W.W.R.D?

What Would Reagan Do?
This is the question that our illustrious president should ask himself before every decision he makes. GWB would be well served to look back to the Reagan revolution and realise that conservatism works every time it is tried in earnest.
I'm not talking about the touchy- feely, work both sides of the aisle, Kumbaya, brand of "compassionate conservatism" that GWB brought from the Texas Governor's mansion. This is the viewpoint that brought us the biggest increase in Medicare since its inception and let Ted Kennedy cowrite the education bill which together resulted in higher spending then ever before on some of the biggest new entitlements since the New Deal.
Nooo! I'm talking about the tax-cutting, 'Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall', shining city on the hill, brand of conservatism that Ronaldus Maximus espoused. The type of conservatism that brought us out of the decades spanning hangover of our homegrown defeat in Vietnam. The type of conservativism that dispensed with the malaise(which bordered on suicidal tendancies for some) that was the Carter presidency and did away with feeling that maybe we didn't deserve to be the greatest nation in the world. The type of conservative thinking that swept the GOP into power in 1994 and that is sought by the conservatives today who were instrumental in electing GWB twice, most recently with the most votes obtained by any Presidential candidate in history. Without good conservative cred and the support of the right, Republicans do not win elections and this concerns me for 2006.
Please do not get me wrong, I am not a Bush hater. I wake up at night in a cold sweat after dreaming about what might have been with a President Gore/Kerry. There is no one on the political scene today who I could think of that I would rather have leading this country at this time.
Bush has handled the war on terror exactly as it should be handled. He realises that we are dealing with an enemy unlike any we have faced before. The kind of enemy that finds it acceptable to have women, children, and the mentally disabled blow themselves up in markets and squares. GWB understands that negotiating and coddling Islamo-fascists is seen by them as weakness and is to be exploited. The only thing understood by terrorists is overwhelming force. GWB knows, and rightly so, that any withdrawl or concession is viewed by the terrorists, and to a lesser extent the Arab world, as a defeat for "the Great Satan." In this case GWB understands that the best defense is a good offense.
GWB's taxcuts were and are inspired. This is one area where the president has learned from the Reagan legacy. You do not have to be a genius to know that when you allow people to keep more of their money they are prone to feel more secure and are more willing to put that money back into the economy which results in economic growth. Never mind the fact that its your money to begin with and nobody should have the right to take it from you. The U.S. economy came out of the Clinton/9-11 recession for two reasons, GWB's taxcuts and the American people's desire to not to be victimised.
If you doubt my hypothesis that conservatism is what will/does sustain this presidency you need look no farther than the recent SCOTUS nominations. The President has never been at greater risk of losing everything than when he nominated Myers for O'Connor's (big Reagan mistake) seat. Conservatives elected GWB with the idea in mind that he would nominate judicial conservatives to the Supreme Court and when he nominated Myers, who had no conservative credentials, he lost his base. This could have been the proverbial last straw. With the Alitto nomination the conservatives have come back into the fold.Even though GWB is presently in a rough patch, he has his troops behind him and the general public will come back around when the hearings begin because any time the conservative ideology gets a fair hearing in the public arena the American people are very receptive to the message.
If I had the opportunity to speak with the president I would bring up some of these points and I would beseach him, " Please ask yourself WWRD, and then go do it."