The wounded elephant knows it is being hunted, but knows not where to run because the leader of the herd is lost. This is not a scene from Wild Kingdom, but a view of the 2008 political season. The main body of the Republican Party is rudderless because the coxswain has left the boat. There are many reasons to President George W. Bush should be respected. First among them, he is a man of conviction that does not sway with the wind. He has protected this country well against the threat of terrorism since 9/11. So why is the GOP elephant bleeding?
The war in Iraq has hurt the Republicans immensely, not necessarily, because it was the wrong thing to do, but because it has lasted five years. In the beginning week of the attack, it was as well an executed assault as modern history has ever witnessed. Had it continued along that course, it would not be a topic of discussion today. Unfortunately the architect of the invasion, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, was not a good architect of the occupation. Now we must deal with a bogged down war with no end in sight. This has not only turned off moderates, but has fueled the rhetoric of the left.
It is the economy, stupid! We are all feeling the pinch of the current economic downturn and weak dollar. The falling dollar is of course a concern, however there were not many options left to the Federal Reserve other than to pursue a weak dollar policy after the housing bubble burst. The fact is that a President has very little control over short-term (1-2 year) swings in the economy. Monetary policy can have a weak short-term affect, yet legislative policy takes years to show itself. Clinton was touted for an economy that was heightened by the tech bubble, and now Bush will be blamed for the effects of the housing bubble.
Many conservatives have fled the ranks due to the unfettered spending of Congress and President Bush. One of the great tenets of conservatism is the reigning in of unnecessary spending. One of the best examples of President Bush's un-conservative thinking is the Medicare prescription drug plan. In a system where Medicare will be soon bankrupt, Bush in an attempt to "reach across the isle", has created a monster. Any reasonable person could understand helping a senior citizen with life saving drugs if they could not afford it. However he bowed down to the powerful electorate championed by AARP, and did away with any form of means testing. Now a senior citizen making a hundred-thousand a year can get his reduced-cost Viagra. Oddly, now the left is complaining about the lack of means testing in the new fiscal stimulus bill.
Although President Bush is not running for office, the Democrats are running against him. This is the way both sides do it, so no surprise there. The reasons are varied, but the lack of a strong conservative voice at the head of the Republican Party has fractured the base. The moderate vote is fading away because of the economy, and the war has fired up the left. The Donkey is licking its lips.
