The Bushes' liberal legacy

Conservatives in America have a dangerous practice. They habitually
camouflage moderate politicians as defenders of conservative
principles. At best this is a pragmatic effort to get Republican
candidates elected; at worst it is a cowardly compromise stemming from
the belief that traditional values are incompatible with those of
mainstream America. Whatever the reason, this practice sends the wrong
message from the conservative movement.

One of the best examples of this trend is the typical conservative
stance concerning ex-President George Bush. Bush, whom many regard as a
staunch proponent of conservative ideology, may have actually done more
in office to impair the causes that conservatives hold dear than any of
his predecessors.

The appointment of David Hackett Souter to the Supreme Court, for
instance, was a gutless attempt to appease the left. Souter has
consistently been one of the Supreme Court's most liberal judges, siding
with Clinton-appointees Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer more
often than with the court conservatives.

Characterizing Bush as a fiscal conservative is a farce. Annual
government spending during the Bush term climbed more than three times
the average annual increase of the Carter years. Also, the addition of
over 20 thousand federal employees during Bush's tenure in office
surpassed Carter's previous all-time record of the largest federal
workforce.

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Furthermore, when people seek to portray Bush as a national defense
advocate they forget that it was he who popularized the term "new world
order" and who facilitated United Nations participation in the Gulf
War. America's national sovereignty was greatly eroded during the four
years Bush called the White House home.

Bush was routed in a 1992 upset by Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton.
Unfortunately, the conservative movement has not learned from its
mistakes. Just eight years later it regards President Bush's son, Texas
Governor George W. Bush, as the heir apparent to carry the conservative
torch into the next millennium. A close look at the younger Bush shows
that this is unwise.

Governor Bush has refused to agree to a pro-life "litmus test" for
Supreme Court justices. His recent appointment of abortion and
gay-rights advocate Martha Hill Jamison to the 164th Court in Houston
portends more liberal judges in the future. Also, Bush's consideration
of pro-choice Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge as a running mate proves
that he lacks conviction on the abortion issue.

By not seeking the abolishment of the Department of Education,
Governor Bush shows contempt for not only limited government but also
the Constitution, which makes no mention of federal involvement in the
education process. Texas' standardized TAAS test, which has become the
crux of Bush's education record, seeks to usurp local control by placing
it into the hands of the Austin bureaucracy.

In 1988 Vice-President George Bush rode the wave of Reagan-era
prosperity to victory. After four years of liberal policies, he was
trounced by a weak candidate. Once again, the conservative movement is
hailing a moderate as their savior. And, once again, the practice will
backfire.

T. Landon Pepper, 17, is a freelance writer living in Borden County, Texas.