"Republicans said they would not support a bill that
puts taxpayer money at risk while potentially bailing out irresponsible
borrowers and greedy lenders."
House Approves Sweeping Effort to Help Housing
There is reason for conservatives to be troubled
about this bill and its likely passage, but not for
the inevitable complaining that will follow when the President signs it into law
- as he has said he would. And, certainly enough there is little or no
justification for the - equally inevitable - charges of "capitulation" that will
emanate from those quarters to accompany and trail along after the Presidents
action in doing so.
My reasons for believing and saying such things can be best expressed by a prediction made in a post written back in December 2006 in the aftermath of the disastrous election of the proceeding November:
It is with the simple equation laid-out above - the President's need to make concessions to liberal Democrats in order to have any chance whatsoever of passing the instruments needed for his national security agenda - that the opportunity for classic episodes of Institutionalized Stupidity will arise. Fore, as has been the case already - in dealing with the inescapable fact-of-life
(emphasis added) - the main area of concessions that the President will be willing to make will be in the area of governmental presented by the Senatorial veto largess. And, we can be assured that - well before and for long after any such concessions are made or even thought of - we will be "treated" to the spectacle of many prominent free-market conservative s - possessing as a group a range of analytical and communicative e talents ranging from highly competent to brilliant - engaged in the act of a collective refusal to recognize: the political reality of the presidents circumstance s - the details of which should be clear enough to the average student in any sixth-grade civics class; the exigencies of a war "to the knife" for the very survival of the culture they cherish; and the full identity of the true culprits in this - and many related - dilemmas. Yes, and they don't recognize their own role either. That, it was - in part - their similar refusal for similar reasons and under similar circumstance s during the last 2 years that helped to create the makeup of the current Congress. I.e. that is was - in part - endless carping about deficits that were - politically - unavoidable - that helped to "plant the seeds" of the currant situation in Congress, and did so by "de-energizing" part of the Republican base (instead of which they might have pointed out the political context of the administration's spending record to the public-at-large, many of whom just haven't had the time to give such matters the attention required to see that situation for what it is).
You. Over there. Smiling, and with that vacant stare.
And, indeed, the President has been much more
successful in turning back ceaseless attempts by liberals and "moderates" to
undermine his national security agenda - threats ranging from a cut-off in
spending for the effort in Iraq, to placing breaks on the ability of our
security services to keep the enemy under surveillance, and including other
areas such as missile defence - than many would have predicted back in the grey
days following the congressional elections of November 2006.
But, this success has come at a price - literally. And an inevitable one
under the circumstances. And it is well past time that my fellow
conservatives realized and accepted the necessity of the concessions that were
required to keep our national security apparatus functioning.
It is also past time that all those who love our country and understand what is
required to defend her gave this President his due thanks for taking the stands
on these issues that he has - and sticking to them through hell and high water,
and in spite of the derision of many who could have been expected to support him
otherwise.
(C) David Aronin 2008