Republican Prez Endorsement

I made the mistake in 2000 of taking pleasure in George W. Bush's campaign undermining that of John McCain. McCain was the tough foe I didn't relish Gore taking on; Bush was the lame-o that would be easy meat.

I made a similar error in 1980, though I was out of the country for most of the campaign. I saw Reagan as one of the Republicans' weaker choices and assumed that meant he had little chance of winning, even to the point that I could vote for John Anderson.

The mistake is twofold--one is believing that the American voters will discern the weaknesses in Republican national candidates on their own, i.e. without it being rammed down their throats. The second is to think that it doesn't matter so much which aging white guy sneaks into the White House when we're so busy yelling at ourselves.

Every Republican candidate has to establish his viability in terms of opposition to the Bushite administration in some form. There are so many areas from which a Republican can separate himself from Dubya, though, and he really only needs to pick one or two. Taking issue with the President in too many areas would make one seem disloyal to the party, which is a candidacy-killer. From my point of view, though, purging all possible elements of Bushite Misrule is the top priority for the 2008 Presidential election.

The main facets of Bushite Misrule and the main types of principled distancing are from the following:

1) Bush The Incompetent of Katrina; and its corollary,

1A) Bush the Political Hack.

2) Bush The Neo-Imperialist Neo-Con;

3) Bush The Usurper and Trampler of Constitutional Rights;

4) Bush The Big Spending Phony Conservative; and

5) Bush The Hidden Plutocrat, and its corollary,

5A) Bush the Pollution/Global Warming Enabler.

Examining the anti-Bushite content (if any) of the Republican Presidential candidates' positions and image projections should help identify our preferred nominee--in serious--to help ensure the most anti-Bushite administration possible in 2009, come what may in the intervening 15 months.

So, let's quickly review the candidates and accentuate their good sides--which Bushite facets they oppose:
Giuliani--1) and 4). Of course, Rudy's burnishing his phony conservative credentials, but he hits pretty hard on the fiscal conservatism line. His total endorsement of Bushite GWOT and tendency to create discord make him the worst candidate going. I feel he'd invade Iran, if we haven't already done so by 2009.
Romney--1) and 5). I've detected some sympathy for the underprivileged in Romney's debate performances. It won't help him; of course he himself would be an obvious choice as Chief Plutocrat, in this case not hidden at all. Of course, who can believe anything he says?
Thompson--3) and maybe 4). His nouveau federalist line insulates him a bit from the big spender charge, and logically would also suggest he would come down in favor of some limitations on executive authority. I haven't seen that much evidence that he's opposed Bushite civil liberties abuses, though. Instead, he is associated with Chief Justice Roberts, whose strict constructionist interpretations of the Constitutions allow them somehow.
McCain--3) and 4). He's clearer on his opposition to Bushite civil liberties abuses, and on big spending Republicans.
Brownback--sorry, he's gone. His role as champion of right-wing anti-Bushites has gone, somewhat surprisingly to me, to
Huckabee--2)? Unlike most of the candidates, who earnestly seek new enemies to attack, I feel that Huckabee is looking to reduce our overextended military commitments. He really hasn't separated himself much from Bushite policy much, though; more like he appears to be sensible. This is pretty big for a Republican. He's probably anti-bushite on 1), too.
Hunter, Tancredo--basically no anti-Bushite credentials (except for Tancredo's opposition to Bush's immigration stance, which counts as a negative in my book). No chance for them, either.

We are left with Ron Paul, a bit of a wacko, but who gets credit for 2), 3), and 4). Very strongly so, too. He is likely to pull down the GOP flag and run independently, but that's OK: my recommendation to all Republicans is to vote for Ron Paul, both in the primaries and the general election.

Thompson and McCain seem at least to be honest and respectable and to be capable of forming their own opinions independently of interest-group pressures. Huckabee, too, unless this smiling face is just a mask. These I would accept as worthy of being major-party nominees of this nation, even if their election would be undesirable at this or any other time.