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history repeats itself…

Posted on Friday 13 October 2006


10/13/2006 

President Bush stood shoulder to shoulder with embattled House Speaker Dennis Hastert on Thursday, offering a powerful boost in his moment of need and declaring the country "better off" with Hastert in power.

"I am proud to be standing with the current speaker of the House who is going to be the future speaker of the House," Bush said as he opened a speech to raise money for two Illinois congressional candidates.
…
Bush defended him, without mentioning the Foley case.

"Speaker Denny Hastert has a long record of accomplishment," Bush said. "He’s not one of these Washington politicians who spews a lot of hot air. He just gets the job done."
…
"I have worked with him up close," Bush continued. "I know what it’s like to work with a speaker who is determined to protect the United States of America and a speaker who wants to make sure that everybody who wants a job in America can find one.

"He has delivered results for the people," Bush said. "This country is better off with Denny Hastert as the speaker and it will be better off when he is the speaker the next legislative session."
Meaningful words? Sound familiar?
04/27/2005 

President Bush praised Rep. Tom DeLay on Tuesday during a visit to the University of Texas Medical Branch, just outside DeLay’s district.

Bush thanked the majority leader for his stewardship of energy and medical malpractice legislation.

Bush said he is counting on DeLay to shepherd Social Security changes.

"I appreciate the leadership of Congressman Tom DeLay in working on important issues that matter to the country," Bush said.
For six years we’ve heard such things. We don’t find ourselves thinking that Mr. Bush has spent a lot of time thinking about what Dennis Hastert has been accused of doing, or not doing. Nor do we feel that he spent much time looking into what Tom Delay was accused of doing [the first Indictment that ultimately lead to Delay’s resignation was the day before this speech]. Later, after Delay was indicted, Bush said:
12/15/2005 

In an interview with Fox News, Bush said he hopes DeLay will be cleared of charges that he illegally steered corporate money into campaigns for the Texas legislature and will reclaim his powerful leadership position in Congress.

"I hope that he will, ’cause I like him, and plus, when he’s over there, we get our votes through the House," Bush told Fox News’s Brit Hume. DeLay was forced to step down as majority leader after he was indicted in the fundraising case, and he is seeking a quick trial in hopes of returning to power early next year.
What do these speeches mean? He comes out in support of his wounded Party leaders without evaluating what they’ve done. Sometimes, the implication is that the charges against them are partisan attacks without merit. But often, he doesn’t even mention them. In these speeches, Bush’s support is because they are good Republicans. I personally wonder what he actually does think about such things in the privacy of his own mind, or what he says behind closed doors. My guess is that it’s some kind of devaluing sarcasm – that the moral import of Delay’s or Hastert’s behavior doesn’t register – that it’s about power.

It appears that "He just gets the job done" or "… ’cause I like him, and plus, when he’s over there, we get our votes through the House" is about as deep as it gets. The most frustrating part of all of this to me is trying to understand why so many Americans have been willing to support this shallow and unprincipled President…

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