Who betrayed who

Leading conservatives, who are disappointed, discouraged and depressed by President Bush’s selection of Harriet Meirs to fill the Sandra Day O’Conner vacancy on the Supreme Court claim they have been “betrayed” by Mr. Bush. The truth be known, it is these same conservatives who long ago betrayed themselves when they embraced George W. Bush for president.

Back in 1998, George Bush was not the preferred choice for America’s Conservative movement, but early on during the primaries, they saw the necessity of a united Republican Party in order to beat a sitting Vice President. By accepting Bush, a proclaimed Compassionate Conservative, Social Conservatives made their deal with the devil, never thinking they’d have to own up to it.

Never once has W campaigned or governed as anything but a Compassionate Conservative. He allowed Ted Kennedy to author No Child Left Behind, he hasn’t vetoed a single spending bill, he endorsed Arlen Specter’s primary bid against a more conservative opponent, he compromised on Federal funding of Stem Cell research and while he supports marriage between a man and a woman, he’s been unwilling to call for such an Amendment, as of yet. And while he repeatedly promised to nominate judges who would strictly interpret the Constitution, he never said he would appoint conservative judicial activists to the bench.

President George W. Bush is the leader of the Republican Party, not the Conservative movement and while there are 55 Republican senators, there are barely 50 reliable conservative votes to support an overtly, ‘in your face’ fundamental activist nominee, even if Bush wanted to. Social Conservatives, having held their noses and their fire over the past five years, think they’ve paid their dues and now, when the stakes are the highest, want their payback. Despite the fact that it is these same conservatives who have compromised their principles, they now expect this president to change his and lead them into battle against the g-dless, liberal activists.

Conservatives complain that, win or lose with the Meirs nomination we’ve missed the opportunity to force a national debate on social policy issues. I suggest that if Social Conservatives are ready to fight for their principles, the proper venue is the upcoming 2006 & 2008 Congressional elections. Take your activism to the people, participate in the ‘arena of ideas’ and win a real conservative majority rather than just a Republican majority and give this president and/or the next, enough votes to actually win the “culture war”, not just address it compassionately.