I remember that post too, but believe it bears repeating. The GOP's re-branding of Bush must happen for the GOP to have a chance next year, and it is important, I think, to continue to point out that Bush had TOTAL support from the GOP back when he was cool.

There appears to be a meme just now being spun up that Bush's failures may be because he was tinged (poisoned) by some degree of liberalism. Romney's recent Highly Evil comment that "Gitmo shouldn't be abolished, but doubled in size" is evidence that standing candidates on the GOP side are all about Out-Bushing Bush. Unbelievably, they are doing so by adopting all the authoritarian, un-american aspects of conservatism, and discarding traditional conservative values that ARE valid--small government, responsible budgets, individual freedoms, etc. etc...

GG and others should continue to point out today's conservatism for what it is--and today's GOP for what it is.

Otherwise, it's just as Richard Vigurie said, that all different kinds of "conservatives" flew down to Austin in 1999 and looked into the Rorscharch ink blots in George Bush's eyes and saw whatever they wanted to see and came back home to tell their fellows, "Yes, he's one of us."

An alternative and more cynical model--based on the belief that many of those who treked to Austin already knew GWB, had known him for years because of his Daddy, and knew, or had heard about, his distinguished history and many accomplishments in academia, the military, and business.

I tend to think they were not fooled--by themselves or by Bush. They simply thought he could win the campaign. And so he did, right to the White House. But just like Iraq, they won the campaign, then totally screwed-up the occupation.

From NYT article:

Judge Walton, who presided over the trial that ended in March with Mr. Libby’s conviction on four felony counts, said the evidence was overwhelming that Mr. Libby had obstructed justice and lied to a grand jury and F.B.I. agents investigating the disclosure of the identity of a Central Intelligence Agency operative, Valerie Wilson.

William Kristol:

I FEEL TERRIBLE for Scooter Libby's family. Millions of Americans feel terrible for Scooter Libby's family. But we can't do anything about the injustice that has been done. Nor can we do anything to avert a further injustice looming on the horizon--Judge Reggie Walton seems inclined not to let Libby remain free pending appeal.

This was no goof, nor was the switching of (D) and (R)during the Foley scandal. FOX is indeed a piece of work.

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Fox News apologizes for tape goof By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer

Tue Jun 5, 8:29 PM ET

Fox News Channel apologized on-air Tuesday for running tape of a different congressman while reporting Monday on the indictment of Rep. William J. Jefferson on bribery charges.

The network ran footage of House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers of Michigan instead of Jefferson. Both congressmen are black.

Fox blamed the mistake on a 22-year-old production assistant hurriedly grabbing a wrong videotape. Fox's Washington bureau chief, Brian Wilson, said he was mortified by the error.

On Tuesday, Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum said about the Jefferson story: "We mistakenly ran the wrong videotape accompanying that story and we apologize for that error."

The apology apparently wasn't accepted by Conyers.

"Fox News has a history of inappropriate on-air mistakes that are neither fair, nor balanced," he said Tuesday. "This type of disrespect for people of color should no longer be tolerated. I am personally offended by the network's complete disregard for accuracy in reporting and lackluster on-air apology."

Wilson said he called Conyers' office on Tuesday to apologize. He said he spoke to a press secretary and asked what he could do to make amends, including coming to Conyers' office to apologize in person. No one got back to him, he said.

Conyers' press representative, Melanie Roussell, said the congressman was upset that Fox's on-air apology did not say specifically what the mistake was.

Fox News Channel has become a political issue itself recently, with Democratic presidential candidates refusing to appear in a debate sponsored by the network.

Perfect headline. As the GOP desparately tries to re-brand itself, pieces like this one are highly important, and need to be repeated with high frequency. Because their frantic re-branding effort is, and will be, a very loud GOP drum-beat. So the counter-message must be as well.

So paint them with Bush now and baste them frequently. If GOP = Bush, GOP loses. And they will lose, as Mr. Cheney likes to say, "Big Time".

Couldn't agree more. The Dems are simply the less evil choice. A work in progress. Defense spending, reinstatement of constitution, election mechanics and campaign finance, torture, de-politicization of numerous agencies (including careful scrutiny of armed forces).

The top-tier democrats as currently composed are not the answer to many, if any, of these problems.

Place lever, apply torque, light 'em up and heat 'em up.

Clinton was a traitor

Monica Lewinsky was a Soviet spy.

and Popeye was a Sailor Man.

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LWM and WT, appreciate your more sophisticated thinking on parties--I don't know if a third (major) party would help or not, but I'd sure like to see one. These two we have now are killing me.