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Where The Right Went Wrong! 12/20/2004 11:23:55 AM
My comments on the latest book by Patrick J. Buchannan on how neoconservatives subverted the Reagan Revolution and hijacked the Bush presidency.
The book promises a SEARING expose of the sabateurs of Reaganism and sapers of the Bush administration by three time presidential candidate and television commentator Patrick Buchannan.
I'm no conservative, so I salivated when I knew Buchannan had written a book critical of his own kind. I thought: "how delightful; one craven, unfeeling lover of the elite, will present a scathing indictment of his own kind."
Instead, Buchannan tells me that America is at its Apex, sole Superpower, with no challengers in sigh, other than China which is about to explode and compete, if not overcome us. This I knew. He retells the founding fathers story at length.
This I knew, as well.
I did enjoy his recanting of the guidelines from 'nationalists' (as he refers to them); Washington to Madison to Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Among which were:
* America must not be thirteen seperate markets.
* To insure free trade a new national goverment must be created.
* The tarrif revenue extracted from foreign merchants will be used to build a new capitol, create an army and navy to defend us from imperial predators, and construct roads, harbors, and canals that will bind us together as a people.
Lots of stuff like that in this book.
The 'scathing', however, was woefully missing. He hardly lays a glove on the Bush Administration, other than to casually refer to a "cabal" (illusive neo-cons) that ignited a "war of civilization" with the Islamic world which will leave us mired down in the Middle East for years to come, sapping our treasure, killing our young and brave.
He does expose the reckless, nearly criminal economic policies of this administration. I liked the fact the true conservatives (as Buchannan likes to think of himself) totally abhore the deficit spending of this innattentive crowd.
He dutifully reminds us that the Bush administration has:
* Taken the Clinton surplus of $236 billion and artfully made it dissappear into a projected $521 billion dollar deficit, and how Bush hasn't vetoed a single bill.
* The federal government is borrowing almost 5 percent of our national economy just to pay its bills.
* From 2002 to 2004, Bush added $1.3 trillion to the national debt.
* By election year 2004 this cast of miscreants allowed U.S. deficits to grow so large that the IMF, monitor of Third World wastrels, was warning the United States that its enormous appetite for foreign borrowing was imperiling the world economy.
He ( rightfully )states that Republicans have sacrificed the American worker on the alter of free trade, and (wrongly) discarded the beliefs of Taft, Goldwater, and Reagan to become a party of big government that sells its soul the highest bidder.
C'mon, Pat! Reagan wasn't the champion you see in your rose colored conservative glasses. He was a 'conglomerator', one who took powerful industries like airlines and broadcasting, and opened them up to scavengers and the highest bidder.
I'm one of the victims of Reagans 'deregulation' of the broadcast industry. There are only giant megalopolis corporate owners now, who shunted aside and gobbled up every Mom & Pop radio facility in our fine land. Scathing indictment? Not in your book, I'm afraid.
Even the IDEA of the exsistence of NEO- conservatives is ridiculous. These are just madmen who have actually implimented the right wing of the political spctrum with more bravado (some would say, stupidity) than their forbears Taft, Goldwater and Reagan. That's all!
The most outrageous claim in Buchannans new book is his revelation that these neo-conservatives are actually LIBERALS from the 'farthest left-wing'!
His convoluted logic concludes that since the policies of the current administration are so wacky, so out of touch with reality, so antithical to a true world-view---they must be 'liberal' in essence.
My dear man. I can only be glad you didn't win in your run for president. If you really conclude that these bloodthirsty neocons are mearly Ted Kennedy in 'armour plated clothing', then say hello to my friend Alice; she lives in a wonderland that makes far more sense than yours.
Look, this book is very good at giving you an historical overview,--- even perpective. I like the history in it. I was just hoping for a more level headed indictment of Bush & Boys.
