They Are One Entity

by digby

You all remember Grover Norquist’s Reagan Legacy Project? Well, here’s the Bush Legacy Project, brought to you by some smart progressives who have learned that if you don’t define it, they will.

Here’s one of their actions:

For seven years, President Bush’s allies in Congress helped push forward his failed Conservative agenda. This week, Americans United for Change began delivering “I’m a Bush Republican” buttons to all of the Republicans in the House and Senate today in advance of Bush’s Final State of the Union Address on Monday with the message: “your votes helped build his legacy; you should show your support for him by proudly declaring that you’re a Bush Republican.” On Monday, as cameras scan the House Chamber during the State of the Union Address, we’ll see how many Republicans – those who have voted for Bush’s policies on Iraq, the economy, energy and health care – are willing to put their lapels where there votes have been and wear a button with this simple message: “I’m a Bush Republican.”

I love these guys. This is exactly what needs to be done. The Republicans are calling up St. Ronnie every five minutes like they’re running as his successor. But I’m afraid he hasn’t been in office for twenty years. They are George W Bush’s successors and they backed every crackpot scheme he came up with enthusiastically and without reservation.

Indeed, they worshipped him. They called him Winston Churchill. They were measuring him for a spot on Mt Rushmore for crying out loud, and they weren’t subtle about it:

That was a little bit premature: (via Think Progress)

The Republicans can run, but they can’t hide from their complicity in this, especially the presidential candidates who are still quaking in their boots for fear of offending the Bush cultists who continue to defend that shameful record. Bush is their albatross — they made him, now they have to take responsibility for him. If you listen to their rhetoric on the trail it’s quite clear that they are ready to do it all over again.

* And when the Republicans cry, as they will, that “George W. Bush isn’t running,” the Democratic candidate should reply, “well, you’d never know it by listening to your speeches or reading your platform.”

Update: Oh fergawdsake. He’s still doing it:

Fox News reporter Bret Baier “was granted unprecedented access by George W. Bush” to put together a one hour documentary that reflects back on his presidency. The documentary will air this Sunday night. Baier previewed his documentary — “George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish” — on Fox News this afternoon. He said that what surprised him from the interview was the President’s repeated efforts to link himself to Abraham Lincoln:

We talked a lot about President Lincoln. And there’s going to be a lot of people out there who watch this hour and say, is he trying to equate himself with Lincoln? I tell you what — he thinks about Lincoln and the tough times that he had during the Civil War. 600,000 dead. The country essentially hated him when he was leaving office. And the President reflects on that. This is a President who is really reflecting on his place in history.

Update: A number of readers have written in to point out how odd it is that Bush characterizes Lincoln as being hated when he was “leaving office,” as if he doesn’t know that Lincoln had actually just been reelected in a landslide, was despised only by those in the defeated south and was well … shot.

I t makes you wonder if Bush even knows the sixth grade level history of Lincoln’s term. Of course, he does have a degree in history from Yale so it’s a little bit hard to believe that, but it’s been a long time and maybe he forgot.

As I wrote to one of the readers, I suspect that this whole Lincoln thing is something some sycophant told him in passing and he’s adopted it as his coping mechanism: “don’t worry Mr President, Lincoln was despised when he left office and he’s now known as America’s greatest president. You will be too!”

As poppy would say, “nah guh happen.”

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