NRO And TWS: Dumb And Dumber

Did you ever wonder if the Inside the Beltway pundits sometimes come up with not-so-bright ideas just to see themselves think in print? It isn't all the time, but this one takes the cake. NRO links to The Weekly Standard touting a Bill Kristol editorial mentioning Joe Lieberman as a potential Republican VP selection. So, what's wrong with this picture?

Could it be that aside from his strong positions on Iraq and national defense, Lieberman is mostly every bit as liberal as the rest of the Democrat Party? Could it be that as it stands none of the top Republican contenders are on solid ground as regards their conservative credentials? And Lieberman as VP is going to be a plus?

What galls is that two supposedly upper echelon conservative outlets managed to impress themselves with such stupidity. I guess the real plus of a Giuliani/Lieberman ticket is that it could get on the ballot for either party, but is that really a good thing? Who is it that conservatives will be voting for, I wonder? Geesh. This one is so brilliant it makes it all the way back to being dumb.

Comments

[CK MacLeod]

Actually, Giuliani/Lieberman was the one combo Kristol excluded from consideration.

[Dan Riehl]

I don't care what the combination is - Huckabee, Thompson, Romney, they all have some issue, or issues. Sec Def, or Nat Sec - fine, but VP? Enough conservatives are already threatening to bolt from the Rep party. It's a dumb idea.

[Bilby]

Yeah, I agree it's an embarrassingly hare-brained idea. I applaud the speech he gave and his stance on the GWOT in general, but he's still a tax and spend liberal. On his website he brags about overriding Bush's veto on that pork-laden water bill for instance.

[CK MacLeod]

Well - I can't say I see it happening either, barring some escalation in the war that's so severe the country demands a massive, sustained mobilization. If, contrary to current expectations, defense and related issues loom larger rather than smaller in the coming year, and the public also demands a more rather than less aggressive posture - then a wartime re-alignment does become imaginable.

Think about the situation in the Fall of 2001, and then imagine it being extended over the course of years. Instead of fighting for a thin electoral victory, the dominant party might instead have to consider how to handle its suddenly much widened "tent." Even then, Lieberman might not be the right vehicle for rounding up a new group of what were briefly known as "9/11 Republicans," but some gesture aimed at seizing and consolidating the center might be welcome.

Also, to be fair, the VP's influence over policy, especially in areas where he differs from the P, is rather small. Even in the event that the P takes over, he's not expected to reverse the P significant ways, until and unless elected on his own mandate. Under circumstances other than a security emergency, ticket balancing might still be desirable - all the more so if a hard right nominee finds himself facing a Democratic ticket perceived as relatively moderate.

[CK MacLeod]

sorry about the typo: should have been "in the event the VP takes over..." of course

[LOL]

It's high time to admit that it's the twilight of the "conservative majority". Your conservative ideas just don't jibe with the American people anymore, and your leader has squandered all the goodwill and political capital you had gained.

[seekeronos]

What complete poppycock.

Utter drivel and goo this is.

As Dan said, it would result in a very nasty outflight of conservatives if such a high-ranking and influential Democrat were appointed to any executive or cabinet office of importance, much less VP.

LOL, I'd take another look around before you go declaring the end of conservatism in America. There are plenty of Conservatives - our big issue right now is sorting ourselves out to meet the reality on the ground of a centralizing trend in most people's politics.

A lot of folks have moved away from the fringes on either side, which tends to be a good thing, more often than not. This is why the Ron Paulites probably will be disappointed come SuperDuperTuesday. And the moonbat liberals won't be getting the deciding vote any time soon either; the KosKidz, CodePinkos, and International ANSWER should count themselves fortunate that their opinions are even considered.

[JustADude]

The far left is finally getting around to figuring out they were used by the Dems to regain power and K street money and are just about ready to kick the conehead kids to the curb without so much as a thank you.

Most of the left side are now trying to run their "true progressives" that will for the vast part be money down the tubes doing reruns of LaMont/Liberman.

When it fully sets in the tinfoil tightening will hit record trends.

I watch the left side blogs and the signs are all there and some of the commentors are starting to gain the enlightenment.

There is just too much difference between them and mainstream dems no matter how much they wish to deny it and how much they want to tea read into polls and spin it.

They call their own congressional majority their surrender congress. Now that's a sure path to success.

[Fred Beloit]

I like it, Dan. This is what I think Rabelais meant by abstracting the quintessence.

"What galls is that two supposedly upper echelon conservative outlets managed to impress themselves with such stupidity."

[Fred Beloit]

LOL writes: "It's high time to admit that it's the twilight of the "conservative majority"."

LOL better hope he is wrong because if he is right he had better go to Walmart soon to purchase a prayer rug. Down you will go five times a day, L, old man. Or perhaps you already do that.

[tk]

This is not about conservatives but Israel. The neocons who pushed for the Iraq war are mainly concerned about Israel. The real question is are the social conservatives able to put their agenda aside and vote for the sake of economic and national security issues or will sit it out and see a Dem. in office.

[Fred Beloit]

"The neocons who pushed for the Iraq war are mainly concerned about Israel."

Don't know about that, tk. Your statement seems a little too sweeping. Israel is a key strategic consideration, but not the only one. The Muzzies still rant and rave about "the Crusaders", that is, the West. They would hate us anyway, even without our desire to assist in protecting Israel, because their religion, history, and inability or unwillingness to allow for general prosperity demand it.

[Yehudit]

"Actually, Giuliani/Lieberman was the one combo Kristol excluded from consideration."

Giuliani needs a southern social conservative to balance him out. He and Lieberman are too much alike.

[Hannibal Smith]

Now I like Liebs for what his right mind on Iraq and the GWoT, but I think suggestions of this sort are indicative of mainstream conservative thinkers starting to lose faith in the American people and even agree with our man LOL-the-troll above. And that is worrisome, because I usually look to people like that for what's right.

[LOL]

"LOL better hope he is wrong because if he is right he had better go to Walmart soon to purchase a prayer rug. Down you will go five times a day, L, old man. Or perhaps you already do that."

I think you need to change your bedsheets. You've soiled them

[seekeronos]

"--- LOL better hope he is wrong because if he is right he had better go to Walmart soon to purchase a prayer rug. Down you will go five times a day, L, old man... ---"

Either that, or his head will go up... and then down a skip or two and leave a few bloody splotches in the dirt as Islamist scimitar cuts him down like so much cheap tinder.

[Fred Beloit]

One supposes LOL is trying to demonstrate he is free of any fear, rational or otherwise, of the Muzzies. After, all the Muzzy attacks, including 9/11, there could only be a few reasons for this: (1) He is a Muzzy. (2) He depends on the U.S. military to defend him (but despises everything else about the military). (3) His brain is incapable of conceiving of any thought that might contradict his youthful feelings of invulnerability. Or, (4) he just FEELS safe, and his feelings dictate his behavior, like all good Lefties.