It's Iraq, Stupid

Bush’s poll ratings are extremely low now. His friends are giving him a lot of free advice. From Dick Morris, who used to work for Clinton, but is a well-known Hillary antagonist (New York Post, 4.17.06):

Really focus on energy issues: Come out for massive investment in ethanol production, delivery and vehicles, and more: retrofitting all gas stations for ethanol and hydrogen; a new push for nuclear power; heavy investment in clean coal technology, burying the carbon dioxide. Truly lead the nation away from petroleum.

Admit that global warming is happening, and launch major new programs to curb it: . . . mandatory upgrading of power plants to cut emissions and major investment in solar and bio-mass energy.

Build a wall, but let guest workers in: Right-wingers want a wall on our southern border; . . . Latinos would accept a wall if there were a . . . path to citizenship.

Put the drug fight front and center: Demand drug testing in schools with parental consent, and tax incentives for workplace drug testing. Link cocaine to terrorism, [adopt] tough measures to cut demand.

From conservative commentator Fred Barnes (Weekly Standard, 5.1.06):

. . . passage of a federal budget with at least minimal restraints on spending. . . stress the "culture of life" by noisily opposing abortion, cloning, and expanded federal subsidies for embryonic stem cell research. . . push to make the Bush tax cuts permanent and propose serious health care legislation.

Here’s the point these guys miss—Bush's presidency will rise or fall based upon what happens in Iraq. That's it. I would instead listen to former Soviet dissident Natan Sharansky, now in Israel (Wall Street Journal, 4.24.06):

Now that President Bush is increasingly alone in pushing for freedom, I can only hope that his dissident spirit will continue to persevere. For should that spirit break, evil will indeed triumph, and the consequences for our world would be disastrous.

Bush has low poll ratings, maybe because he is fighting the right battle.