George Bush's Presidential Stands

As the Gonzales US DA firing flap continues, it is a pleasure to see George Bush remain resolute and warn Frisco Nan not to use subpoenas as fishing licenses.

Ditto his stand on the Iraq war resolution in the House. Bush has served notice that he will make the Democrats enact a binding resolution, affecting funding, if they insist on attempting to usurp Executive Branch powers, albeit probably unconstitutionally.

As I glanced at this week's Economist cover, I saw that they have portrayed Bush, Rice and Cheney as "Besieged." I think this is a common tactic that the press uses when they do not agree with a politician- painting him or her as 'isolated,' 'besieged,' or 'out of touch.' In this case, however, I see all of Bush's stands as completely appropriate.

The war in Iraq is but a part of a religious conflict, begun by radical Islamists, that has been building since the middle of the inept Clinton administration's term. Gonzales' firing of the US attorneys is totally legal, whatever the cause. They serve at the pleasure of the President, period. Nobody in the mainstream press, save the Wall Street Journal, is reminding Americans of Slick Willie's wholesale firing of every one of the 93 sitting US District Attorney, in order to get the Whitewater and Madison Trust investigations delayed or shut down.

President Bush is doing the right thing on both issues, and his timid Republican party members, in both Congressional Houses, should be happy he has a spine. Because they have, by and large, lost theirs. Granted, the House Republicans limited defections on the Iraq resolution, but a few of their number still jumped ship.

When they look back on this era, Republicans will see Bush as a steady, confident President, who did not shy from confrontation with a petty, vindictive, and probably temporary Democratic plurality in the House and Senate.