Like all people of goodwill, I’m thankful that the British intelligence agencies foiled the alleged plot to blow up some U.S.-bound airplanes. Still, there is the lingering suspicion that Republicans are playing politics with the terrorist threat (here and here).
The London bomb threat lays bare the hollowness of President Bush’s claim (and here) that Iraq is the “central front” on the "war on terror," and “our Nation is safer than it was prior to September the 11th.” If being bogged down in Iraq made us safer, I would be able to fix my face on my flight to Nashville tomorrow.
And it’s not just the 60 percent of Americans who oppose the war in Iraq who feel betrayed. In his new book, Richard Viguerie, the "funding father" of the conservative movement, documents how Bush and Congressional Republicans have betrayed conservatives. Even if you think it’s good news that the conservative movement was hijacked, you should pay attention to their guru.
I met Viguerie in June at the Media Giraffe conference. He recounted how conservatives used direct mail to go around the mainstream media gatekeepers. Viguerie said: “Without direct mail, there would be no conservative movement -- no Reagan, no Republican Revolution, no Bush.”
And I should add, no Karl Rove, who was a direct mail strategist in Austin, Tex., for 17 years before inflicting George Bush on the world.
To purchase Viguerie’s book, click here.
