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Jeez, conservatives: if Bush isn't someone who should be accountable for the last 8 years, what does political accountability even mean?
Fine, let's stipulate to all the qualifiers that Bush defenders are insisting on: Bin Laden was planning attacks before Bush took office; the collapse of the Minnesota bridge and the hurricane that hit New Orleans were not caused by George Bush, etc. etc. Even after all of those qualifiers are entered in the record, who held the highest office in the executive branch?
In other words, who ASKED FOR, and received (alas), the reigns of power and the public trust that comes with it?
Sure, there is all kinds of neglect and malfeasance all around. The voters have to bear responsibility for voting him into office--especially in 2004. But none of that mitigates the question of the accountability of the holder of the office of president.
Republicans with self respect and intellectual integrity are holding George Bush accountable for what he has done to the country, to the party, and to the conservative movement. Those who are unwilling to hold him accountable seem to be in the grip of something other than political thought and rational reflection.
