With Enemies Like Democrats, Bush Doesn't Need Friends
With the popularity of President Bush and the Republican Party at such a low ebb, one would imagine that prospects for the loyal opposition would be bright. But according to this analysis from Austria's Die Presse, such is not the case, as America's Democrats 'seem to be in disarray, without plans or organization.'
By Leitartikel Von Eva Male
Translated By Bob Skinner
March 14, 2006
Austria - Die Presse - Original Article
(German) 
It's a few days short of the third anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. For
President George W. Bush this is an opportunity to begin a broad campaign to
unify Americans behind his Iraq policy. In several speeches per week, Bush will
discuss "Progress in Iraq" and "lessons learned" there, as
he has before. Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, and other administration officials will
add their voices to the hymn of praise on their own behalf.
The
response from the American public is the question, for along with the happy
chirping about supposed progress and lessons learned, the sound of sour notes
ring loudly. As Iraq apparently stands on the brink of civil war, U.S. experts
publish one devastating study on the administration's policy after another, sketching
a gloomy scenario for the coming months and years.
In the
meantime Bush appeals to the people: things are going well, but we have to be
patient; Washington is doing everything possible to prevent a civil war; there
is still hard fighting ahead, but the U.S. strategy will result in victory. This
is the message of the President, which has already been given many times and
will be given many times more. The constant repetition will not, however, make
the message any more credible; the quantity of the talk will deceive no one of
the poor quality of his Iraq policy.
Today
there are about 132,000 U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq, and more than 2,300
have been killed since the invasion three years ago. With the growing toll of
victims has grown opposition to the war: 59% of Americans reject Bush's Iraq
policy, and only 37% approve of the President's overall performance in office. It
will be no easy task to reverse his decline in public opinion.
Worst of
all for Bush is his loss of popularity in his own party. As more and more Republican
politicians have distanced themselves from "their" president, his
approval rating among the members of Grand Old Party (the GOP) has sunk from 82%
to 74%. In the controversy over the takeover [management, actually] of
important U.S. ports by a company from the United Arab Emirates, the Republican-dominated
Congress denied Bush their support.
Last
weekend, at a meeting of Republican Party activists with presidential ambitions,
it was clear that even though loyalty to Bush was stressed, the party was focusing
on the period after his administration. It's not that long to the 2008
elections, which Bush cannot contest. Current spending policies were criticized,
as well as the lack of fiscal responsibility and the turn away from socially-conservative
values. Many grumbled that it's time to return to true conservative politics.
And the Democrats? It's significant that they don't make their first
appearance until late in this article. For they have failed to make political
capital or score with voters, despite Bush's unpopularity, Guantanamo,
the failure after Katrina, corruption and the differences among Republicans. Dramatic
though it would be, threatening a - quite unlikely – a
process of impeachment would profit them little.
The party
seems to be in disarray, without plans or organization. The presentation of a
platform has been postponed for months. Nor is it clear if the strategy of the Democrats will be based on an anti-George W. Bush
campaign, its own program of reform, or if it will focus on national or local issues.
The
elections are fast approaching. In November, all 435 seats of the House of
Representatives will be contested, as well as 33 of 100 Senate seats and 36
governorships. It's possible that the Republicans could lose their majority
among governors. But the Democrats' dream of regaining majorities in both
houses of Congress cannot be realized unless they successfully engage important
themes and display leadership.
"We
have one party with bad ideas and another party with no ideas" acidly
notes an American comedian. If that's true, George W. Bush can relax without
worry.
[SLIDE SHOW: Iraq War Protests].
