The Best And Worst Of George W. Bush
Published: April 20th, 2007
By: Steven and Cokie Roberts

The best and worst of George W. Bush

Iraq is such a monumental mistake that it often overshadows every other issue in Washington. But the capital is now grappling with two critical domestic matters, immigration and stem-cell research, that represent the best and the worst instincts of George W. Bush’s presidency.

To his credit, the president continues to search for a reasonable, bipartisan solution to the problem of 12 million illegal aliens now living in the United States. This week, voters caught a brief glimpse of a far-sighted and flexible president devoted to bridging gaps instead of widening them.

Speaking at a border patrol station in Arizona, the president said he was working with lawmakers from both parties “to find a practical answer that lies between granting automatic citizenship to every illegal immigrant and deporting every illegal immigrant.”

But “practical answers” have not been popular in Bush’s Washington. All too often he has governed as a divider, not a uniter, basing his decisions on a core political conviction: Never alienate the conservative base of his party. And no issue better illustrates the triumph of ideology over pragmatism than stem-cell research.

Only once has Bush used his veto – to reject an eminently sensible bill expanding federally funded research using human embryos that would be discarded anyway by fertility clinics. As the Senate prepared to pass a similar bill again this year, the White House vowed another veto.

TO READ THE FULL STORY

The Evening Sun

Continue reading your article with a Premium Evesun Membership

View Membership Options




Comments