Open Letter to National Review

Dear Editor:

You lost me at “Jeb Bush . . . Can-Do Conservative”. The name Bush is a four letter word to most conservatives and there is no love-loss between members of the Bush family and true conservatives either. I may be a short time reader but I am a lifelong conservative and I am pretty sure I am not in the minority of your readership when I say I am unwilling to ever think of any Bush as a true conservative.

As an example, the Bush's in their political dynasty have been pushing amnesty as a solution for illegal immigration. I am not satisfied that George H.W. Bush (41) really ever successfully defended allegations regarding Trilateral leanings. Regardless of how conspiratorial that may seem to the average reader it is far easier for me to reconcile a bent of “one-worldism” in the vast majority of Bush family policy. Craig Shirley’s tome on the Reagan campaign tells me all I need to know about what the Bush’s think of me and other NR readers. The Bush family finds real conservatism so odious that W felt the need to dress it up with the adjective "compassionate" which I've always found offensive as if he were apologizing for someone's race or religion. It is as if he's been saying he's one of the "good kind" of conservatives and not one of those "mean spirited, close-minded, nativist, racist, yadda, yadda types."

And before I hear that common argument about how W kept us all safe those eight years after 9/11 lets be honest with ourselves and acknowledge a good dose of Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz and Bolton in our anti-Islamist extremist and overarching foreign policies. 2001 may seem like another lifetime ago but the Obama-supporting Colin Powell was setting the tone for the Bush foreign policy until the 9/11 attack.

And recent interviews, appearances and activities by George², Barbara and Jeb tell me they would rather see another four years of Obama then see a true Reaganesque conservative in the White House or even anyone near that end of the spectrum that gets the support of the Tea Party. And for W perhaps there is no better reason than Obama makes George look all the better by comparison and helps to cover over eight years of minor and not so minor blemishes; at the very least, helpful in cementing his legacy.

So as much as I am having a hard time coming to grips with a Newt Gingrich presidency, even though I relish Gingrich reducing Obama to a puddle of nonsensical bromides in a debate, the amount of mental gymnastics necessary for a conservative to accept a Jeb Bush run is outside of my comfort zone. I doubt any conservative is really all that limber.