RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Here at the end of February, 2008, with the exception of a few die-hard block-headed Republicans, it is clear that madmen are in charge of the Bush Administration. I wonder how that came to pass?

Before September 11, 2001, we were all relieved to have Bush and Cheney in charge after, at last, relief from the torture of the second Bill Clinton term. Then with the attack, it seems that the Bush-Cheney team took a long swig of that potion that turned Dr. Jekyll into Mr. Hyde.

The team staggered from disaster to disaster, blunder to blunder, wrong-headed thinking to no-thinking. Bush's legacy is going to be dismal.

The latest recognition of the criminal Islamic terrorist state of Kosovo is just the latest example.

The crown jewel of the disaster diadem remains Iraq however. Instead of concentrating on Afghanistan were the terrorists actually were, the Bush team decided to push another's agenda in Mesopotamia. We took out the only secular ruler in the area who actually was fighting Al Qaeda.

The team has abandoned the weapons of mass destruction rationale and is now babbling about aid to terrorists based on flimsy evidence. Taking down Iraq on such proof is similar to policemen burning down a house to keep it from being burglarized.

I'm not sure if it's him or Rove, or Cheney, but someone in the White House tricked us into giving up our constitutional freedoms, starting a war with Iraq, re-electing him even though we knew he was lying, throwing mud at an honest war-hero like John Kerry when he used power and influence to stay out of Vietnam, outed a CIA agent and got away with it, got Americans to agree with torture. That sounds pretty good to me.

I'm going to speak first about his ability to deal with electoral politics, and not the politics of dealing with legislators.

He's far more skilled a politician than his enemies (or his supporters for that matter) give him credit for. He seems to have a well developed nose for weakness and a sense of the jugular. He is not in the same class as ruthless master political operatives such as Johnson, Tip O'Neill or Nixon, but he's probably in the next tier. Four stars for this element.

In dealing with Congress, the Senate and other legislators and in dealing with the complex political facets of governing, he is, while not incompetent, inept. He shows limited ability to coerce and co-opt opponents and neutrals, and on occasion alienates supporters. 1.5 stars.

Make it three over all.

Provided that the definition of political prowess includes "ruthless cunning" and by George W. Bush, you mean the "product" that is being sold to the centre-right of American thinking, then by all means, his political prowess is without parallel.

Well, his handlers anyway. Far from perfect, but better than the other guys. The "Brownie" approach to Katrina was politically disastrous. On the other hand, sending attack dogs against Kerry's war record and then lamenting "unregulated speech" (withouth having to acknowledge that the swift boaters were lying through their teeth) was a twist of genious.

Bush has run one of the most overtly political White House's in recent memory. In fact, I would say that other political presidents like LBJ stand small against the Bush Administration. This is reflected in many ways, from policy-making to staffing choices and even relations with the Congress. Basically Bush likes to keep decision-making very tight, only a few people really have any significant power there. I understand the need for streamlined decision-making, but my concern stems from the need for diverse opinions to be represented in the policy-making process. This invariably leads to groupthink and ideological considerations taking precedence over more objective criteria. The Bush administration could be characterized as winning political victories on a wide range of issues, but here one should note that these wins have been won only nominally. Yes, Bush leads a party that united, but look a little deeper and you'll find lots of cracks. Bush has a empowered a cadre of economic and political advisors to assist in decision making, much to the detriment of career staff in the cabinet departments, who are less political and more rooted in the analysis of quantitative data rather than a focus on ideological positioning for public relations purposes, which is a very shallow way of going about policy making. Even more problematic is the fact that key positions have remained unstaffed in key departments such as the Treasury, Defense, and Commerce Departments. The more time passes, the more is seems as if this White House would rather keep people out of office rather than in, again going back to the theme of concentrated decision-making. Anyone who is a threat to the ideological tenants of this administration gets the boot. Yes Bush is a good politician, much better than his friends and enemies give him credit for, but does this have to be at the expense of sound policy decision-making? This administration seems more focused on looking preened for the cameras and other sophistry. The problem is that this sloppy approach in policy-making over time will begin to show, leading to policy defeats, with is a growing possibility on some issues like Social Security.

Maybe those who give him such low scores should wonder how he got 60 million people to vote for him, how he's been winning elections for decades on end and continually gets legislation passed that comports to his personal agenda.

Right, Rove and Cheney have all the political prowess in this administration. Bush is just a puppet with their hands up his back directing his every move and statement. Reminds me of the statements surrounding Reagan a few years back.

It is tough to tell if the political prowess (or cunning, depending on one's point of view) within this administration actually comes from Bush. I don't think much of it does, so I'm not giving him credit. I think Rove and Cheney would rank much higher than Bush in this category.

Has the best political prowess big business can buy him.

he was underestimated by the democrats in 2000, and probably will be again in 2004. president bush barely won 4 years ago, and the worst terrorist attack in american history occurred on his watch, but he will still level any of his democratic opponents in the general election.

It is rather surprising to me that after such a close (and controversial election), Bush has established an awesome political prowess that is sure to allow him to ride his way into a second term. After getting off to a rather rocky start, 9/11 boosted the country's faith and confidance in their President, and thus, in the President's party. The President enjoyed high approval ratings throughout the rest of 2001 and most of 2002, and still, despite what the pundits say, continues to bounce back. Bush sends his message across in a clear and simple manner, and furthermore, he has elevated his political party into power. Recently, his smartest move has been his refusal to jump into the political debate by refusing to comment on any of his challengers, which signifies to many Americans that he is focused on his job and not on petty re-election politics (although this is far from true). When it's all said and done, I believe that Bush's political prowess will prove to be advantageous in the upcoming election, and I'm betting my money on a comfortable victory for the President in 2004.

Allows himself to be manipulated by others and shows little concern for the common person in our country. Totally ignores those who have lost their lives in his failed Iraq invasion.

Bush is the worst President we've ever had. Nixon may have been a creep, but at least he got something done.

Absolutely none. He has everything done and decided for him, and Washington holds its collective breath everytime this apeman says anything unscripted. Politics includes diplomacy, unfortunately, and he is easily the least diplomatic president in US history who has alienated more people at home and abroad than any president in history. He is the reason that 90% of the world are terrified of the US, and terror leads to hatred because it is really hard to like or admire anything you're afraid of. Ergo, Bush is the cause of a large portion of the hate and anger in the world. The only people who would even think that he has political prowess are: (i) Conservative idiots who believe virtually everything they are told, even if it contradicts their own observations, (ii) People who have a grade 3 education (see previous point) and who don't know what the word 'prowess' means, and (iii) Right-wing lunatics who don't need to be convinced of anything because they already agree with everything Bush says and does.

Bush? Political prowess? That's Karl Rove's job; all Bush has to do is smile for the cameras.

Got his own press secretary to come out and tell the nation to watch what they are saying. Lovely. As the nazi Herman Goering once said, "Of course the people do not want war, but it is easy to get them to do the biddings of the leader, that is easy. Just tell them that they are under attack and denounce the pacifists as unpatriotic. Works the same in any country."

Mr. Bush has stopped the democratic party from opposing him on all but the most trivial of issues while enjoying a one vote lead in the senate. You tell me.

Bush does seem to know what he is doing.

bush is a little bitch

What is up with that guy talking about Quayle? Anyway, Bush is a moron who cut the defense budget to put money back in the hands of the people and spur the economy (although most tax cuts went to investors and speculators). Then our underfunded intelligence dropped the ball on 9/11, now he's pullin' money out of our collective asses to wage war on the world.

I have to say the man has been dazzling at running circles around the Democrats. He has enjoyed an unprecedented run of approval ratings. He turned the 2002 elections into a vote on his own policies - a strategy which resulted in watershed victories for the Republicans. Despite the man's apparent lack of book smarts or diplomacy skills, he has put on a stunning display of political know-how. Totally shocking in my opinion.

Come on.. you know Daddy's pulling the strings.

If there's one thing Bush understands, it's politics. Unlike his poor old Dad, Dubya will succeed in getting himself and his cronies reelected in '04 and beyond...

Awesome Prowess.