Questions About Bush's Conservative Principles

by Byron York - September 15th, 2009 - Washington Examiner

If you are still deluded and under the belief that George W. Bush is - or ever was - a conservative, this article should change your mind.

Byron York writes:

Bush was preparing to give a speech to the annual meeting of the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC. The conference is the event of the year for conservative activists; Republican politicians are required to appear and offer their praise of the conservative movement.

[Matt] Latimer got the assignment to write Bush's speech. Draft in hand, he and a few other writers met with the president in the Oval Office. Bush was decidedly unenthusiastic.

"What is this movement you keep talking about in the speech?" the president asked Latimer.

Latimer explained that he meant the conservative movement -- the movement that gave rise to groups like CPAC.

Bush seemed perplexed. Latimer elaborated a bit more. Then Bush leaned forward, with a point to make.

"Let me tell you something," the president said. "I whupped Gary Bauer's ass in 2000. So take out all this movement stuff. There is no movement."

Bush seemed to equate the conservative movement -- the astonishing growth of conservative political strength that took place in the decades after Barry Goldwater's disastrous defeat in 1964 -- with the fortunes of Bauer, the evangelical Christian activist and former head of the Family Research Council whose 2000 presidential campaign went nowhere.

Now it was Latimer who looked perplexed. Bush tried to explain.

"Look, I know this probably sounds arrogant to say," the president said, "but I redefined the Republican Party."

If you look at the big government disaster that Bush left us, you will have to admit that he did redefine it. He did not just redefine it. He nearly destroyed it.

He and Karl Rove deluded nearly half the party with the idea that his liberal big government programs were "compassionate conservatism". In truth, there was never anything conservative about Bush. His redefinition is more accurately described as "compassionate communism". He conned the Republican Party. He even conned the Democrat Party which is why they worked so hard to destroy Bush. They never understood how liberal he was.

That is the key point that even Bush made above. He is arrogant, not conservative. What I can't understand is why so many Bush loyalists continue to insist he is conservative when even Bush rejects that label. The disaster he left our party still echoes. We struggle to protect our nation from one consequence of Bush subverting conservative unity... Barack Hussein Obama.