I don’t think it’s a good idea to play along with anti-Bush sentiments. It’s wrong, it’s petty, and it’s weak.
It contributes to demoralizing and demotivating the Republican base.
It comes across as disrespectful towards the President. It’s ungracious. And a lot of the bad rap Mr Bush has gotten has been driven by those who love to hate anything and everything Conservative. The mainstream media, the intelligentsia, the left/liberals. Why play into their hands? Why play their dumb, unjust little games?
It’s hubris to harp on how different and “better” John McCain is from George W Bush. Men are not gods. There’s never been and never will be a President who won’t make plenty of mistakes.
Unlike Bill Clinton, Mr Bush’s shortcomings (and they’re nowhere near as bad as they’ve been made out to be) have come, at worst, from innocent error. Not from immorality. Not from evasiveness.
Mr Bush’s good qualities should be acknowledged and applauded. For instance, regarding Iraq and the “War on Terror” – Mr Bush DID end up adopting the new Counter-insurgency strategy of which the so-called “surge” is a part of. And he DID support and promote General Petraeus.
How could Mr Bush – or any President – adopt a counter-insurgency strategy before the COIN doctrine was even formulated?
John McCain would make a fine president. But his support of Global Warming nonsense – including Emissions Trading – is truly awful. As is his support of limiting campaign financing undermines free speech.
John McCain’s unjust criticisms and distrust of the free market is also troubling.
So what if Mr Bush made mistakes? He’s also done MANY good things.
By harping on how DIFFERENT he is from Mr Bush and being overly CRITICAL (whether directly or indirectly) John McCain plays into the hands of the Democrats and their cheap games. He’s letting THEM set HIS agenda. It makes him look weak and not in control.
If Barak Obama points at John McCain and says over and over again: “just like Bush” – Mr McCain should identify this as the meaningless, prejudicial, irrelevant ad hominem that it is.
Anyway, what kind of “uniter” is Obama? Doesn’t he brag that he will bring people together? That he will go beyond the old divisions? I’ll believe it when I see it. His childish “just like Bush” strategy is not the method of a “uniter”, is it?
John McCain should tell Americans: Look, get over it. Stop the Bush-bashing. He should show appreciation and respect towards Mr Bush.
He should be and be seen to be noble, gracious, realistic.
And, for goodness sake, learning a bit of economics might be helpful at some point. Read Thomas Sowell’s “Basic Economics” or “Applied Economics” or “Economic Facts and Fallacies”.
Good advice for anyone who wants to run as President of the world’s biggest, most powerful economy.
