Ex-Aide Says He’s Lost Faith in Bush

[DeclinetoState]

By JIM RUTENBERG (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/r/jim_rutenberg/index.html?inline=nyt-per)
</NYT_BYLINE>Published: April 1, 2007

<!--NYT_INLINE_IMAGE_POSITION1 --><NYT_TEXT>AUSTIN, Tex., March 29 — In 1999, Matthew Dowd became a symbol of George W. Bush (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/b/george_w_bush/index.html?inline=nyt-per)’s early success at positioning himself as a Republican (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/r/republican_party/index.html?inline=nyt-org) with Democratic appeal.

A top strategist for the Texas Democrats who was disappointed by the Bill Clinton (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/bill_clinton/index.html?inline=nyt-per) years, Mr. Dowd was impressed by the pledge of Mr. Bush, then governor of Texas, to bring a spirit of cooperation to Washington. He switched parties, joined Mr. Bush’s political brain trust and dedicated the next six years to getting him to the Oval Office and keeping him there. In 2004, he was appointed the president’s chief campaign strategist.

Looking back, Mr. Dowd now says his faith in Mr. Bush was misplaced.

In a wide-ranging interview here, Mr. Dowd called for a withdrawal from Iraq and expressed his disappointment in Mr. Bush’s leadership.

He criticized the president as failing to call the nation to a shared sense of sacrifice at a time of war, failing to reach across the political divide to build consensus and ignoring the will of the people on Iraq.
NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/washington/01adviser.html?ex=1176004800&en=f6d6586ef54b81af&ei=5065&partner=MYWAY)

Once a Democrat, always a Democrat (except maybe for Reagan and a handful of others).

[DesertFox]

I, too, am disappointed in Bush, but pulling out of Iraq now would be disastrous for the whole world.

As for reaching across the political divide, Bush sincerely tried that throughout his first term, and the liberals just kept biting, shitting and shooting.

[Etaoin]

Bush reached across the country to the democRATS at every opportunity instead of down the aisle to the Conservatives.

This smells like a DINO trying to mend his bases.

[Venus de Smilo]

Bush reached across the country to the democRATS at every opportunity instead of down the aisle to the Conservatives.

This smells like a DINO trying to mend his bases.

I agree, Et. He's just another political hustler on the make to be in the winner's circle, no matter which side is calling the tune.

I don't know why Bush hired this guy, I don't know why Bush didn't get rid of the U.S. Attorneys and most of the State Dept. people when his administration first took over, and I don't know why he insists on making love to Mexico when the people who elected him want border control. Instead he's got a jihad going against his own base and has completely lost all his political smarts and capital.

[DeclinetoState]

Remember that one reason that Bush didn't replace as many people as perhaps he should have was the delay in certifying the 2000 election results. If Bush had known the day after the election that he had won, as is usually the case, the process of selecting a cabinet, as well as filling the higher echelons of the federal bureaucracy, would have been completed by Inauguration Day. Instead, that process had to continue for some time into his administration, and some people who probably should have been let go at the start are still around.

[Bluemoon_Rising]

I, too, am disappointed in Bush, but pulling out of Iraq now would be disastrous for the whole world.

As for reaching across the political divide, Bush sincerely tried that throughout his first term, and the liberals just kept biting, shitting and shooting.

I share your disappointment, but Dowd's out of his mind about Bush's attempts to reach across the divide. In fact, the worst mistake any Republican can make is to put his hand anywhere near the vicinity of the reach of the fangs of those rabid dogs.

The biggest problem with Bush is that it took him nearly six years to learn that lesson.

A real conservative never makes that mistake. Reagan reached out on policy, but demanded and got verification, as it were, first. As for their backstabbing asides, he brushed them off with irresistible charm and humor.

[The_Elucidator]

and I don't know why he insists on making love to Mexico


Would that be Ron Mexico?

[thoughtomator]

The biggest problem with Bush is that it took him nearly six years to learn that lesson.


I have seen no evidence whatsoever that he's learned this lesson. He's still going along to get along, as we can see by the lack of any movement on arresting Pelosi for her clear violation of the Logan Act (and possible act of treason).

Pelosi in Syria conducting foreign policy on behalf of the United States without authorization of the President (and in fact, directly in opposition to his stated wishes) = up to three years in prison, according to law.

But laws don't apply to Democrats, do they? And why don't they? Because Republicans never insist that they do!