Liberalguy

So There! By Monica Crowley (bio)

A few weeks ago, I listed some of the major recent successes of President Bush. The so-called worst, most incompetent president ever got funding for Iraq and Afghanistan through the end of his presidency, is getting his warrantless wiretapping program to track terrorist communications into the United States, got two waves of tax cuts through, is winning the war in Iraq which may lead to a transformation of the Middle East, and has worked tirelessly to prevent another attack here at home. Worst president ever? Incompetent boob? Numbskull? He’s looking pretty successful to me. Today comes word in the New York Post that although his job approval numbers remain dismal, the president is a fundraising machine. The so-called “radioactive” Republican commander-in-chief has already raised $70 million for Republican candidates. (Somebody out there is giving a lot of money because they still like and admire the guy.) And the Post points out, “Since the start of 2007, Bush alone is responsible for raising more money than the entire DNC.” “Bush alone.” Bush has been alone through much of his presidency. They say that that job is the loneliest one in the world, and Bush (except for a few weeks of “unity” after September 11, 2001) has stood alone, taking incoming fire from all directions. “Bush alone.” He doesn’t seem to mind it, though. Maybe his faith tells him he’s never truly alone. Maybe his family and close friends give him the companionship he needs. Maybe he’s simply comfortable in his own skin, his own mind, and with his own decisions. For a guy who has been derided endlessly and mercilessly, he’s racking up an impressive array of history-making victories. Bush alone: successful, and still president.