Thread: A 'Third Term' for Bush

http://www.opinionjournal.com/forms/pri ... =110008116

WHITE HOUSE WATCH
A 'Third Term' for Bush
Condi Rice, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove need new jobs.

BY FRED BARNES
Monday, March 20, 2006 12:01 a.m.

It's time for President Bush to think about a third term. No, he doesn't need to overturn the Constitution. He can start the equivalent of his third term now, by filling his presidential staff and cabinet with new faces--or old faces in new positions--and by concentrating on new or forgotten initiatives. The goal: rejuvenation of his presidency by shocking the media and political community with a sweeping overhaul of his administration. The impact would be enormous because it's exactly what his foes have been demanding and exactly what he is not expected to do. And it would give him a chance to escape the political doldrums that may otherwise doom his presidency through its final 34 months.
Only a few months ago, it appeared the Bush administration didn't need emergency resuscitation. True, Mr. Bush had suffered a year of serious troubles--failure of Social Security reform, Katrina, Harriet Miers, Iraq--following his second inauguration. Yet he emerged bruised but politically alive. He'd even won the confirmation of two conservative Supreme Court justices.


Then he was belted with a new round of reversals. His State of the Union address was uninspiring, the Dubai ports deal had to be nixed, and his proposed spending cuts were going nowhere. This time the fallout was worse for Mr. Bush. Republican unity, so important to his past success, dissolved as congressional Republicans began criticizing the White House. And Iraq was again a political problem. Even several top Bush aides now suspect an infusion of fresh talent could liven up the administration.
A broad transformation, playing on the media's overreaction whenever surprised, would do more. Reporters would be forced to write stories about new officials, cover confirmation hearings, show up at press conferences they might have ignored, assess new policies, and--this is most important--take a fresh look at the president. It would be like the beginning of a new presidential term. Sure, the press and politicians would be cynical about Mr. Bush's bold moves, especially since he wouldn't be uprooting any policy or hiring Bush critics. In truth, there would be a large element of smoke and mirrors in his actions. The trade-off is that Mr. Bush might revitalize his presidency.

The trickiest issue is how to handle Karl Rove, the deputy White House chief of staff and political adviser. He is the closest thing to indispensable--on policy as well as politics--at the White House. But any overhaul that didn't involve him would run the risk of not being taken seriously. The solution is to send Mr. Rove to the Republican National Committee as chairman and bring the current chairman, Ken Mehlman, back to the president's staff as communications chief. The president lauded Mr. Rove as "the architect" of his re-election in 2004. Now he could be the architect of a Republican comeback in 2006. Mr. Mehlman would sharpen the president's communication operation. He and Mr. Rove would work together, as they do now.
New faces and personnel shifts are necessary but not sufficient to produce the aura of a new presidential term. Major policy initiatives are required, too. And there are plenty to choose from. For one, Mr. Bush could mount a fresh crusade for confirmation of federal appeals court judges: 11 of them are waiting in the wings. And there's always taxes, a hardy GOP perennial. Mr. Bush's tax reform commission was a bust, but that shouldn't stop him from proposing significant tax reforms and cuts. He doesn't have to win congressional approval. To revive his presidency, at this point he only need focus on them.
In foreign policy, there's a broad new alliance waiting to be packaged, now that NATO has lost its rationale. Suggested by Tom Donnelly of the American Enterprise Institute, it would bring together four antiterrorist, free-market democracies, all concerned about the growing power of China. They are the U.K., India, Japan and the U.S.
The new but still conservative look of the Bush administration and its new policy emphasis would thrill the base and perhaps independents as well. Should that lead to an unanticipated Republican victory in the midterm election in November, Mr. Bush would be empowered to return to old initiatives such as Social Security reform and his faith-based initiative.
Of course, there are risks and problems in trying to revitalize a flagging administration. The most worrisome risk is that Mr. Bush would look weak and desperate. Mr. Carter did in 1979 and became a laughingstock. That could happen to Mr. Bush. Also, it may be difficult to persuade outsiders to join what looks to them as a hopelessly lame-duck administration.
The president could lose a lot more than face. But the potential upside of a stunning facelift of his administration is great. It could make his presidency productive and enjoyable again rather than stymied and disheartened. Achieving the aura and feel of a new presidential term is not farfetched. Mr. Bush fooled everyone by becoming the president of big ideas and bold plans. He could fool them again.
Mr. Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, is author of "Rebel in Chief," published last month by Crown Forum.
Copyright © 2006 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

He will never do that, he is stubborn to a fault. It is over for him, the next 2 years will be one long strain on all of us.

the next 2 years will be one long strain on all of us.

Did you ever say a mouthful there

"a strain on all of us"

In so more ways that we have the time to write it down.

I wish Republicans would Realize that they need to cut this man loose to go home to the ranch and cut brush full-time.

Hastert isn't perfect, but he'll do a better job than Bush finishing this term.

Double Impeach Bush and Cheney and make Hastert President.

Originally Posted by nittygritty

He will never do that, he is stubborn to a fault. It is over for him, the next 2 years will be one long strain on all of us.

I agree. Consequently, I'm doing all I can to influence my elected representatives to do the "right thing", not necessarily the Republican (Bush) thing. I think my Congressman is convinced, but my Senators may lose their job. Sen. DeWine-R, OH is fighting for his political life. He has follwed ways of the President, not the ways of his voters.