I wonder if there is such as thing as a "political closer." That would be someone who knows when they are in a position of strengh politically and they close in for some real gains that potentially could lead to a major win in the culture war. Abraham Lincoln needed a closer during the Civil War and he turned to a little known General named Grant. Grant stepped into a tentative situation where neither the armies of the Potomac nor the Army or Northern Virgina had a clear advantage. McClellen was a great organizer but he didn't know when to fight. Grant didn't know squat about organization but he knew when to fight and how to take the battle to the enemy.
I have been a staunch supporter and defender of the Republican Party since 1975, when Ronald Reagan almost took the presidential nomination away from sitting President Gerald Ford. As a college student, I campaigned for Reagan by passing out bumper stickers and making phone calls. It was my first foray into the political side of the culture war. I beleived in Reagan and I believed we needed a new sense of direction and leadership for America. Four years later, Ronald Reagan was elected in a landslide which was repeated in 1984. We are still, in some respects, basking in the glow of what strong conservative leadership driven by a clear vision can accomplish. Reagan reached out to the left to form coalitions with the opposition which would allow him to govern but he never compromised on the key ideological issues that defined his leadeship.
Fast forward to 2000 and the leadership of George W. Bush. President Bush established himself as a strong leader when it comes to America's enemies. He has been relentless in his pursuit of those who would would destroy us. Recently, President Bush gave a major speech on the war on terror, pointing out the progress that has been made since 9/11. Close to seventy-five percent of the Al Quaida leadership has been killed or captured. Multiple plots to kill and maime Americans at home and overseas have been thwarted. The war in Iraq is difficult at best but the goal of a free Iraq is worth staying the course till the victory is won. The people of Afghanastan are already reaping the benefits of self governance. Freedom is a force which cannot be snuffed out by cowards who strap on bombs to kill the innocent.
So why, with so many postive achievements unders his belt, is President Bush now presiding over a splintered Republican Party? The reason is the same reason the Braves will be watching the rest of the major league baseball post season from their couches. President Bush, who has a relentless attitude toward America's foreign enemies still thinks he can appease Ameria's domestic enemies. He thinks the left in this country really wants the same things he wants. He has convinced himself that all he has to do is bring them to the table, give them some of what they want, and they will climb on board the Bush train to a better world. In other words, he is not a closer. He doesn't know how to take advantage of his position.
The left will not work with Bush on Social Security reform because they don't want Social Security reformed while a conservative is at the helm to receive the credit. The left doesn't want to fight the war on terror because they honestly beleive America and not the terrorists, are the problem. How many exposes have you read about the merciless slaughter the terrorists in Iraq are inflicting on their own people? And yet everyday, some major newspaper or media outlet is talking about how terrible the United States military is for trying to extract information from detainees. Information, by the way, that might save American lives and led to the break up of major terrorists networks.
When the left saw their unreasonable and totally groundless attacks against the president were finally affecting average Americans confidence in him they began to pile on. Texas prosecutor