George Packer of the New Yorker finds that George Bush just had the best week of his presidency. Packer, a fierce critic of the administration, found four things to like about Bush's recent performance -- his strengthening of sanctions on Sudanese companies, his request that Congress double funding for global AIDS programs, his decision to have diplomat Ryan Crocker meet with an Iranian diplomat, and his criticism of conservative critics of the pending immigration reform legislation.
The first two actions are consistent with a humanitarian spirit that has long-animated the Bush administration. For example, the president has frequently called for significant increases in the funding of global fight against AIDS, as in his 2003 State of the Union address when he proposed a tripling of such assistance. Indeed, I've been told (off-the-record) by leaders in humanitarian efforts on behalf of Africa, that Bush has been the best friend that continent has ever had in the White House. I guess it took Bush's negotiations with Iran and bashing of conservatives for Packer to notice.
Packer doesn't explain why he thinks the meeting between Ryan Crocker and an Iranian diplomatic was a good idea. Perhaps this view is well enough entrenched in certain precincts of Manhattan that it requires no defense. In my view, though, the meeting signaled U.S. weakness at a time when Iran needs to see signs of strength. President Kennedy once said, "let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate." I suspect that Bush authorized Crocker's get-together out of deference to the State Department, not fear. However, it's unlikely the Iranians will perceive it that way. Here is a fuller discussion of why Bush erred in agreeing to these negotiations.
Finally, Packer is delighted that Bush attacked "the demagoguery of right-wing critics" of his immigration reform package. Packer fails to explain what is demagogic about conservative criticism of the 400 page legislation -- this looks like another instance in which Manhattan orthodoxy substitutes for analysis. As I argue here, the administration's criticism is not justified.
President Bush probably takes no comfort in knowing that if he demonizes those who normally support him, he can get half a good word (Packer's praise is full of enough caveat to maintain his standing in Manhattan) from one member of the liberal intelligentsia. If Bush does, he should read the rest of Packer's piece in which he endeavors to consign the Bush presidency to the dust-bin of history. That effort will be the subject of my next post.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. Well Bush has done everything wrong for six years, on the law of averages, he is bound to get at least one thing right. But has he? He has promised increased AID money to Africa several times but it never appears! And did his envoy to Iran do anything more than insult? Don't forget 1/2 of Bush's appointees to Iraq never had even had a passport before. So we can expect more "loyalty" over incompetence. And of course the amnesty fiasco, which Dr. Rove Spin has not managed to pull off has been shown to be what it is... free ride for corporate america, huge burden on regular Americans and a gret big spit at the rule of law.
Betty at 8:24PM on Jun 6th 2007
2. Ooh, I'm scared by the things that the Powerliars say.
Subject of his next post: FEAR
Webster Hubble Telescope at 10:59PM on Jun 6th 2007
3. There is no doubt that I am outraged by the comments of the administration, particularly when we have a president that failed to clean house when he came into office and has suffered the constant problem of leaks from within his administration. He has failed to maintain control over the people that work for him and he has gotten some really bad advice. Even worse, the people advising him are the ones that have been giving him up to the press.
In spite of many shortcomings, there are many of us that stood with the president in the bad times along with the good. The problem was stated; that we have to create a plausible explanation, articulate and orate on behalf of and in the absense of the president. Many have classified the president as being an idiot and of not being very articulate. I believe that we have been played.
When a person has good and honest intentions, it is not very difficult to explain what one is doing. We have to know however, that when the devil is quoting scripture that he doesn't have the same purpose as believers. In scripture we find that when the devil quotes scripture that he places a twisted meaning to the same words of God which are hard to explain when communicating with decent honest people, which is why the common people understood what was difficult for the elite to comprehend. I am not calling the president the devil, but I am saying that he cannot articulate what he is doing clearly because he has different motives for what he is doing than those which many have ascribed to him.
It's not that the president can't communicate with the public, but that he doesn't want to reveal his motives and his motis operandi. He has allowed us to make up excuses for him. We have had clear principles and a sure foundation of reason for the things that we believed to be good and right. Twisted untruth and impure motives always complicate the uncomplicated.
Perhaps the president's anger toward the members of his own party is the feeling of disdain that the elites have when their self righteous indignation arises with the seething suspicion that the common party member has not arrived at the higher consciousness, as he has. It is that higher consciousness that makes him the benefactor to the world in his own mind.
Somehow, he can relate to the illegal immigrants and the issues of aids in the world, and the downtrodden people of the middle east. He can't relate to the common citizen that is unwilling to have their futures, their culture, their birthrights, their wives, their children and their grandchildren sacrificed for the greater good and the legend that he is in his own mind.
If we were all of the ascended and common mind of higher consciousness, we would be more that willing to sacrifice ourselves for the illegal invading immigrants. We would understand that the constitution is an outdated guideline for people that don't possess the intuitive mind. Unfortunately for him we strongly disagree, and for those members of congress that are coming up for re-election that support this bill (S 1348) we are just common citizens that have the power to throw their a**es out!
Cdalealden at 1:50AM on Jun 7th 2007
4. Paul, is this blog a joke? Bush got dragged to the table with Iran only after Republicans lost congress and his approval rating dived to the lowest of almost any president in the US. I'm glad Bush is so concerned about AIDS in Africa - its a shame he's not so concerned about AIDS sufferers in America of the prescription drug needs of our seniors and disabled. Bush program cuts to fund the ever-losing war in Iraq ALWAYS focus on victimizing the most vulnerable members of our society first, Mom and Dad and the disabled who depend on Medicare or Medicaid. To protect Big Pharma, he's promised to veto any legislation (including legislation passed by our Democratic house) that would allow our government to cut the enormous profits of Big Pharma in favor of giving US citizens fair Rx drug prices. Other countries did this long ago, but under Bush, we lag farther and farther behind the rest of the world in virtually everything except the number of Evangelist mega-churches being built.
Paul, its time to kick your party out of power. It would be a welcome change for you, because instead of always having to apologize for Bush's shortcomings and the former Republican do nothing hardly show up to work Congress; you can switch to finding someway to criticize true progress for the American people under the Democrats.
Phil at 4:49AM on Jun 7th 2007
5. Impeach Bush Now!
tori at 12:57PM on Jun 8th 2007
6. I guess the demagoguery of the left shown here is supposed to be enlightened criticism. Packer ignores tax cuts that jump-started a economic surge that has raised tax revenues to record highs and help create unemployment figures Europe can only dream about. Of course having to deal with a hostile media that blames him for everything from the levees in New Orleans to North Korean nucs (thank you Jimmah and Slick Willie,)I can understand being a little gun shy.
It seems the premise of many anti-war critics is that the battles and ideology we are fighting in the middle east were never going to happen. Comparing these views with an ostrich, head buried in the sand, while appropriate, seems just... too cordial considering the vitriol expectorated by many on the left.
Oh and Phil, would that progress include the new rules on earmarks to make it more difficult to stop them or the attempt to put "cold cash" Jefferson on the Homeland Security commitee or make Murtha Majority Leader?
gitarfan at 8:15AM on Jun 10th 2007