Harry, I'm probably as disappointed in your comments, which I thought reflected tired stock-in-trade Elks Club-like pronouncements, as you are in my "fervent Democrat" comments. Respect for your age, experience and usually good commentary aside, I don't think you have the final statement on the 2000 election, and neither do the historians who will be writing about it and the law professors teaching it.
Your response seemed to tell me that you dismiss relevant differences of opinion on individual legislation and intent, or complaints addressing questions of legal precedent as inconsequential, or that differences in economic policy and fiscal soundness don't matter if they come from a fervent source. I guess I'm surprised you take so much of Bush's accomplishments at face value. Obviously, we remain as divided as the rest of the country. Thank goodness we're allowed. By the way, most of the time I use Bush* and mean the Bush administration and its weary Old Guard leftover Cold War warriors. Believe me, when I attack Bush personally, you'll know the difference. Yes, I'm a lifelong political junkie now focused on Bush* because he is the sitting President, who is determining for good or bad, current domestic politics and international affairs, including war. I follow politics and am interested in how elected and non-elected representatives affect us as a whole and individually. I wrote a bit of semi-witty commentary from a different perspective than just he who signs the document wins. Politics is not just about winners and losers, but about solving problems. Not all who score, win. I looked through my archives for a national study that a friend shared with me about the problem with the Texas achievement scores as they related to the Bush* education plan to improve scores. As I recall, there was a big disagreement about whether the state scores should be used as a standard for promoting the national agenda, given that the state had been teaching to the test for several years, and not much else. As a former resident of the western suburbs of Houston (Sugarland/First Colony for anyone who cares) with two children in good schools there, I can assure you that the Sylvan tutoring franchises were doing very well preparing students to take tests, and improve their study habits, but that the schools curriculum was on the downhill slide and teachers were already complaining, 1989 - 1992. Again, the governorship of Texas is a hybrid political post, more like running for Miss America and being groomed in all the right categories, than what you are familiar with in California, for example. Business, not politics, runs Texas, and good old culture is added for spice. Bush fils was groomed for this job, a quasi popularity contest with weekly hours. Maybe we should ask the locals now facing health care, insurance, budget deficits, and school credentialing and out of state college acceptance problems if they'd want Gov. Bush back for another round of semi-finals to the Big Tournament in Washington DC. Respectfully, Karen - BCA (Betty Crocker with Attitude) East of Portland, West of Mt Hood Outgoing Mail Scanned by NAV 2002
