The Politics of the Dubai Ports Deal
In trying to make sense of the Republican break from Bush over the Dubai Ports deal, I think the Washington Post gets it right: Bush has become such a liability that Republicans are seeking to distance themselves from him for the 2006 elections.
The bipartisan uprising in Congress in the face of a veto threat represented a singular defeat for Bush, who when it came to national security grew accustomed during his first five years in office to leading as he chose and having loyal lawmakers fall in line. Now, with his poll numbers in a political ditch, the port debacle has contributed to a perception of weakness that has liberated Republicans who once would never have dared cross Bush.
Is Rove losing his touch? Is denial the new modus operandi at the White House? The most ridiculous statement yesterday came from Scotty:
"We are a party that is united and moving forward on a record of accomplishment, a record of results," White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.
That's almost laugh-out-loud funny. Consider the sheer range of issues on which Republicans have split from Bush:
They abandoned his Social Security plan, criticized his handling of Hurricane Katrina and forced the withdrawal of Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers. Just yesterday, the Senate Budget Committee passed a budget resolution that dropped Bush's proposals for tax relief, Medicare cuts and expanded health savings accounts.
....Recent rebukes run from the ports deal to a ban on torture to Patriot Act revisions forced on Bush in exchange for congressional approval. Partly in the name of national security, Republican leaders also seem poised to dismiss Bush's proposal for a guest-worker program for illegal immigrants.
In a nutshell: The Republicans turned on Bush to avoid allowing the Democrats to capitalize on his incompetence. They clearly are out to save their own hides, which again, is what makes Scotty's statement either completely delusional or an outright lie.
Update: Thomas DeFrank in the Daily News says it's a revolt not seen since Nixon.
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