Conservative circles here in Washington have been abuzz with William F. Buckley's admission to CBS News that he doesn't believe George W. Bush is a "conservative." That isn't exactly what he said, but the interview is worth checking out anyway. (CBS clearly did a cut-and-paste job with the piece, which was put together by former Global TV anchorwoman Thalia Assuras, so it may not be an accurate reflection of Buckley's feelings.)
Buckley's admission, if accurate, is not all that surprising. He's been hedging on Iraq and other Bush administration initiatives publicly for a little while now. Still, this is a significant development given that Buckley is the founder of the modern conservative movement, and that he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from GWB George HW Bush.
But Buckley is merely saying out loud what most people are saying privately. The grumbling I've been hearing around town for the past three weeks has been worrisome: it seems no one misses a chance to whack Bush over the head, whether it be over the handling of Hurricane Katrina, the Harriet Miers nomination, immigration reform, spending or the war in Iraq.
These are not good days for the President.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 12:27 AM
