By Adam Graham
George W. Bush will and ought to be re-elected. My endorsement or that of any conservative leader is superfluous at this point.
The President of the United States has been a remarkable war-time leader, leading two successful military campaigns against terrorist regimes. At home, he has appointed Conservative judges to the bench while also passing a tax cut through Congress. He has also taken on the environmentalist lobby and began efforts to reverse the insane natural resources policies of the last decade.
The idea that Bush is no better than Clinton is a grave injustice made from emotional feeling and not logical analysis. America is better off for having Bush as president and not Gore.
This is not to say the Bush administration has been perfect, far from it. It has too often shown itself to be unable or unwilling to fight for conservative ideals and candidates. If President Bush took the same tact on the war on terror that he does on domestic issues, Osama Bin Laden would control ¾ of the country.
With the exception of his tax cut, the President has been unable to convert high popularity numbers into substantive policy achievements. Congressional Republicans may complain that Tom Daschle is an obstructionist, but that's his job. He's not duty bound to roll over and play dead because it's the nice thing to do.
Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) has yet to make Democrats do a real filibuster where they must keep talking until they get tired. Instead, he's allowed them to do pseudo-filibusters which have left good men and women twisting in the wind. President Bush has not stood firmly by his nominees, merely throwing them to the wolves in the Senate.
The President seems unable to tell Congress no. He signed the unconstitutional Campaign Finance Reform Act. While the effects of the act on the Democrats have been hilariously ironic, given their strident support for it, the President should not sign legislation he knows to be unconstitutional.
A Congress that nearly passed the Balanced Budget Amendment a decade ago is now addicted to Federal spending and pork barrel politics and this is not helped by a President who refuses to stop their raids on the federal treasury.
Perhaps most egregiously, both the administration and Congress seem unwilling to tackle the serious problem of illegal immigration for fear of alienating Hispanic voters. Some have gone so far as to propose blanket amnesty for those who have violated our laws and our borders.
While our current Republican leadership is better than the alternative, their lapses in good judgment and common sense can no longer be ignored. The Majority of House Republicans have been corrupted by the Washington, DC establishment, lost touch with conservative values and beliefs and are now joining a bi-partisan effort to spend our nation into bankruptcy.
It's time for a change. Grassroots Conservatives must revolt against big-spending Republicans. Men who have the courage to not only stare down Al Queda but also Tom Daschle must be sent to Washington
For too long, we've had leadership that believes conservatism is a losing idea, men who will not go to the American people to make the case for limited government and more freedom. This must end.
If we continually grow the government with the expectation that someday it will shrink, we will be sorely disappointed. Our current leadership is not creating hope, growth, and opportunity but rather further dependence on the federal government.
While re-electing Bush in 2004, we must begin the work of reclaiming our party. It will require hard work, determination, and constancy in the face of opposition. Failure to do so will doom our republic.