There's an AP story out this morning -Supreme Court Term Shows Shift to the Right- which focuses, as the title implies, on the noticeable trend of the Supreme Court during its last term to render its decisions in a more right leaning fashion.
This story underscores, I think, one of the outstanding accomplishments of the Bush Presidency. And to my mind will forever cast a more favorable light on this administration than on either of the two preceding it. Depending on how one looks at it; that is, the worldview perspective that invariably guides one's thinking on such a subject, the appointments of Alito and Roberts to the court might be said to be the defining characteristic of the Bush Presidency, for better or for worse.
I own that I voted for President Bush twice, and on reflection I don't regret either vote. As I've said before, I've never thought of him as much of a 'conservative,' but he is a damn sight more conservative than either of his opponents were/are. And seriously, folks, I could never have, in good conscience, voted for the other candidates. Nor could I have chosen not to vote, or encouraged it in others, given the gravity of the situation. And here is an undeniable case in point, for even the most extreme conservative Bush-bashers out there must at least acknowledge that the trend cited in this AP story is a quantifiable step, though a small one it may be and of little consolation to some, in the right direction for the court and for the country over which it presides.
Now, with the recent happenings concerning the amnesty bill, the President has managed to get severely under my skin too. I think I even referred to him as 'El Presidente' once or twice during the more stressful moments of the late showdown. And I admit that his getting chummy with the gentle-scum from Massachusetts (to whom I'll yield none of my time) didn't sit well with me either. I don't necessarily regret having said what I said (I'm a big believer in the idea of 'if you've got it coming to you, just buckle up and take it like a man'), I do however regret what the expression of it might imply - that I harbor contempt for the President himself, and the office that he occupies. Neither of which is the case.
We must be cautious, my friends, to incorporate in our own assessments of a given situation the idea of balance. And a balanced perspective on the president takes many variables which may not be readily apparent into consideration. The way we think the President should be conducting himself under a given scenario is not necessarily the way reality lends itself to the actuality of the thing. Let us always keep in mind that so long as this nation is inhabited by a more or less dependent citizenry then the various branches of government are likely going to be negatively affected in the manner in which they conduct themselves, their proceedings, and the administration of their duties. Even the best preachers can be limited in their effectiveness by disaproval within their congregations.
We also must remember that the President is a human being, which is to say corrupt to some extent or the other. And it's not like we bear no responsibility for the mess we're in. To the contrary I'd say we bear most of it. But I can tell you that if I were tasked with taking over a business which had been poorly managed for years and years, the great likelihood is that many of the correctives I'd initiate (if I could successfully navigate all the obstacles in the way) would probably cast an appearance of being detrimental to the business itself, and self-aggrandizing to me, simply based on the fact that they would at first appear to be radical changes for some within the company. Furthermore, if I were given two, and only two, limited terms in which to accomplish my objectives without the possibility of being chosen for another term, then I think reasonably it's hard to argue that my second term would experience anywhere near the successes I may have had in my first. Provide me with a hostile board of directors, and so on and so forth, and, well, you get the point.
But truly folks (and I'm speaking mainly to you conservatives out there) we can be thankful for President Bush's appointees to the federal courts, and to the High Court. I mean, it's not like it wasn't a battle all the way through. And even if there were nothing else that he'd accomplished during his Presidency, this in itself is vindication enough for this conservative and his choice on both occasions of Bush's election.
Let us be minful of that, and let's cut the President some slack, shall we?
-DW
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