about these Yahoo stories

is in the replies that people post.

Notice two things:

1) There are vastly more anti-bush posts than pro-bush posts.

2) The anti-bush posts are the ones with "recommend this post" credits added to them. Some of 'em have 6, 7, and even 8 recommendations. I saw one once with 14. I don't ever see any of the knuckle-dragger replies with any recommendations at all.

Just another unscientific survey of public opinion. Intriguing also that you can find more and more people in venues like these (about the only place I see conservatives or republi-CONs posting - since I don't blight myself by visiting the free republic site) agreeing with the idea of just staying home on Election Day.

[Imperialism Inc.]

7. Seems to me Bush is done when this type of story

is becoming more and more frequent. Whoever is doing the polling is propping Bush up somehow.

[shanti]

9. ok....

many of these conservatives have stated that they intend to sit out this election. that would leave mostly dems with their votes for kerry. now, with the news that the election *might* be postponed "in event of a terrorist attack", their loss will be mitigated.

we can't let them get away with this scenario!

[searchingforlight]

13. They may criticize him but they will still vote for him.

Maybe this group is "assigned" the task of showing the sheep that there are some more reasonable repugs out there and that disagreement about the war is still no reason to not vote a repug ticket.

[Manix]

20. ...knee-jerk cons

[Media_Lies_Daily]

15. Halper also helped write this story on 7/8/04...frightening!...........

<http://www.antiwar.com/utley/?articleid=2951>

Excerpts:

"The book analyzes several disturbing trends: the absence of international business input into war policies (and the consequent loss of American brand-name goodwill in much of the world); the new influence of America's religious fundamentalists (who look favorably upon Mideast chaos as hastening Armageddon); the intimidation of intelligence officials and the media; and the silence of major American institutions in the face of the administration's lies.

The authors remind us that the neoconservatives wanted a military confrontation with China before 9/11. Although many are accused of having an Israel First bias, it's not fair to say that is their only concern. Their Wolfowitz Doctrine was to take down any rising power in the world. Most of them also supported the Kosovo war. Indeed, Bush waffled when that war started, until Wolfowitz rushed down to Texas to persuade the governor to support it.

Many neocons got their credentials with jobs in the Reagan administration and claim his mantle for their later objectives. Clarke and co-author Stefan Halper, both solid Reaganites, explain that Reagan never had such imperial theories. On the inside cover, leading conservative publisher Alfred Regnery writes, 'Particularly, contrary to their own assertions, neoconservatives are not the inheritors of the Reagan legacy in foreign policy.'"

This also demonstrates that true consevatives are having a very bad time dealing with the damage generated by the NeoCons. There may be a real crack forming in the facade of the Republican Party.

[Skittles]

17. aw, all they care about is themselves and their beloved GOP

THOSE BASTARDS HAVE BLOOD ON THEIR HANDS.

[Panono]

18. Even the Cons can't deny the truth

[Rebellious Republican]

19. Its current average rating is 3.79 with 397 vote(s).

[Crachet2004]

21. They had better be concerned. The best thing that could happen for the...

GOP, would be for us to win the Presidency and the Senate, but they keep the House-and I believe this is about what is shaping up.

That way, they can still gridlock us, but we get some blood on our hands from Iraq...because we are'nt leaving Iraq, IMO.

All we get, is to clean up the mess, and part of the blame...and gridlock on everything else.

We need to win both Houses, AND the Presidency.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

22. Is Bush A ManChimpian Candidate?

programmed and planted by Islamic terrorists to single-handedly destroy the Republican Party and neoconservatism from within? Others have noted that the younger Bush of F 911 is coherent whereas the present Bush can barely string half a sentence together.

[Judi Lynn]

23. Would you look at the photo accompanying the article?

You can't just say those chimp photos are anomalies. He must do this a lot. Creepy.

[young_at_heart]

24. He really looks compassionate...........and conservative!

I agree with you about the simian similarities.

[dArKeR]

25. Look at this pic! No one is paying attention to aWol!

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040711/483/dcpm10607112212

Shouldn't one be more concered that:
1. Your leader has a alcohol/drug damaged brain
2. Your leader is a murderer
3. Your leader destroyed Federal documents to cover up his AWOL
4. Your leader committed Insider Trading in Harken
5. Your leader never flew a jet solo but lies and says he was a pilot

[struggle4progress]

26. The situation in Iraq must be REALLY bad ...

if conservatives are trying to prepare other conservatives for how bad the situation is.

[Hobarticus]

27. Most of my conservative friends

are singing the same song. The ones with brains, at least.

It's hard not to be smug, but I can't help but dig a little, especially at their naivete that the war and democratization of Iraq would be as easy as it was sold.