President George W. Bush Made Obama Possible

Americans simply will not elect a liberal when they feel fear. Since President Bush deserves the credit for our security (through the countless actions he's initiated: tough FISA laws, winning in Iraq, taking on The Taliban in Afghanistan, etc.), he's made the Obama candidacy palatable.

Similarly, Jimmy Carter, could only have beaten Republican Gerald Ford if Americans felt safe. And in 1976, they did. While the Cold War was always on the front burner, during the '70s the chill between America and the former Soviet Union had thawed considerably. Our two countries collaborated on the immensely successful Apollo-Soyuz space missions, signed a nuclear agreement (the SALT Treaty), and entered a period of détente -- a decided easing of tensions.

Yes, there were international incidents that threatened to derail this precarious understanding. The 1973 Arab-Israeli war, for one, certainly heightened tensions. But by and large the late '60s through the early '80s was a time of significantly less anxiety between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. No Détente, no Jimmy Carter! The architects of Détente were Republican President Nixon and his Republican Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. They made Carter possible.

It's the same story with another liberal, Bill Clinton. If the Soviet Union hadn't come apart and been reconstituted as a Democracy in August 1991, no one would have considered the young, unknown Governor of Arkansas for the top job in 1992. It's only because the Republican president Ronald Reagan brilliantly managed the end of the Cold War, and the Republican president George H.W. Bush defanged (at the time) Saddam Hussein in Gulf War I, that our country would even consider another "Jimmy Carter".

In modern times, the Jimmy Carters among us -- like Barack Obama -- who have neither foreign policy experience or impressive legislative accomplishments, but are charismatic, appealing looking and well-spoken agents of "change," seem to come along in 16 year intervals: JFK, in 1960; Carter, in 1976, and Clinton, in 1992.

All of them won the presidency because the Republican presidents who preceded them kept America safe. In so doing, voters felt that they could take a chance on a liberal.

Now, here we are, another 16 years after Clinton and wouldn't you know, the Democrat candidate, Barack Obama, is another young, unknown liberal. Does anyone really believe, if we had been attacked a number of times over these past seven years, the empty bromides of "Yes We Can" from a former "community organizer" would have registered in Iowa? I don't think so. Americans could only consider an Obama, because of the remarkable success of President Bush, through his decisive actions, in ratcheting down the fear Americans felt for many years after 9/11.

Of course, the Left insists that we're not safer than we were after 9/11. But, until they come up with a number lower than zero, as in the number of attacks against us since then, that argument remains silly.

Certainly, America does not want a resurgence of the Cold War, but if the Russian Bear continues to rear it's head by continuing its provocations -- into the Ukraine for instance -- or, a major confrontation with Iran unfolds -- then Americans are very likely, out of a justified fear, not to elect a liberal.

But, if the current, general atmosphere of everyday life remains as calm through November as it does today -- and Senator Obama is elected -- his first "thank you" note should be addressed to the man who currently resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Comments

[rshrink]

Yes, I was waiting for the punch line, but lo, it did not come. Therefore, I feel the need to do an LOL. Bush has been a great promoter of democrats for sure, as he has done such an outstandlingly horrible job that most intelligent people would have to consider another choice this time.

[Fein]

Where's the punch line?

Going by this logic, Hitler was responsible for the reconstruction of Europe after WW2.

[cardineau]

Surely this is sarcastic jest! The US is the most aggressive and war-mongering country on Earth. We are not safer at all ... ask the people of Iraq, Afghanistan and Viet Nam. We is a term which should incorporate all of the ordinary people on Earth. In its so called quest for the elimination of terror, the US has killed millions of people ... 99.99 % of them innocent of anything to do with terror. So who is safe from this terrorizing giant called the USA? NO-one!

[chinationreport]

Be prepared though that one or all of the following might happen in October:
1. Orange security alert
2. Bin Laden caught
3. New terror threat reported /discovered/ traced
4. Obama's past connection's connection's connection with any of the above.

From:
http://www.chinationreport.com

[Russycle]

Let's see...the US military is bogged down in not one but two quagmires on the other side of the planet, the cost of oil is skyrocketing, Lou Dobbs and friends claim invaders are pouring through our porous borders, the earth's heating up, and if disaster strikes my town I don't have to worry about the fact that the National Guard is deployed ten thousand miles away and FEMA is under the control of one of Bush's polo buddies, because Blackwater will be on the scene pronto-for a small fee-and if I don't look like a looter they probably won't shoot me, but if they do it's OK because contractors are above the law.

Boy, I can't remember when I felt so safe.

[Syco]

well I guess there is at least one thing about Bush that everyone can love

[Rescisco]

Every time we let "fear" do the choosing we end up with a dimwitted right winger. That leads to more war, bigger debt as we put the war on the credit card, less security, and more failure (all of which is blamed on the "liberals" and others who do not wear flag pins). Give me a break. Stop buying the absolutely false notion that Republicans are stronger on national security. Not understanding the world, alienating our friends, and being historically wrong and factually incorrect on every major issue effecting our national security for the past thirty years is not "strong" and it does not protect us in the least.

[MorpheusXNYC]

Uh.. Yeah.. I've got 3 letters for you that should vanquish any Democrats make for bad stewards of national security: F.D.R.

Hailed as the most brilliant foreign policy president EVER. In the words of Gore Vidal, "He was our emperor".

Anyone wanting to hear some incredibly enlightening and informative history on how F.D.R. was the preeminent global political architect and power broker for the Western world during the middle of the 20th century should watch Gore Vidal's interviews at TheRealNews.com - therealnew­s.com/t/in­dex.php?op­tion=com_c­ontent&tas­k=view&id=­31&Itemid=­74&jumival­=337

[DCX2]

I was just thinking...you know, had former Republican administrations not meddled in the affairs of foreign countries in the Middle East (like, you know, using Afghanistan to fight a proxy war against Russia...that sort of thing), then maybe we wouldn't need to be "kept safe".

Irony is thinking that you're kept safe by the people who put you in harm's way in the first place.

[Demijon]

And we have Bill Clinton to thank for George Bush.

[HeevenSteven]

I think Bush did make Obama possible, by revealing to all who care to look the true face and priorities of the authoritarian right; and it ain't a pretty picture.

[muffler]

The whole strawman is built from a republicans self important and historically inaccurate perspective. This commentary is a reach way beyond reaches. America will elect Obama because the Republicans have grossly mismanaged and deceived this country and the results have become obvious to everyone, but the BASE.

IranContra (Bush-Reagan). Give Missiles to Iran while they have Hostages? Weapons deals with Saddam Hussein in the 1980 (Reagan Rumsfeld, Cheney,Bush). Not rebuilding Afghanistan after the the Soviets were driven out.... millions to kill and nothing to rebuild. S&L crisis (Niel Bush) and the buyout (I think the name McCain fit here also). Homeland Security failures and violations of our Constitution (Bush, Cheney). Falsifying and starting the war in Iraq while mismanaging Afghanistan (again) (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld). Mortgage Crisis (Gramm) , Trickle down (didn't even get damp), Massive Deficits and bankrupting of the US treasury (Every single republican administration since Reagan). Moral Majority and Contract with America - All of them committed adultery or crimes. Politicization of the Judiciary (Gonzalez, Cheney, Bush, Miers), Torture - nothing more to be said here, Removal of Habeas Corpus (Bush), Denial of Unreasonable search and seizure (Bush and Gonzales), Outing of CIA operatives for Political Gain (Cheney) and then pardoning of co-conspirator (Bush). Katrina!

I'm not out of things to list... just time.

[BizarroCub]

*applauds*

Well said.

[chicagojosh]

What's the count now? The last one I heard that got any really large media attention was 4,000. That's a number MUCH higher than 0.

[flatus]

Would you settle for Obama rubbing Bush's head, as he walks out of the White House for the last time,
and saying, "Now get outta here, you knucklehead."?