CNSNews.com Staff Writer
May 01, 2007
(CNSNews.com) - When John Hawkins wrote on his blog that the Bush administration "has shown themselves to be utterly and completely politically incompetent," it was not another instance of a left-wing blogger attacking the president. Hawkins' popular blog is, in fact, called rightwingnews.com, and the sentiment expressed evidently reflects the views of some conservatives and political analysts in the months since the Democrats took control of Congress."There are undoubtedly mayors of two-stoplight towns out there that could run circles around the whole Bush administration politically," he writes.
Some conservatives and analysts contend that the party once considered masters of political strategy ready to take the fight to the Democrats - leading to major electoral successes in 2002 and 2004 - have been on the defensive much of this year."They can't make a case for the things they support, they can't adequately defend themselves, they have no idea how to use the bully pulpit or how to attack their political enemies, and they have foolishly allowed a gap to develop between the administration and the base," Hawkins wrote in his blog.
When Democrats in Congress howled over the firings of eight U.S. attorneys - all of whom serve at the pleasure of the president - the White House apologized. That's something that would have never occurred a year ago, said Gary Rose, political science professor at Sacred Heart University. While a few Republicans criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to meet Syrian leaders, the critics would have been much louder last year, Rose told Cybercast News Service, offering the Damascus visit as another example.
The reason for timidity is that Republicans are still shell shocked after the 2006 elections, he said. "Republicans at this point are a little cautious about depicting Democrats as being out of step with the American people," Rose argued. "Whenever there is a watershed election like 1994 or 2006, the party that loses control is subdued in the short-term."
REST OF STORY:
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200705/NAT20070501a.html
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