Aug 30 2006
Mr President: Listen To Dick Morris
Now I see why Dick Morris is a formidable political advisor. He has sage advise for Bush and all Republicans for the fall campaign:
Bush and the Republicans need to stop alienating voters by arguing that Iraq is an indispensable front in the War on Terror. They should center their fall campaign to keep control of Congress on the national-security issue sans Iraq.
Bush doesn’t need to reverse course on Iraq. He doesn’t need to pull out the troops and send them home. He doesn’t even need to set a timetable for withdrawal. But he does have to stop talking about Iraq and talk, instead, about homeland security.
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Bush and the GOP need to leave a defense of the war in Iraq behind in their bid to keep control of Congress. After all, what is more important to the American people — a war thousands of miles away or the immediate threat to homeland security so recently evidenced by the plot to blow up jetliners over the Atlantic on the London-to-New York route?
Republicans can’t afford to insist on being re-elected for the right reasons. But if they take what American public opinion is prepared to give them, they can yet salvage this election.
Morris is right, mainly because Iraq is now primarily in the hands of the Iraqi’s. We can continue to nurcher them and stand by them (and America is not against this role at all), but it is not an issue. Bush controls the military. Talk about the NSA and FISA and how the system worked before the left tried to dismantle it on the pages of the NY Times. Talk about our successes. Give us examples of why we should stay with conservatives. Risk a little information getting out. At least there will be controlled exposures, not the rampant melee from the liberal press. They did it when Powell divulged intel to argue to get into Iraq. Now is another good time to do it again.
The president is going to do some speeches on Iraq. I think that is a good thing, if he refuses to talk about then the Democrats will just take control of the dialogue. There is no reason why the two subjects of homeland security and Iraq need to be mutually exclusive anyway.
Do we really want Al Q or Iran taking control of the oil fields in Iraq or other parts of the Middle East?
The reason the public is off Iraq is because the dems have pummeled them…And I think that there is a HUGE misinterpretation of the polling information.
I don’t have a problem with the President talking about our safety…in any form…
Bush is right about getting pummelled in the media PR game by al Qaeda but he should also note that his party is getting pummelled by the msm/dnc party.
I think people are missing Morris’ points. Bush is not caving on Iraq – he just doesn’t need to talk about it. He is in control.
There is no need say anything more than “we are there until we succeed, and we are slowly succeeding”. Morris is simply saying emphasize the NSA and local issues.
Ok, AJ, I read that wrong. My bads.
Hi AJ…
Have enjoyed your blog as a daily read but first time to comment. Glad you picked up on Morris as he is very politically savvy. He’s not right all the time but overall, when he talks, I sit up straight and listen. His instincts about the public feelings are good, he usually offers practical solutions and he only cares about winning (and dissing Hilliary).
Aj:
I disagree. I know people who believe that Bush has been too easy in Iraq, they are not sure he has not caved and they need to be reassured.
Welcome Owl,
I read you quite a bit over at JOM (as I do most our readers!)
Cheers, AJStrata
Terrye,
Bush has never waivered. Maybe those who need to buck should just buck up and help him keep Congress in Rep hands. It will be only six years since Reps have had control of governments, and we lost two of those when whats-his-name went independent and gave the Senate to the Dems. I think the country is realizing all the Chicken Little stories from the left are BS and the country is doing as good as normal under Reps. I think they are ready to continue the trip away from liberalism.
And Reps in Congress to get behind (loudly) ending earmarks(thx a lot Stevens, Lott!), judicial appointments and increased enforcement of existing immigration laws, given that compresensive bill is not attainable this session.