> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of jdiebremse > Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 8:14 AM > To: Killer Bs Discussion > Subject: Re: SCOUTED: Bush is Not Incompetent > > --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], Doug Pensinger <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > But he didn't _run_ the campaign at all. He smiled, waved and read > > canned speeches. Rove et al ran the campaign. > > I won't pretend to have any real day-to-day knowledge of how the > Bush '00 and Bush '04 campaigns were run. It is worth noting, > however, that before running for Governor of Texas, Bush was a > political hack and campaign strategist. He may, in fact, be the first > former "political operative" to become US President. As such, I would > expect that, when it came to the running of the campaigns, it is > unlikely that he was just an empty suit letting others handle it for > him.
I would tend to agree with this view, with some caveats. GWB gives every indication of "getting" the political process. I would not rate him at Karl Rove's or Bill Clinton's level of political strategy, but I'd put him well ahead of Kerry, Gore, and his own father. In particular, he shines in a campaign setting vs. Gore, Kerry and Bush Sr. I also think that he is a man who acts on his own strong convictions. People like Dick Cheney may have significant influence over him, but GWB has never struck me as a man who is just a front. He acts on fundamental beliefs, picks people he trusts, and then delegates responsibility to them. The caveat is that I don't think he possesses a superior intellectual capacity for problems. While I think he has a good feel for politics, I think Karl Rove was the chess master of his campaigns. Further, I don't think he has the intellectual capacity for grasping complex issues possessed by the two previous presidents. I think he governs more by feel than by analysis. Contrasting him with his father, I see him as the better campaigner, while his father was the more efficient and capable manager as president. Dan M. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
