Friday, March 17, 2006
Marvin Olasky Jumps Ship
In previous blogs I've been noting the litany of conservatives who have been jumping off the deck of the SS George W. Bush. So far, George F. Will, Bruce Bartlett, Andrew Sullivan, Francis Fukuyama, William Buckley and John Derbyshire have all jumped ship. Marin Olasky, in writing a review of Bruce Bartlett's new book, joins these conservatives on the lifeboat. Olasky, who is the father of the phrase "compassionate conservatism" notes:
"Players of the venerable board game Clue know the moment when the party's over. A contestant may say, "Colonel Mustard in the dining room with the revolver," and be shown surreptitiously a card that kills that theory. But when the next participant says, "Mr. Bush in the conservatory with the lead pipe," and other players say, "I can't refute that," it's time to give in.
That's how I felt when reading Bruce Bartlett's Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006). The desire for
alliteration sometimes leads to over-the-top titles, and words like bankrupt and betrayed are too strong. And yet, when Mr. Bartlett lambasts the Bush record on education, drug legislation, pork barrel spending, and other expand-the-government programs—well, I can't refute that. The metamorphosis of "compassionate conservatism" is particularly sad. I never thought that a switch from 70 years of increasing Washington-centrism would come easily, but I hoped some decentralization was possible. There's still hope—watch movement toward the use of social service vouchers—but I can't refute the charge that this concept has become a rationale for patronage."
It's a nasty indictment. It seems that even the social conservatives are getting tired of Georege Bush's shtick. However, this is not the first time conservatives have criticized the presidents less than stellar implementation of compassionte conservatism, John Dilulio, former head of the White House Faith Based Action, long ago made the observation that the mayberry machiavellis of the White House have no serious interest in policy...just politics.
