Flippity flip flip flop

Naw, Dubya isn't poll-driven!

 

I hate it when they do this. I would have told the critics of the Admin (if I was in the Admin) to stick it where the sun doesn't shine. Reversing yourself only shows weakness. See why I consider the GOP a bunch of panty-waists?

 

Not only that but he helped Repub. Congressional candidates use that as a campaign issue, particularly in the Chambliss / Cleland race.

I would also add another notable GW Bush flip flop.

- Setting up trade sanctions on foreign steel and then removing them when he realizes that our European trading partners will respond with sanctions of their own.

 

I forgot to add:

- Saying that it would be foolish to set up a time table for a hand over of control in Iraq and that the US will stick it out until the Iraqis are ready and then when casualties rise and poll numbers drop suddenly declaring a handover in a few months.

 

Bama, I always thought you were a GOP member, was I wrong?

 

Yes.

 

Bama is a Liberal-loving Libertarian, minus the Liberal-loving part.

 

Wow, fooled me. Are you really a Libertarian as said above? If so that is the party I've been considering to join. Any good links to websites that tell more about it?

 

bammaslammer;

Why keep defending this Administration then. As a libertarian you should be especially worried about the expansion of Federal powers to investigate and detain people in the Patriot Act. You should also be greatly concerned about how this Admin. has also greatly concentrated power in the executive branch of government while operating with more secrecy, even well before 9/11.

See my thread about voting for divided government. Voting for Kerry is the chance to curb the rising power of the executive branch by getting the Repub congress to counterbalance a Dem. Whitehouse. Then the Repub legislators will block new spending measures and new attempts to limit civil liberties while demanding more openness rather than going along with them just because they've been proposed by a Repub president.

 

The Cato Institute, a Libertarian think-tank

The Libertarian Party homepage

Those are the two main ones I can think of. I do sternly disagree with some of the party positions, especially when it comes to unfettered immigration and a non-interventionist foreign policy. We can't sit back on our haunches and let our vital national interests take care of themselves.

Sirsirchang, I've already lodged my considerable protests to many of the provisions in the Patriot Act. I am on record to being against much of the Admin's domestic policy as being too free spending. But when it comes to foreign policy, which I believe to be the most important thing in the election, I believe Bush and his team are a ton better than John Kerry and his do-nothing Clintonesque foreign policy.

 

Also:

- Proposed to cut the budget of the SEC in half; then, after his buddies were implicated in the Enron scandal, doubled it.

 

Funny, this thread resurfacing at the same time as Will's Slate article see Woofer post here .

Almost contradicts it, doesn't it.

I wish Bush were more flexible and see each of those reversals as a good move (well..except bits of the Homeland Security thing)...Would you have prefered he stayed the course with each of those original statements?

Or is Bush/Kerry bashing just sport with no real substance?

 

My point was simply that the slate article, and another, if i recall correctly also written by Will, painted Bush as a man so cocksure of his convictions, he refuses to adjust even when circumstance or information proves his original position incorrect.

Think WMD for example. He continues to deny the threat was 'oversold' (to put it mildly). And at the 9/11 hearings he refuses any semblance of humility or recognition of improvement possibilities in intelligence gathering, sharing or actions.

I share this opinion of Bush. It is his greatest fault, in my opinion, and a very serious one. I would likely not vote for him for this reason alone -- although in actuality there are many other reasons he would not be getting my vote.

My frustration stems from his being criticized at the same time for the few times he DID change his position. And in most of those circumstances, changed it from a position that was quite unreasonable, to one that was less unreasonable.

No need to refrain from Bush-bashing. Let's just keep it fair, reasoned, and substantive.

Other-wise, it's just a game. And a boring one at that.

 

bnb, I think you make a valid point. Bush's flip flops have often gone from unreasonable to more reasonable. Especially when talking about things like Dept. of Homeland Security. Perhaps criticisms of those aren't the most fair.

But at the same time some of Kerry's flip flips aren't even legitimate flip flops. In the case of Kerry's willingness to fund troops in Iraq Kerry hasn't flip flopped. He did vote for the money before voting against Bush's plan of 87billion. Kerry voted for that money to come from the tax cuts that Bush wanted. It's more fiscally responsible approach and voting for that but against Bush's proposal which had no accountablity included isn't flip flopping at all. NEver the less people still make the charge.

 

Totally agreed.

But i would just rather read reasons on why the charge is horse-pucky instead of the 'i know you are but what am i ' reflex.