William Buckley: "If Bush Were European-He Would Be Expected To Resign"

[kpete]

Buckley: Bush Not A True Conservative
CBS News Exclusive: Buckley Criticizes President For Interventionist Policies

Stamford, Conn., July 22, 2006

Buckley finds himself parting ways with President Bush, whom he praises as a decisive leader but admonishes for having strayed from true conservative principles in his foreign policy.

In particular, Buckley views the three-and-a-half-year Iraq War as a failure.

"If you had a European prime minister who experienced what we've experienced it would be expected that he would retire or resign," Buckley says.

Asked if the Bush administration has been distracted by Iraq, Buckley says "I think it has been engulfed by Iraq, by which I mean no other subject interests anybody other than Iraq... The continued tumult in Iraq has overwhelmed what perspectives one might otherwise have entertained with respect to, well, other parts of the Middle East with respect to Iran in particular."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/22/eveningnews/main1826838.shtml

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. Of course, he won't go so far as to call for the shrub's resignation... he

will simply say it in this "indirect" way.

[saltpoint]

2. Agreed. Same thing if he were an adult. eom

[kenny blankenship]

3. He'd be on trial for his life

[Solly Mack]

4. He's right about that (resign) - though Buckley and the rest who

supported Bush yesterday because it was to their advantage to do so, do not get to reject him now for the very same reason.

They aren't really rejecting Bush and his thinking, they are rejecting the fall out from Bush's policies.

They want the profits of a Bush Agenda and not the blame of the consequences.

[liberal N proud]

5. They would put him on trial for the atrocities that he has committed

[grannylib]

6. If we had a Congress that took its responsibilities seriously, they'd try

him for treason.

[Recursion]

11. *, or Buckley?

Buckley's never been a huge * fan; he's not aristocratic-looking enough for his tastes like Poppy was.

[grannylib]

12. Chimpy the Imbecile. Was just telling my hubby I hope I live long enough

to see Chimpy, Cheney the Dick, DummyRummy, KindaSleazy, KKKarl Rover the Attack Dog, and the rest of them in orange jumpsuits, handcuffs and shackles, on trial for their lives.

That's where they all belong.

[The Cleaner]

7. Cuz I'm a cowboy

on a steel horse I ride
I'm wanted
Dead or alive

[Hubert Flottz]

15. He can't even ride a ten speed bike...

[wakeme2008]

8. OR

[ananda]

9. posturing

Buckley is just an old, posturing windbag of a huge pretentious fart.
He's a total narcissist and loves to hear the sound of his own voice.

Why not just call for Bush's resignation and say clearly that the idiot
is the worst unelected non-president ever, and that the USA is going
to hell because of it?

Sue

[Reckon]

10. "If Bush Were European"

Hey, doesn't Bu$h have European heritage? :)

Nice post Kpete.

[struggle4progress]

13. Oooh! Bill likes George's approach to North Korea:

... Buckley does support the administration's approach to the North Korea's nuclear weapons threat ...

Some of the rest of us are having trouble discerning exactly what the George's approach to NK is: it seems to have originally consisted of studious inattention to Pakistan's role as a supplier, followed by the usual double-talk (fear-mongering "Look out! Missiles! WMDs!" with simultaneous soothing "Aw, shucks, don't worry sbout it ...").

Of course, if Bill is happy with George's approach, then George is probably doing something Bill can claim was his own idea -- and Bill's idea has been:

... It is a responsibility of President Bush to address the nations on the borders and persuade them .. they .. have to .. contain their .. neighbor ... http://www.uexpress.com/ontheright/index.html?uc_full_date=20050215

I suppose that this has the advantages, first, that somebody can explain it to George in very simple English ("Tell Japan and China the problem is theirs"), and second, that subsequent soundbites write themselves: either George congratulates Japan and China for following his advice ... or he castigates them for not following his advice ... or both ...

But Bill's pretense, that this constitutes a policy, simply underscores once again Bill's utter lack of respect for plain meaningful speech.

[Rex]

14. Good job William, that only took you six years to figure out.

:eyes: Scary thing is - Buckley is one of the SMARTER conservatives! Yikes!

[NNN0LHI]

16. In Japan the honorable thing would be suicide n/t

[TahitiNut]

21. Seppuku. (Maybe he could use instruction?)

The notion of a Bush with honor is, however, laughable.

[MissWaverly]

17. Buckley is the Dean of the Conservatives

Why don't they corral the old guard and get them to give him the boot, do they think that he
should get a free pass just because his dad was also president? He's endangering this country,
what's more important our national security or Poppy's feelings.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

18. Because they think it's more hurtful to their bank accounts and tax rates

if Dems are in office, who cares if the whole world burns?

Although most of the vehement, well off Clinton haters that I know did quite well during his presidency.

[MissWaverly]

20. they won't be so comfy if this creates a bankrupt US

One of the predictions I've heard is that the US goes bankrupt and seizes all private
bank account moneys.

[Lusted4]

19. If Bush were European we would be European and

would have impeached him by now.