The Failure Of The Republican Party

I've been a lifelong liberal, but have generally tried to appreciate what the Republican Party brings to the table, and that most of us are trying to do the best for our country.

But I think the Republican party has been heading down a wrong and disappointing path in the past decade or so. Instead of having core principles, they have defined conservatism as some combination of whatever Bush wants and whatever Democrats want.

One of the few conservative groups to maintain their integrity is The American Conservative, and let me just steal some items from their current cover. The Bush Administration has managed to

• Start an unnecessary war under false pretences


• Shred the Constitution


• Crash the economy


• Expand entitlements


• Ruin America's reputation


• Nationalize banks


• Spy on citizens


• Try to federalize education

Not exactly compatible with core conservative values. And yet the Republican-controlled Congress and courts went along with Bush without much more than a whimper; certainly with no serious opposition. I expected better from the Republican party. I expected more people to stand up for what they claimed to believe in.

George W. Bush will not be treated kindly by history; certainly he has been the worst president of my lifetime so far, and has been shamefully enabled by his party.