ANALYSIS: Things Aren't Going Bush's Way

[DoYouEverWonder]

November 11, 2006, 1:06 PM EST

WASHINGTON -- For a relentlessly optimistic President Bush, this is a season of disappointment, surprise and setbacks. At home and around the world, things aren't going his way. With Bush's legacy-building time running out, Americans sent a pretty clear message in Tuesday's election that they were angry at him and wanted change. Though Bush's name wasn't on the ballot, voters took revenge on the Republican Congress and put the Democrats in charge of both the Senate and House.

In an awkward bit of timing, Bush will be globe-trotting when Congress returns to town next week to open its lame-duck session, taking up business the White House deems vital.

Departing Tuesday, Bush will be away for eight days at a summit of Asia-Pacific rim leaders in Vietnam and stops in Singapore and Indonesia. Back just before Thanksgiving, he will jet off again a few days later for a NATO summit in Latvia and a stop in Estonia.

World leaders will be watching to see if Bush, politically weakened at home, acts differently on the world stage.

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-bush-season-of-setback,0,4087843.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

I wonder if Bush will be stumbling around drunk like he did in Germany? Or will he have a new more upbeat persona?

[ixion]

1. I don't think he'll change one bit...

it's not characteristic of a delusional egotist.

[tblue]

2. He will probably get sloshed and stay sloshed. He is living his worst nightmare.

Being held accountable. Never had to do that in his entire life.

His going overseas is the equivalent of 'getting out of Dodge.' He can't get away fast enough. But, he won't be able to control audiences the way his peeps do here. This should be a lot of fun to watch.

[DoYouEverWonder]

3. In the 60's, Bush ran away from Vietnam

now he's running to Vietnam to get out of trouble.

[Bush_MUST_Go]

4. Vietnam can keep him. Please.

[codjh9]

5. Couldn't agree more - and I hope he does get VISIBLY sloshed...

[DeSwiss]

13. Maybe he can....

:puke: throwup on somebody like Poppy!!! :)

:rofl:

[jazzjunkysue]

6. Poppy's old friends can keep him busy elsewhere while they re-tool

the oval office for a 1970's executive refit.

When he gets back, he won't even notice that Baker and Gates re-arrangged the furniture.

[alarimer]

7. Relentlessly optimistic or delusional?

personally, I think he is delusional.

[ClintonTyree]

8. Absolutely delusional........

if the thinks "working" with Democrats is going to be a rerun of his Texas Governor days he's sorely mistaken. A great many of those Texas "Democrats" Bush had to work with were actually graft fueled "Dixiecrats" looking out for no one but themselves. He's going to find that, for the first time in his life, HE is going to have to bend and not get others to bend. He's never been presented with a situation such as this and, as always, I expect him to fail.
His almost immediate "transformation" from a defeated, rejected lame duck to a "forward looking" man of bipartisanship splendor is another of his ego maniacal delusions. He sees himself "jawboning" (like he did with the Saudis :eyes: ) Democrats into going forward with his agenda. HIS agenda. Reality still hasn't set in with Bush. He still sees himself as having a "mandate". The American people rejected the Republican Congress, not him. He's god's chosen, remember? :puke:

[Demit]

9. He might just totally disengage. He's always complained that the Presidency

is hard work. Now that Poppy's buds have swooped in to the rescue (boy, would I love to have been a fly on the wall for those family discussions), the resentful little boy in Bush will say, "FINE. YOU do it, then" and fold his arms and passive-aggressively do as little as possible. I was really struck by his tone in the post-election presser, how openly he was acting out. Spitting out the speech he was given, telegraphing that he didn't believe a word of what he was saying. I have never seen a public figure with less concern for propriety, who is so openly contemptuous of it. Who so obviously never grew up.

[MaineYooper]

10. This also just in: water is wet!

The department of brutally obvious headlines has been hard at work, I see!

[Bitwit1234]

11. Republicans are STUPID

Just now on CNN they interviewed this representative from Arizona. He said that it was Rumsfelds fault they lost. Now bush's approval rating is 31% almost to the lowest a president has gotten. Rumsfeld was in charge of Iraq. But doesn't anybody realize that Rumsfeld was not the know all, end all. His instructions came from bush's office and bush's advisor's. cheney, rove, and the rest of the bunch. They did need a new face at DOD but if bush's doesn't want something to happen, believe me it won't.

Then this guy says.......that the republicans have now been vindicated and have been proved that they did not make any back room deals, and that they did not push riders into bills etc etc. no corruption, no partisanship.

Which republican was it who is not in jail for accepting bribes and the rest of the stuff, cunningham. How about abramoff, ney, delay to name a few. But I suppose all that was the democrats fault. After all dems didn't think that type of corruption should go un-noticed. Next thing you know all those republican negative ads will be the dems fault.

I read in Time that yes, they republicans did run a lot of negative ads, but negative ads have always been from both parties. HUH....As far back as I can remember I have never seen the dems outdo the republicans in negative ads.

[Mrspeeker]

12. lol this statement says it all

"World leaders will be watching to see if Bush, politically weakened at home, acts differently on the world stage."

Can a silver spoon fascist, wannabe red neck, dumber than dumb puppet act any different?

[DeSwiss]

14. The very last paragraph of the article:

"There are doubts Bush will bend on issues dear to conservatives. "The fact is, to work with the Democrats requires him ... to basically say to a quarter or a third or more of his party, `Sorry, you're out,'" said Norm Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute."

And so now the cat is out of the bag. The evagelical-right is a minority that has controlled the outcome of elections because enough independents have gone their way too. In the past. But that's changed now, they went with US this time. The scales have fallen from their eyes.

The fundie's "moral crusade," whose view is to eliminate the separation between church and state, are not views supported by larger society. Public views on abortion, stem cell research and homosexuality are held in favor if not in stasis by the larger society. And this is reflected in our elected officials, irrespective of party. Thus the attempt to vote for a constitutional amendment for defining marriage, failed in the U.S. Senate earlier this year.

And with this election also came a majority of Democratic state governors and state legislatures. Making fundie influence within government even less. Their leaders politically (Foley), and religiously (Haggard) have bankrupt their moral capital in the "family values" reserve. Some conservatives (William F. Buckley, et.al) are calling for a return to the values of Republicans of yesteryear. But how do they do they get elected without the fundies?
:shrug: