Bakerstreet wrote an excellent article about the direction we're headed as a country (Link ). It's a highly recommended read, and if the admins of this site haven't already read it, I recommend it, as I believe it's VERY feature-worthy. But I digress.

Reading his article caused me to contemplate what I really dislike about George W. Bush's policies as President. In theory, he and I should agree on much. In practice, though, is where it gets sticky.

Bush inherited the office no doubt wanting to learn from the lessons of his father, a man who seemed almost undefeatable less than a year prior to Bill Clinton's winning the office for the Democrats for the first time in 12 years. And so, Bush presented himself as a "uniter, not a divider".

And, to be fair, Bush has tried to be. He signed into law the "No Child Left Behind Act", the end result of nearly two decades of work by the more leftist elements of the Democratic Party. He introduced into his Social Security reform plan an almost unheard of clause among Republicans that would allow for lower income contributors to receive more benefits so that no American would have to go into retirement in poverty. He has modified his positions repeatedly to try to heal the "red/blue" divide in this country.

But it's not enough for the leftists that have hijacked the DNC. Anything that comes from Bush's mouth must be a lie. Forget that ten years ago, it was DEMOCRATIC leaders bemoaning the plight of Social Security; now that the Republicans are bearing the banner, apparently all of their apocalyptic figures were false. The saddest fact is, they won't even admit to this reversal, but smother it in doublespeak and innuendo.

I know a lot of people who will hate me saying this, but the fact is, Bush is a "Clinton Republican". He cares more about what people think of him and the legacy that he will leave than he does about acting consistent with his beliefs. The trouble is, the element he's dealing with. Clinton was dealing with a Republican Party composed of enough moderates to actually make running his presidency by the polls WORK. Bush, however, faces a Democratic Party to whom "compromise" and "bipartisan support" are poison, and to whom any legislation that has its genesis anywhere right of center must be destroyed. Bush, in short, is dealing with a party that REFUSES to unite, and no matter how "nice" he plays it, that's not going to change.

My suggestion? Since he can't be elected again, stop worrying about the whining, snivelling left. They are becoming increasingly repugnant to all but the most fervently leftist elements within the country, and Bush would be best served listening to his conscience rather than the latest Gallup poll.