The GOP Is Dead. Long Live The GOP!
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This week, an unprecedented nine pages of reader comments were generated by Wednesday's column, which discussed a prominent Republican strategist's assessment that the GOP's problems are much bigger than President Bush.
Liberal and conservative commenters found plenty to argue about in the Wall Street Journal's report on Republican pollster Tony Fabrizio's findings that young voters, Hispanics and independents are drifting away from the party.
"Not only does a Republican pollster tell the party faithful they're in trouble but a right-wing publication (WSJ) puts it out there for all the righties to see: You're out of touch and looking more like dinosaurs every day that passes," wrote commenter clestes.
But commenter johnmarie2 thought the Journal had plucked out only liberal-leaning results of the survey, and helpfully provided a link to Fabrizio's study. "You may be surprised at the findings," he wrote. "I know I was."
Most commenters agreed with the report's findings. "Stick a fork in the Republicans," one comenter wrote. "They're done."
But others warned that Democrats better not get too cocky. "I expect 2008 will be a bloodbath for the GOP but the Democrats had better be ready with leadership of its own to handle the mess that Bush is going to leave behind and commitment to clean up its own house," wrote realpatriot1. "Otherwise, the GOP may come back sooner than people think possible."
Bremer Respectfully Asks The President To Pick Another Scapegoat
Anyone reading the papers this week had to notice that Robert Draper's new book, "Dead Certain," ruffled all kinds of feathers over at the White House and Pentagon. Tuesday's column led with a New York Times story about one guy who does take such feather-ruffling lighting: former top envoy to Iraq, L. Paul Bremer.
Apparently, Bremer did not take too kindly to the section of the book that quotes President Bush sounding taken aback by Bremer's decision to disband the Iraqi military following the U.S. invasion in 2003. As revenge - ahem, correcting the record - he released his personal correspondence with the President to the New York Times. In the letters, Bush responded to the envoy's briefing that he was planning to dismantle the Iraq military with a big thumbs-up the following day: "Your leadership is apparent. You have quickly made a positive and significant impact. You have my full support and confidence."
Commenter omega39 responded to the story by calling Bremer "just another Bush hater that is trying to cover his own inadequacies by blaming them on our fine president."
Commenter flreason took issue with this, saying "You've got to be kidding! Fine president? Blind loyalty is not a virtue in a democracy. We-the-people are responsible for the government's acts taken in our name. Bremer has documentary evidence showing the action he took to disband the Iraqi army were sanctioned - if not directed - by the Bush administration. He wouldn't have produced this if Bush's juvenile attempts to deny responsibility hadn't targeted Bremer as a scapegoat."
Bremer followed up his bombshell with an op-ed in the Times the next day declaring that the decision to dismantle the Iraqi military was "carefully considered by top civilian and military members of the American government" and, in his opinion, the right decision.
Other morsels from Draper's book, highlighted in the Political Animal, include:
Profiles In Presidential Ambition
Two long profiles of presidential hopefuls found their way into this week's columns. Wednesday's column referred to a New York Times analysis Hillary Clinton's political transformation during college, while Thursday's column led with a Los Angeles Times report on how Fred Thompson's in-laws shaped his professional and political career.
Nobody seemed too surprised by Clinton's shift from Goldwater Girl to anti-war Democrat during the turbulent late 1960s. But several readers objected the reports that a 17-year-old Fred Thompson had gotten his girlfriend pregnant and then asked her to marry him, calling it "character assassination."
The story chronicles how Thompson's first wife, who most of his high school compatriots thought was out of his league, fell for the gangly, unmotivated Thompson, who even then had a distinctive gravelly voice. "Friends say the attraction was physical," the LA Times reported.
Reader ibsteve2u responded: "I guess the question with Fred Thompson is: What do you have left it you subtract out six inches in height and his deep voice?"
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