So, I’ve been reading a lot of “only sixteen months to go” talk about Bush, and a lot of conversation about the Democrats playing a “long game” by letting him have enough rope to hang himself and the Republicans with him, etc.
However, I think that this notion that however bad it gets, it will all be over by November 2008, is incredibly short-sighted.
No, this is not going to be my rant about election-stealing or coups. Even assuming elections are allowed to happen, and votes are actually counted, and the Republicans are bounced out of office, that doesn’t mean that Bush is done doing damage.
The biggest examples of things that will linger long after Bush are probably things like “the U.S. presence in Iraq” and the related “the situation in the Middle East”, “the long term effects of his insane spending AND tax cuts”, etc.
Oh, and his Supreme Court appointees.
Take a look at these stories about recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions and see if you can find out what they have in common. I’ll help a little bit.
Supreme Court OKs retail price fixing by manufacturers
WASHINGTON — Manufacturers may set a fixed price for their products and forbid retailers from offering discounts, the Supreme Court said today, overturning a nearly century-old rule of antitrust law that prohibited retail price fixing.
The 5-4 ruling may be felt by shoppers, including those who buy on the Internet. It permits manufacturers to adopt and enforce what lawyers called “resale price maintenance agreements” that forbid discounting.
Supreme Court Bars Suit on Faith Initiative
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Bush administration’s faith-based initiatives got a boost Monday from the Supreme Court: a ruling that ordinary taxpayers cannot sue to stop conferences that help religious charities apply for federal grants.
President Bush called the 5-4 decision ”a substantial victory for efforts by Americans to more effectively aid our neighbors in need of help.”
The court blocked a lawsuit by a group of atheists and agnostics against eight Bush administration officials including the head of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
Court limits student free-speech rights
WASHINGTON – A high school student’s “Bong Hits 4 Jesus” banner got slapped down by the Supreme Court in a decision Monday that restricts student speech rights when the message seems to advocate illegal drug use.
The court ruled 5-4 in the case of Joseph Frederick, who unfurled his handiwork at a school-sanctioned event in 2002, triggering his suspension and leading to a lengthy court battle.
Justices loosens limits on campaign ads
WASHINGTON – Free speech rights take precedence over government restrictions on political advertising, the Supreme Court ruled Monday in a decision that opens the door for greater influence by interest groups in the closing days of an election.
In a 5-4 ruling, the court eased legal barriers aimed at corporate- and union-financed television ads, a decision whose tone suggests greater hostility on the court to federal limitations on money in politics.
Did you guess? My answer would be: they were all decided THE WRONG WAY, and would have been decided the right way if Bush hadn’t put two appointees on the court. And Bush’s two are the youngest. Hell, we can expect at least another 35 YEARS of Roberts.
Sigh.
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