The Center for American Progress bills itself as "a nonpartisan research and educational institute dedicated to promoting a strong, just and free America".
Translated into English, that means "another stealth Democrat propaganda front".
Let's start by raising some serious questions about this intensely stupid piece.
The goal, of course, is to try to make John Kerry look less like a supercilious empty suit by chanting "But the President does it too!
1. OPEC
BUSH PROMISES TO FORCE OPEC TO LOWER PRICES..."What I think the president ought to do [when gas prices spike] is he ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots...And the president of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price." [President Bush, 1/26/00]
...BUSH REFUSES TO LOBBY OPEC LEADERS With gas prices soaring in the United States at the beginning of 2004, the Miami Herald reported the president refused to "personally lobby oil cartel leaders to change their minds." [Miami Herald, 4/1/04]
No kidding. He's a president in wartime. He has a State Department and, remember this, an entire free-market industry that's supposed to do that. And, quite frankly, it's not something the president should be doing.
2. Iraq Funding
BUSH SPOKESMAN DENIES NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE REST OF 2004..."We don't anticipate requesting anything additional for [Iraq for] the balance of this year." [White House Budget Director Joshua Bolten, 7/29/03]
…BUSH REQUESTS ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR IRAQ FOR 2004 “I am requesting that Congress establish a $25 billion contingency reserve fund for the coming fiscal year to meet all commitments to our troops.” [President Bush, Statement by President, 5/5/04]
Goodness, yes. The President, faced with a revanchist terrorist onslaught determined to derail the transfer of sovereignty, should have stuck with an arbitrary figure that the Democrats didn't support in the first place.
3. Condoleeza Rice Testimony
BUSH SPOKESMAN SAYS RICE WON'T TESTIFY AS 'A MATTER OF PRINCIPLE'...“Again, this is not her personal preference; this goes back to a matter of principle. There is a separation of powers issue involved here. Historically, White House staffers do not testify before legislative bodies. So it's a matter of principle, not a matter of preference.” [White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, 3/9/04]
…BUSH ORDERS RICE TO TESTIFY: “Today I have informed the Commission on Terrorist Attacks Against the United States that my National Security Advisor, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, will provide public testimony.” [President Bush, 3/30/04]
The full story please? Some details about the press onslaught that the President was answering by violating decades of executive branch practice by sending the National Security Advisor to testify...
...to a kangaroo commission. It was, in fact, not a flip flip; it was just a mistake.
4. Science
BUSH PLEDGES TO ISSUE REGULATIONS BASED ON SCIENCE..."I think we ought to have high standards set by agencies that rely upon science, not by what may feel good or what sounds good." [then-Governor George W. Bush, 1/15/00]
...BUSH ADMINISTRATION REGULATIONS IGNORE SCIENCE "60 leading scientists—including Nobel laureates, leading medical experts, former federal agency directors and university chairs and presidents—issued a statement calling for regulatory and legislative action to restore scientific integrity to federal policymaking. According to the scientists, the Bush administration has, among other abuses, suppressed and distorted scientific analysis from federal agencies, and taken actions that have undermined the quality of scientific advisory panels." [Union of Concerned Scientists, 2/18/04]
This is a hopelessly broad complaint. Look at the cases involved: Some of the decisions were questionable; others involved politically-motivated, agenda-driven "science" that, if it were to drive policy, would constitute not only real-flip flops, but stupid science in and of itself.
5. Ahmed Chalabi
BUSH INVITES CHALABI TO STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS...President Bush also met with Chalabi during his brief trip to Iraq last Thanksgiving [White House Documents 1/20/04, 11/27/03]
...BUSH MILITARY ASSISTS IN RAID OF CHALABI'S HOUSE"U.S. soldiers raided the home of America's one-time ally Ahmad Chalabi on Thursday and seized documents and computers." [Washington Post, 5/20/04]
Three things not mentioned: - In November, Chalabi was a leading contender to lead post-war Iraq.
- Now, there are allegations that Chalabi is compromised. It happens.
- And if you believe Frank Gaffney, the decision may have been driven as much by the rivalry between State, CIA and the military as anything Chalabi himself did.
In any case, the term is "response", not "flip-flop". The right response? We don't know yet.
6. Department of Homeland Security
BUSH OPPOSES THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY..."So, creating a Cabinet office doesn't solve the problem. You still will have agencies within the federal government that have to be coordinated. So the answer is that creating a Cabinet post doesn't solve anything." [White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, 3/19/02]
...BUSH SUPPORTS THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY "So tonight, I ask the Congress to join me in creating a single, permanent department with an overriding and urgent mission: securing the homeland of America and protecting the American people." [President Bush, Address to the Nation, 6/6/02]
Er, yeah. He was right the first time, and I wish he'd have stuck with it. But now, the whole story; he had to give on the DHS - another federal, unionized, Democrat-friendly bureaucracy - to pass other parts of his agenda on terror. Mistake? Perhaps. But less a "flip-flop" than just mere politics.
7. Weapons of Mass Destruction
BUSH SAYS WE FOUND THE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION..."We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories…for those who say we haven't found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they're wrong, we found them." [President Bush, Interview in Poland, 5/29/03]
...BUSH SAYS WE HAVEN'T FOUND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION "David Kay has found the capacity to produce weapons. And when David Kay goes in and says we haven't found stockpiles yet, and there's theories as to where the weapons went. They could have been destroyed during the war. Saddam and his henchmen could have destroyed them as we entered into Iraq. They could be hidden. They could have been transported to another country, and we'll find out." [President Bush, Meet the Press, 2/7/04]
Hardly a flip-flop. More of a "wait and see".
We waited, and we saw.
Not a flip-flop.
8. Free Trade
BUSH SUPPORTS FREE TRADE... "I believe strongly that if we promote trade, and when we promote trade, it will help workers on both sides of this issue." [President Bush in Peru, 3/23/02]
...BUSH SUPPORTS RESTRICTIONS ON TRADE "In a decision largely driven by his political advisers, President Bush set aside his free-trade principles last year and imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel to help out struggling mills in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, two states crucial for his reelection." [Washington Post, 9/19/03]
Wow. We're up to number eight, and we finally found a flip flop. Yep. The President was wrong.
Now, how disingenuous of the CFAP is it to complain about restriction of free trade - something they are kind of squishy on themselves, to say the least?
9. Osama Bin Laden
BUSH WANTS OSAMA DEAD OR ALIVE... "I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, I recall, that says, 'Wanted: Dead or Alive.'" [President Bush, on Osama Bin Laden, 09/17/01]
...BUSH DOESN'T CARE ABOUT OSAMA “I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him… I truly am not that concerned about him.” [President Bush, Press Conference, 3/13/02]
Really? Has Task Force 121 been disbanded? Have we called off the international manhunt? Knowing the dogs have been called off, is Bin Laden staying at the Radisson in Fargo, playing OTB and chasing blondes?
No. Bush justifiably deflated some of the left's misguided monomania about Bin Laden; the left substitutes "Search for Bin Laden" for "war on terror".
Not a flip-flop.
10. The Environment
BUSH SUPPORTS MANDATORY CAPS ON CARBON DIOXIDE... "[If elected], Governor Bush will work to…establish mandatory reduction targets for emissions of four main pollutants: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, mercury and carbon dioxide." [Bush Environmental Plan, 9/29/00]
...BUSH OPPOSES MANDATORY CAPS ON CARBON DIOXIDE "I do not believe, however, that the government should impose on power plants mandatory emissions reductions for carbon dioxide, which is not a 'pollutant' under the Clean Air Act." [President Bush, Letter to Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), 3/13/03]
If it's a flip flop, it's an incremental one, and one in the right direction.
11. WMD Commission
BUSH RESISTS AN OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION ON WMD INTELLIGENCE FAILURE... "The White House immediately turned aside the calls from Kay and many Democrats for an immediate outside investigation, seeking to head off any new wide-ranging election-year inquiry that might go beyond reports already being assembled by congressional committees and the Central Intelligence Agency." [NY Times, 1/29/04]
...BUSH SUPPORTS AN OUTSIDE INVESTIGATION ON WMD INTELLIGENCE FAILURE "Today, by executive order, I am creating an independent commission, chaired by Governor and former Senator Chuck Robb, Judge Laurence Silberman, to look at American intelligence capabilities, especially our intelligence about weapons of mass destruction." [President Bush, 2/6/04]
Read carefully; he opposed the howling moonbat Democrat proposal, and established a responsible, adult investigation. No flip-flop.
12. Creation of the 9/11 Commission
BUSH OPPOSES CREATION OF INDEPENDENT 9/11 COMMISSION... "President Bush took a few minutes during his trip to Europe Thursday to voice his opposition to establishing a special commission to probe how the government dealt with terror warnings before Sept. 11." [CBS News, 5/23/02]
...BUSH SUPPORTS CREATION OF INDEPENDENT 9/11 COMMISSION "President Bush said today he now supports establishing an independent commission to investigate the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks." [ABC News, 09/20/02]
Not so much a flip-flop as a mistake. But OK, we're at a soft two for 12.
13. Time Extension for 9/11 Commission
BUSH OPPOSES TIME EXTENSION FOR 9/11 COMMISSION... "President Bush and House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) have decided to oppose granting more time to an independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks." [Washington Post, 1/19/04]
...BUSH SUPPORTS TIME EXTENSION FOR 9/11 COMMISSION "The White House announced Wednesday its support for a request from the commission investigating the September 11, 2001 attacks for more time to complete its work." [CNN, 2/4/04]
So what? I mean, granting the Gorelick Kangaroo Court any time at all was a mistake, but what difference does this make? Call it a flop - we're at a soft 2.5 for 13.
14. One Hour Limit for 9/11 Commission Testimony
BUSH LIMITS TESTIMONY IN FRONT OF 9/11 COMMISSION TO ONE HOUR... "President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have placed strict limits on the private interviews they will grant to the federal commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that they will meet only with the panel's top two officials and that Mr. Bush will submit to only a single hour of questioning, commission members said Wednesday." [NY Times, 2/26/04]
...BUSH SETS NO TIMELIMIT FOR TESTIMONY "The president's going to answer all of the questions they want to raise. Nobody's watching the clock." [White House spokesman Scott McClellan, 3/10/04]
Another that's too irrelevant to care about. So what?
What's next? "President chose Cheerios, then switched to Special K - Flip Flop!"?
15. Gay Marriage
BUSH SAYS GAY MARRIAGE IS A STATE ISSUE... "The state can do what they want to do. Don't try to trap me in this state's issue like you're trying to get me into." [Gov. George W. Bush on Gay Marriage, Larry King Live, 2/15/00]
...BUSH SUPPORTS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT BANNING GAY MARRIAGE "Today I call upon the Congress to promptly pass, and to send to the states for ratification, an amendment to our Constitution defining and protecting marriage as a union of man and woman as husband and wife." [President Bush, 2/24/04]
Not a flip-flop; a firming stance. The idiot mayor of San Francisco and the activist Supreme Court of Massachusetts demanded a confrontation. Bush gave it to them. Calling this a "flip-flop" is like saying the President "flip-flopped" on terrorism between 9/10 and 9/12.
16. Nation Building
BUSH OPPOSES NATION BUILDING... "If we don't stop extending our troops all around the world in nation-building missions, then we're going to have a serious problem coming down the road." [Gov. George W. Bush, 10/3/00]
...BUSH SUPPORTS NATION BUILDING "We will be changing the regime of Iraq, for the good of the Iraqi people." [President Bush, 3/6/03]
OK, Center for American "Progress"; can you think of an event that took place between October, 2000 and March of 2003 that might have affected this? (I'm thinking they can't, but it's only sporting to ask)
17. Saddam/al Qaeda Link
BUSH SAYS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEEN AL QAEDA AND SADDAM... "You can't distinguish between al Qaeda and Saddam when you talk about the war on terror." [President Bush, 9/25/02]
...BUSH SAYS SADDAM HAD NO ROLE IN AL QAEDA PLOT "We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved in Sept. 11." [President Bush, 9/17/03]
Right. He's waiting on hard evidence. It's not only out there - it's on the Northern Alliance this weekend.
18. U.N. Resolution
BUSH VOWS TO HAVE A UN VOTE NO MATTER WHAT... "No matter what the whip count is, we're calling for the vote. We want to see people stand up and say what their opinion is about Saddam Hussein and the utility of the United Nations Security Council. And so, you bet. It's time for people to show their cards, to let the world know where they stand when it comes to Saddam." [President Bush 3/6/03]
...BUSH WITHDRAWS REQUEST FOR VOTE "At a National Security Council meeting convened at the White House at 8:55 a.m., Bush finalized the decision to withdraw the resolution from consideration and prepared to deliver an address to the nation that had already been written." [Washington Post, 3/18/03]
Can anyone remember what happened in the intervening 12 days? Three certain formerly-relevant nations, many of whose top officials and media and political figures were on the Iraqi Oil-for-Food payroll stonewalled and blocked any chance of a meaningful vote? Anyone? Not a flip-flop, a realistic reassessment
19. Involvement in the Palestinian Conflict
BUSH OPPOSES SUMMITS... "Well, we've tried summits in the past, as you may remember. It wasn't all that long ago where a summit was called and nothing happened, and as a result we had significant intifada in the area." [President Bush, 04/05/02]
...BUSH SUPPORTS SUMMITS "If a meeting advances progress toward two states living side by side in peace, I will strongly consider such a meeting. I'm committed to working toward peace in the Middle East." [President Bush, 5/23/03]
Hm. Kerry attacks the president for a lack of "nuance". Yet when the position accounts for the "nuance" of the situation, chuzzlewits like the CFAP call it a "flip-flop"?
20. Campaign Finance
BUSH OPPOSES MCCAIN-FEINGOLD... "George W. Bush opposes McCain-Feingold...as an infringement on free expression." [Washington Post, 3/28/2000]
...BUSH SIGNS MCCAIN-FEINGOLD INTO LAW "[T]his bill improves the current system of financing for Federal campaigns, and therefore I have signed it into law." [President Bush, at the McCain-Feingold singing ceremony, 03/27/02]
Is McCain-Feingold a lousy law? Sure. Was Bush right to oppose it in 2000? Beyond any rational doubt. Was Congress a bunch of gabbling cretins when they passed it? Hell, yeah. Could a Presidential veto have worked? Doubtful. Did the President have a choice but to sign it? Probably not. If I say "my wallet is mine", and you hold a gun to my head and I give it to you, is it a flip-flop?
So of 20 "flip-flops", we have about 2.5 actual reversals, and that's being generous.
As always when reading any organization with "progress" in its title, assume you're reading comedic rather than substantive material.
Mitch,
I beg to differ with regards to number eight (trade). During the 2000 campaign then Candidate Bush said that he favored our existing trade agreements, opening up new markets (which he has diligently tried to do with Africa, Latin America, etc.) but that he also favored “enforcing American laws against unfair trade practices” – which include the “anti-dumping” regulations which were the legal basis for the temporary steel tariffs. Here’s the actual text from the Bush 2000 official campaign website (emphasis added):
"Governor Bush believes the United States will continue to be prosperous and competitive in the global marketplace if we embrace free trade. As President, he will work with Congress to restore Presidential trade negotiating authority and reassert American leadership on trade internationally. His priorities will include expanding free trade within our hemisphere, negotiating other regional and bilateral market-opening agreements, supporting the entry of China and Taiwan into the World Trade Organization, launching an ambitious new round of global trade talks, and ENFORCING AMERICAN LAWS AGAINST UNFAIR TRADE PRACTICES. Governor Bush believes that free trade is “a forward strategy for freedom,” and that as American goods and services enter foreign countries, so, too, do American values."
Source:
http://web.archive.org/web/20001019063249/www.georgewbush.com/issues/index.html
While I think the steel tariffs were bad economically, they were perfectly consistent with what Bush said he would do as a candidate and not in fact a “flip-flop.” So it’s actually 1.5 out of 20 and even that’s being generous.
Posted by: PJZ at June 2, 2004 09:12 AMFair enough. I opposed that as well.
Posted by: mitch at June 2, 2004 09:20 AMThe President took a lot of heat from our side for that particular decision. At least in the blogosphere that's usually the first criticism being made after the profligate spending or the arm-chair generals Monday-morning quarterbacking of the situation in Iraq.
The ironic thing is that it does not even qualify as a "flip flop" any more than supporting a ban on "soft money," expanding the Department of Education, or the Medicare prescription drug benefit which are all bad policies but also things that Bush campaigned on.
Posted by: PJZ at June 2, 2004 10:47 AM