Eight years later, how does George W. Bush define “compassionate conservatism,” the ideology that served him so well as a candidate? In an exit interview with National Review, he called it “the proper use of government to enable a hopeful society to develop based upon your talents and your success.” Bush said compassionate conservatism is a “philosophy that most people adhere to” and predicted that “conservatives will rebound.” He also defended the invasion of Iraq and his failed attempt to reform Social Security, and expressed regret about not having a third Supreme Court appointment to make. All in all, he said, “I’m comfortable that I have made principled decisions for eight years, that I was unwilling to sacrifice those principles for the sake of short-term approbation.”
Meanwhile, on our Opinion page today, columnist Leonard Pitts ruminates on the early drafters of pro-Bush history he says are seeking to “impose a sunnier, more forgiving view on the past eight years than the facts will support.”
Our Sunday editorial noted how the Soul of the Community study by Gallup and the Knight Foundation found that Wichita stands out for the high percentage of area residents – 43 percent, compared with an average 34 percent in 25 other surveyed cities across the nation – who are neutral about the community. The Wichita area also lagged its peer cities in overall citizen engagement, community loyalty and community passion.
We suggested that “no city should be satisfied with a civic self-esteem that amounts to a shrug” and pondered how to get Wichitans fired up and better engaged. As the Gallup-Knight study puts it, “Engaged citizens within a community are inspired by the community around them.” Hey, WE Bloggers, have you been inspired by Wichita lately? Or are “Wichita” and “community passion” concepts that don’t and simply won’t go together?
Even as it was drafted and ratified, the Constitution was deemed incomplete by many because “it has no declaration of rights,” as Virginia planter George Mason bitterly put it. His dissent, and the Virginia Declaration of Rights he had authored, eventually led to the Bill of Rights, which had been ratified by three-quarters of the states as of 217 years ago today. The 10 amendments spelled out for all time the rights of individuals and the limits of government power. Americans can thank founders such as Mason for insisting on a written guarantee of their rights to speak and worship freely, keep and bear arms, and much, much more. And readers can thank the dutiful local members of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America for ensuring that Bill of Rights Day always gets its due on The Eagle’s Opinion pages.
In a recent New York Times commentary, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reflected on the success of the Iraq troop surge and said Americans can be proud of what’s happened in Iraq over the past five years, but he was cautious about whether the surge strategy could work in Afghanistan. “Only capable indigenous forces can ultimately win an insurgency. Afghan forces, backed by coalition troops, will need to move into the most violent areas to secure and protect the local population, enabling Afghans to cooperate with their government without losing their lives.” To President-elect Barack Obama he counseled: “More is not always better. One size does not fit all.”
Of course, this is the guy who botched the occupation of Iraq and who authorized torture.
Here is (belatedly) what Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., had to say at the November send-off for Sen. Ted Stevens (in photo), R-Alaska, after his conviction on seven counts of failing to report gifts and home renovations and his re-election defeat. Characterizing Stevens as a teddy bear under a “great, gruff facade,” Roberts said: “Here is a passionate, caring, wise, and, yes, a man with a very good sense of humor.” Now the question is whether Stevens will get a last-minute pardon from President George W. Bush.
Eight years later, how does George W. Bush define “compassionate conservatism,” the ideology that served him so well as a candidate? In an exit interview with National Review, he called it “the proper use of government to enable a hopeful society to develop based upon your talents and your success.” Bush said compassionate conservatism is a “philosophy that most people adhere to” and predicted that “conservatives will rebound.” He also defended the invasion of Iraq and his failed attempt to reform Social Security, and expressed regret about not having a third Supreme Court appointment to make. All in all, he said, “I’m comfortable that I have made principled decisions for eight years, that I was unwilling to sacrifice those principles for the sake of short-term approbation.”
