Anger Leads to Hate

George W. Bush is not a conservative. He is not a Libertarian, Liberal, fascist or Communist. He is a Republican. He has sacrificed about everyone of his principles in order to gain political victories. Love it or hate it (most hate it as poll numbers now show), he is a two-term president and has been successful in staying in office and bringing justice to the terrorists and the man who tried to kill his father.

The economist reviews a book this week taking on this exact subject. Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy, by: Bruce Bartlett. I have not read the book, but The Economist says, "From steel tariffs to spiraling regulation and profligate spending, Mr Bartlett tears into every aspect of Mr Bush's economic policy. Page after page denounces the administration's lack of principle, the president's lack of interest in the policy process, and the White House's general inaptitude. This book is a sobering reminder of just how much the Bush team has got wrong: from the failure to veto a single spending bill, however pork-laden, to the crass recklessness of serially cutting taxes while introducing the biggest expansion of a government entitlement program's in decades—the inclusion of prescription-drug coverage in Medicare, the government health plan for the elderly."

That sounds nice enough. An interesting read for a diverse group of Bush-haters. However, The Economist says that Bartlett fails to add anything, but snow to the snowbank. "Though it is unlikely to win him many conservative friends, Mr Bartlett's analysis of America's fiscal prospects is compelling. Unfortunately, his overall indictment of the president is less compelling than it should be. That is mainly because, like many other Bush-bashing authors, Mr Bartlett is too often driven to hyperbole." This sounds like just another political book, written by people who understand politics, but not principles.

One thing you should take from this book review is that principles matter. Add substance to debate and don't grandstand like Bartlett does (just that name brings me wishes that The West Wing was true life and not a TV show) or sell your soul the political devil like Bush did. Political politicians are bad, but angry talking heads are worse.