Conservatism and Ideology Are Not Qualifications To Be President

The administrations or Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 proved that in the 20 years they ran the country. All three promised balanced budgets, a smaller federal government, reduced federal spending and a lasting economy but accomplished none of that. The facts also show that the national debt would not be a problem today had they balanced the federal budget as Clinton did.

Yet today's republican Presidential candidates are brandishing their so called conservatism and ideology as what is needed for the next President to run the country. To them understanding the past is never the key to the future. They embrace the failed policies of Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 and offer the country and its people the same failed policies based on conservatism and ideology.

On the military side the candidates like to talk tough and want the defense budget to continue to grow unchecked. They promote war like it is a game because they do not have the slightest idea what the military is all about. John McCain, the republican candidate during the 2008 campaign along with then V.P. Dick Cheney predicted that if Obama was elected President terrorists would attack the U.S. because Obama would be a weak President. Of course that was the usual conservative scare tactic, the politics of fear. The Obama administration has not only kept the U.S. safer than the Bush administration, it also brought Bin Laden to justice.

Reagan sold arms to Iran in exchange for American hostages, some thing he said he would never do. He then actually denied he did so and later corrected the record. Bush 43 started an unnecessary war and occupation of Iraq over WMD that never existed during his administration, invaded Afghanistan after 9/11 and did not have a military plan to seal off the escape of the Taliban or Bin Laden and 10 years later we are told the Taliban is still a big problem.

Now it is a Democratic President that has to deal with Iran and Afghanistan. Obama did the right thing in ending the U.S. involvement in Iraq. Conservatism and ideology has proved many times over that it is not a qualification for President. In fact the past has proven it to be a failure in governing, leadership and courage. Listening to the republican Presidential candidates is a stark reminder of the George W. Bush administration. The U.S. and its people must not go there again.