GOP Convention, Mitt Romney Haunted By Ghost Of George W. Bush

"Dan FroomkinBecome a fan. "froomkin@huffingtonpost.com "GOP Convention, Mitt Romney Haunted By Ghost Of George W. Bush Posted: 08/30/2012 7:36 am "WASHINGTON -- George W. Bush made it clear months ago that he wouldn't attend the Republican National Convention this week in Tampa. But his absence is not just physical; it's metaphysical. That's because Bush's very existence belies two of the most critical selling points of GOP nominee Mitt Romney's presidential campaign: That tax cuts for the rich will create jobs, and that Romney is bringing a fresh new approach that can turn the country's fortunes around. "What they want to go back to is exactly what Bush did then, and that didn't work," said presidential historian and Millsaps College professor Robert S. McElvaine. Romney's economic proposals "are exactly the sorts of things that resulted in the economic declines in 1928 and 2008." "They want to try it again, but they don't want to remind people of that fact by having Bush around," he said. Under Bush, tax breaks and lax regulations led to skyrocketing deficits and an economic collapse, while at the same time dramatically increasing poverty and inequality. A bellicose foreign policy led to two hugely costly wars, left unfinished. Better just to pretend it didn't happen. "As far as the GOP convention is concerned, there might never have been a second Bush presidency," Fred I. Greenstein, a Princeton University politics professor emeritus, told HuffPost. Jeremy Mayer, a public policy professor at George Mason University, said Romney has failed to distinguish his policies from Bush's. "Cutting taxes, deregulating the economy, letting the job creators get their job done -- that's really Bush 101," he said. "We've learned that the American public liked it OK in 2000, but they sure didn't like it by the end of his presidency." The Romney team's messaging makes Bush a liability, said Tom Cronin, a political scientist at Colorado College who wrote a textbook on the American presidency. "They would like the country to say this is a takeover guy, a takeover/turnaround guy." On the foreign policy front, Romney also seems to be following a Bush-like path. Princeton University historian and author Sean Wilentz wrote in an email to the Huffington Post that "though it's hard to get a fix on Romney's foreign policy ideas (to the extent that he has any), the neo-conservatives who enjoyed so much influence under Bush seem to be rested and ready to take the helm under a Romney administration." "The neocon position does seem to have become the default position in the Republican Party," said Bob Merry, the editor of the National Interest and author of "Where They Stand: The American Presidents in the Eyes of Voters and Historians." "I'm kind of baffled by that, considering the lack of success that philosophy has had in directing Republican foreign policy in recent years." Romney "certainly seems to have incorporated the pure rhetoric of the neocon philosophy," Merry said, "and if he governs strictly on that basis, then I think America is going to have a relatively bellicose foreign policy, and that may not necessarily be in the best interest of America." Merry argues that the U.S. is already on the path to war with Iran. Romney is less likely than Obama to change that course, he said. And that's no small matter. "We can't afford another war," said Cronin. "We can't afford the two we just had." Republican presidential historian Alvin Felzenberg, who is an informal adviser to the Romney campaign, is somewhat kinder to Bush, while at the same time quick to focus on how Romney would be different. Felzenberg likened Romney more to Ronald Reagan than Bush when it comes to foreign policy. He cited the precedent of Iran releasing its American hostages as soon as Reagan was inaugurated in 1981 for fear of a nuclear response. "I think they thought that Ronald Reagan would make Iran a parking lot," he said. Today's Iranian leaders might be more likely to capitulate to Romney than to Obama, thereby avoiding war, he suggested. Romney hears from plenty of people besides neocons, Felzenberg said. "I don't think Romney will be the kind of person who will have only one foreign policy guru." And while Bush and Romney both stand for tax cuts, Romney "would cut taxes in a different way, perhaps," Felzenberg said. "I don't know that he would do precisely what we did before." Wilentz sees Bush and Romney as kindred souls in other ways. "They are two different men, obviously," Wilentz wrote to HuffPost. "Still, Bush was a weak president who gave much too much authority to his vice president and to others inside the executive branch until the last two years of his presidency, when he took a different tack. Romney, having caved to the right wing of his party on so much over the last few years, most lately by selecting Paul Ryan, has not appeared to be a pillar of strength." There is another reason Republican leaders have airbrushed Bush out of the GOP family album: To the Tea Partiers who now make up the angry, spiritual core of the party, Bush wasn't nearly radical or merciless enough. "Bush was a pre-Tea Party president," anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist told Huff Post Tuesday. Merry said Tea Partiers are particularly incensed that Bush never used his veto power to rein in spending. "It isn't very often that we have a two-term president who seems to be out of sync with the party almost immediately upon leaving office." "I think these young Republicans -- and Paul Ryan is a prime example -- privately look back at George Bush as a disaster in economic policy," said Merry. "In selecting Paul Ryan, Romney has essentially indicated that he agrees with that." But H.W. Brands, a University of Texas historian, said that it might be hard for any Republican president to reach the Tea Party's anti-government standards. "Bush wasn't sufficiently anti-government for the Tea Party," he said, but added, "No president can be. If the Tea Party folks look closely at Reagan, they will discover they don't really like him either." And Wilentz noted that, "Bush's allies, above all Karl Rove, remain major powers in the GOP, so the general interests of what had been the less extreme, more mainstream elements in the party, are being looked after." Mayer said Bush's legacy will be central to the campaign between Romney and Obama, whether Romney likes it or not. The defining question, he said, is: "Is Bush a Truman, a Carter or a Hoover?" Bush wants to think of himself as a Harry Truman, who left office unpopular but was eventually lauded for his accomplishments; Jimmy Carter is largely considered just inept. Herbert Hoover's name still gets Democrats fired up, nearly 80 years after he left office. Thinking back to Bush's tenure, there's certainly a case for Hoover. An informal survey of historians near the end of Bush's presidency found that 61 percent rated him the worst president ever. And while Bush spoke repeatedly about not leaving difficult problems to his successors, he inherited a budget surplus but left so many crises to Barack Obama that trying to dig out of them has been the defining challenge of his presidency. Bush's main legacy may well be his squandering of a national and international outpouring of support immediately post 9/11. "There's not much good to say about the Bush years," said Brands. "The tax cuts and spending increases led to big deficits. And the financial meltdown made it seem no one was at home supervising Wall Street." But Felzenberg said he thinks there are benign reasons for Bush's no-show. "I think the reason why Bush isn't here is Romney wants to paint a vision for himself, and not re-litigate the past," he said. Cronin pointed out that Bush probably has his own reasons not to attend the convention. "The elections of 2006 and 2008 were referendum elections against Iraq and against Bush and Cheney, and he took it hard," Cronin said. "I don't think he wants to be a piñata." In a July interview, Bush said he'd had enough of politics. ''I crawled out of the swamp, and I'm not crawling back in,'' he said. Bush barely even participated in Republican John McCain's failed campaign to succeed him. And at McCain's nominating convention in 2008, Bush got the bum's rush. He delivered an abbreviated address by video from Washington. There was no tribute to his achievements. The man who for most of his presidency had been able to repeatedly bully Congress into rubber-stamping his agenda -- in large part by leveraging what he called the "existential threat" to the country of international terrorism -- already was an existential threat to his own party." George W. Bush is the reason Kenneth Stepp became a Democrat. I'll remain a Democrat. It seems the Republican Party remains dominated by the Bush-Cheney policies that have done so much harm to America, and continue to do so much harm to America. Elect More Democrats!

The Akin Statement About Rape.

"Congress Approval Rating Hits All-Time Low In Gallup Poll

"Congress Approval Rating Hits All-Time Low In Gallup Poll "The Huffington Post | By Ariel Edwards-Levy Posted: 08/14/2012 6:12 pm Updated: 08/15/2012 9:08 am "Just one in 10 Americans approves of the job Congress is doing, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday, tying the branch's lowest approval rating in 38 years. Congress originally hit the 10 percent mark in February, before bouncing back several points. "The approval rate for Congress hasn't passed 20 percent in more than a year, according to Gallup, and is far lower than the personal approval ratings for most members of Congress. Prior to 2007, it sank below 20 percent only twice. "From Gallup's analysis: "It is difficult to pinpoint precise causes for these extraordinarily negative views, although the continuing poor economy is certainly a major factor. The fact that control of Congress is now divided, with a Republican majority in the House and a Democratic majority in the Senate, may provide an opportunity for Americans of all political persuasions to dislike some aspect of Congress. With Congress divided, however, it is difficult to assess what impact its low ratings will have on the November elections, now less than three months away. "In contrast to the partisan gridlock within Congress, Americans' distaste for the institution is entirely bipartisan: Only 11 percent of independents, 10 percent of Republicans, and 9 percent of Democrats approved. "The trend in the Gallup poll roughly matches that found by other national surveys that track congressional job approval. A CBS News/New York Times survey conducted in July found just 12 percent of U.S. adults approve of the job Congress is doing. Congressional job approval was slightly better (19 percent) in a July survey of likely voters conducted by National Public Radio, but even that result was the lowest NPR had measured since 2009. "Another poll, released Wednesday by the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling for Daily Kos and the SEIU, found that 60 percent of voters agreed that "this is the worst Congress ever." "The Gallup poll interviewed 1,012 adults by live phone interviews between Aug. 9 and 12, and had a 4 percent margin of error. The PPP poll was conducted with automated telephone interviews of 1,000 registered voters between Aug. 9 and 12, and had a 3.1 percent margin of error." Dissatisfied with Congressman Hal Rogers? Vote for Stepp for Congress KY-05 in 2012!

more American soldiers killed by uniformed Afghans!

"Afghanistan: Police Commander, Officers Kill 3 U.S. Soldiers In Helmand "Reuters | By Abdul Malik Posted: 08/10/2012 3:44 am Updated: 08/10/2012 4:57 am "LASHKAR GHAR, Afghanistan, Aug 10 (Reuters) - An Afghan police commander and several of his men killed three U.S. soldiers in the southern province of Helmand, turning guns on them after inviting them to a dinner to discuss security, Afghan officials said on Friday. The men were all American special forces members and were killed on Thursday night while attending a meeting in the Sarwan Qala area, in what appeared to be a planned attack by rogue Afghan forces. "During dinner, the police commander and his colleagues shot them and then fled. The commander was Afghan National Police in charge of local police in Sangin," a senior Afghan official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Sangin is a district. "It looks like he had drawn up a plan to kill them previously," the official said. A spokeswoman for NATO-led forces in the country confirmed the incident but said it was too early to say whether it was a rogue shooting or due to insurgent infiltration. "All we know is that they were killed by an Afghan in a uniform of some sort," the spokeswoman said. So-called green on blue shootings, in which Afghan police or soldiers turn their guns on their Western colleagues, have seriously eroded trust between the allies as NATO combat soldiers prepare to hand over to Afghan forces by 2014, after which most foreign forces will leave the country. According to NATO, there have been 24 such attacks on foreign troops since January in which 28 people have been killed, not including Thursday's attack. Last year, there were 21 attacks in which 35 people were killed. Another foreign soldier was killed in the south on Friday during an insurgent attack, NATO said, while seven civilians were killed and three were wounded by an insurgent roadside bomb, also in Helmand. In a grim 24 hours for the NATO-led force, three U.S. soldiers and an American aid worker were killed earlier on Thursday in the eastern province of Kunar in an attack by a suicide bomber. (Additional reporting by Rob Taylor and Mirwais Harooni; Writing by Rob Taylor; Editing by Robert Birsel)" It's hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. People approach our people wearing Afghanistan national uniforms, then ipen up on our guys with submachine guns. Does it make sense for us to keep sending our young people there. Let's withdraw now! Bring all the American troops home, now!

Pleitez killed in Afghanistan!

"Tuesday, Aug. 07, 2012 "Memorial service today for Turlock soldier killed in Afghanistan "Bee Staff Reports local@modbee.com "MODESTO -- The body of California Army National Guard Spc. Benjamin Pleitez of Turlock arrived at Modesto Airport's Sky Trek terminal Tuesday morning and was transported to a Turlock funeral home for a private viewing. "The Patriot Guard, Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson, various law enforcement and military agencies and residents gathered as the plane touched down. "A public memorial service for Pleitez will take place Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2400 N. Olive Ave. in Turlock. After the service, public graveside honors will be held at San Joaquin National Cemetery, 3205 McCabe Road, Santa Nella, where Pleitez will be interred. A reception then will be held at Gustine Veterans Memorial Hall, 145 Fifth St. "Modesto Bee - JOAN BARNETT LEE / jlee@modbee.com The remains of California Army National Guard Soldier Spc. Benjamin Pleitez arrived on Tuesday morning (08-07-12) at the Modesto Airport in Modesto, Ca. Pleitez, 25 from Turlock, died on July 27th in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan while deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom." "Pleitez, 25, died July 27 in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. The cause of death has not been released. "A member of the National Guard since 2006, Pleitez was a medic assigned to the 1072nd Transportation Company, 746th Combat Support Battalion, 224th Sustainment Brigade in Van Nuys. "Pleitez's family moved to the Turlock area in 1999; he attended Modesto Adventist Academy and Denair High School before graduating through an independent study program. "Read more here: http://www.modbee.com/2012/08/07/2317214/services-set-for-turlock-soldier.html#storylink=cpy" Kenneth Stepp salutes Spc. Benjamin Pleitez,25, of Turlock, California, killed in Afghanistan. Kenneth Stepp says we salute our heroes, and we should bring them home. We have sacrificed enough American lives in the Afghanistan War. Let's bring them home.

First Lt. Todd Lambka and Pfc Jesus Lopez die together in Afghanistan!

FIRST LT TODD LAMBKA

PFC JESUS LOPEZ "1LT Todd Lambka and Pfc. Jesus Lopez die together in Afghanistan "August 4, 2012 "By: Susy Raybon "1LT Todd Lambka and Pfc. Jesus Lopez die together in Afghanistan "Today the Department of Defense released the names of two more soldiers who were killed in Afghanistan on Aug. 1, 2012. The soldiers died in the same incident in Paktika province of wounds suffered when they encountered an enemy improvised explosive device. Killed were West Point graduate 1st Lt. Todd W. Lambka, 25, of Fraser, Mich., and Pfc. Jesus J. Lopez, 22, of San Bernardino, Calif. Both soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan. According to WKZO.com, 1LT Lambka’s twin brother Jordan, who is also serving in another region of Afghanistan, accompanied his brother home." KENNETH STEPP SALUTES 1st Lt. Todd W. Lambka, 25 AND Pfc. Jesus J. Lopez, 22. Enough have died! It is time to bring the troops home. Bring 'em home alive. Britain tried twice to conquer Afghanistan. The Soviet Union twice tried to conquer Afghanistan. If they couldn't do it, why should we fight our longest war there to conquer a people that simply don't want to be conquered? Let's bring the troops home, now!

Kucinich urges caution in Syria!

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, U.S. Representative from Ohio's 10th District "Syria and Lessons Learned "Posted: 08/03/2012 10:48 am "We don't know who they are, but we know that we are for them. And it is possible that we are helping people that we have claimed to be against. "As we strongly condemn violence wrought in support of the Assad government, recent allegations of war crimes committed in the name of rebellion should give us pause to reexamine elements within the uprising. Before we declare our support for any side in a civil war, shouldn't we know who and what we are supporting? "Sixteen months into the uprising in Syria, the United States is struggling to develop a clear understanding of opposition forces inside the country," The Washington Post reports. According to a report (PDF) by the Strategic Research and Communications Center, and adopted by the Syrian National Council, "The Syrian opposition continues to suffer from disunity... The current structure of the insurgency is atomized, hapless and beholden to no decisive authority. Many of these forces are housed in dozens of independent 'brigades,' named either for historical figures or recent victims of the Syrian uprising." "The report continues: "In Western media portrayals, however, the Free Syrian Army (FSA) is presented as the encompassing organization under which all rebel soldiers operate. Estimates for the total number of forces under the FSA's direct command range from 1,200 to 17,000." "Like in Libya and Iraq, the conflict has opened the floodgates to destructive outside influence. The Post reports "Arab intelligence services [are] eager to overthrow Assad," but cautions, "The foreign official cited concern that the opposition is at risk of becoming dominated by Islamists pushing for a Muslim Brotherhood government after Assad." "Without knowing who the disparate groups are and which group is responsible for which attack, how can we trust motivations or declarations? The Washington Post cites "U.S. intelligence analysts" reporting, "In contrast with the string of bombings earlier in the year, the latest attack has not been linked to al-Qaeda." (Emphasis added). The New York Times reports, "The evidence is mounting that Syria has become a magnet for Sunni extremists, including those operating under the banner of Al Qaeda." "Al Qaeda, Sunni extremists, the religious fundamentalists, Arab intelligence agencies... Who else might be operating in Syria? Scores of people have died in Iraq from bombings carried out by al Qaeda. There is now growing evidence that al Qaeda and other jihadist groups have already moved into Syria. For countries like the U.S. playing an active role in encouraging this conflict, this should raise serious questions about fomenting instability and endless conflict. "Yesterday, Reuters reported a secret order from the White House to provide the rebel groups support to overthrow President Bashar Assad of Syria. We don't know who they are, but we know that we are for them. And it is possible that we are helping people that we have claimed to be against. Have we learned nothing from Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya?" "Follow Rep. Dennis Kucinich on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RepKucinich" Kenneth Stepp agrees with Dennis Kucinich. "Have we learned nothing from Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya?" I say that we should support people that are friendly toward America, and friendly toward their Jewish and Christian minorities. It would be nice if everyone could have a Constitutional and Democratic government, but how many of our troops lives do we want to expend on that goal? I'm sad that the rebel forces in Syria are taking a shellacking, but I would not commit American troops or airmen or seamen to that fight. During the Reagan Administration, the big question was whether the U.S.A. would give materiel, guns, and ammo, to our friends. That's what the choice should be now. Kenneth Stepp opposes sending American troops to fight in Syria. If Syria does not attach the U.S.A, then we should not send troops in to join the fighting in Syria!