by John M. Curtis
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Copyright Feb. 10, 2008
All Rights Reserved.

resident George W. Bush, whose approval ratings hit another all-time low at 30%, offered his advice to the Republican Party. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the GOP's presumptive nominee, is a “true conservative,” said Bush, giving Arizona's four-term maverick senator his stamp of approval. Offering McCain his 30% doesn't bode well for the GOP. With the economy heading south and approaching the five-year anniversary of the Iraq War, Bush makes McCain radioactive. While Bush's former chief strategist Karl Rove told CBS “Meet the Press” anchor Bob Schieffer that McCain would beat either Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) or Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.), the fact remains that the GOP faces an uphill battle for the White House in 2008. What Bush likes about McCain is that he offers a continuation of his Iraq War policy, out-of-touch with most national polls.

      McCain tried to sell conservatives in Washington Dec. 8 that he was a real conservative, despite joining Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) to push immigration reform and support embryonic stem cell research. McCain “is very strong on national defense,” noted Bush, realizing that Hillary and Barack seek to end the Iraq War. McCain has accused his Democratic rivals of “surrendering to the enemy” and “cutting and running” after five grueling years of U.S. casualties and punishing strain on the U.S. economy. Many experts believe the economy can't recover unless the war ends. Never before in any U.S. election has the choice been so stark: The GOP favors continuing the war and Democrats promise to end it. McCain has been savaged in conservative circles, especially by the nation's most popular conservative broadcaster Rush Limbaugh, for siding with Democrats.

      Bush has also received his share of criticism for, as Wall Street Journal opinion writer Peggy Noonan noted, “destroying the Republican Party.” Noonan referred to the Neocon hijacking of the GOP, spearheaded by Vice President Dick Cheney, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and kitchen Cabinet notables like former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and Neocon heavyweight Norman Podhoretz, and others like the Pentagon's Douglas Feith and Richard Perle. Bush's Neocon cabal persuaded him to launch a preemptive war against Saddam Hussein. Five years after Cruise missiles hit Baghdad March 20, 2003, the nation has lost nearly 4,000 soldiers and spent close to $1 trillion in Iraq and Afghanistan. Democrats would gladly allow Bush to follow Rove, whose advice landed Bush abysmal approval ratings.

      Obama has given Clinton fits, winning 14 of 22 contests on Super Tuesday, then following up Feb. 9 taking Washington State, Louisiana, Nebraska and Virgin Islands by wide margins. He followed the next day winning Maine by a over 20%, proving former President Bill Clinton wrong when he compared Obama to Rev. Jesse Jackson, who won only one primary in 1984. Barack only lost New Hampshire Jan. 6 by two percent. Obama's Jan. 3 win in Iowa proved he had appeal to white voters. Obama's sweep this weekend and expected victories Tuesday in Virginia, District of Columbia and Maryland, prompted Hillary to reassign her campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle. When the former president began attacking Obama before South Carolina, it signaled trouble ahead. No one expected the junior senator from Illinois to give Hillary so much trouble on Super Tuesday and beyond.

      However Hillary shuffles her campaign team, it's not going to stop Barack's strong appeal for something new. “Patti and I have worked with Maggie Willimas for more than a decade,” said Clinton in a statement, explaining the personnel move. “I am lucky to have Maggie on board and I know she will lead our campaign with great skill towards the nomination,” hoping to reverse some recent trends. When Hillary announced she was lending the campaign $5 million and senior staff were working without paychecks, it created bad publicity. Rearranging the moving-parts doesn't change Hillary, whose message about “leading from day-one” fell flat. When Hillary insisted she was battle-tested with Republicans and would do better than Barack in the general election, it made Obama's point about Hillary's polarization with Republicans and independent voters.

      President Bush couldn't resist taking a swipe at Barack. Most GOP strategists would rather run again Hillary. “If the Democratic Party feels like they can win an election by focusing on me, I think they'll be making a huge tactical mistake,” said Bush, ignoring Iraq and his economic record. Bush defended former president Clinton, disagreeing that his comments before the South Carolina primary were in anyway racist. “I certainly don't know what he believes in,” said Bush about Obama. How could Obama's position on the Iraq War be any clearer? He intends to end the war and get U.S. forces out by the end of 2009. President Bush would like conservatives to rally around McCain and beat Hillary in the fall. Whether he gets his way is anyone's guess. Bush's public remarks reinforce the current trend toward Obama and turn voters off from supporting Hillary.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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