Struggle? Psh...

The government has been on a tear lately. You'll forgive me if political ennui prevents me from linking articles, but it really looks as if the gloves are off and the "Big Government" Bat has come into play. It's so bad that even Bob Novak is talking about it, wondering if now we're seeing the "Real Bush". (Oh, what the heck, I'll give you a link)

While jumping up on cue to cheer during the speech and delivering rave reviews afterward in the Capitol's Statuary Hall, conservative members of Congress were deeply disappointed by George W. Bush Tuesday night. It was not merely that the president abandoned past domestic goals. He appeared to be moving toward bigger government.

The consensus on the Right was that President Bush's fifth State of the Union Address was his worst. Republican congressmen agreed privately that he was most effective at the beginning with his familiar message of why U.S. forces cannot abandon Iraq. The problem for these lawmakers was the rest of the 51-minute presentation, which was filled with unpleasant surprises.

With polls showing the president's approval rating persistently anemic (as low as 39 percent), the speech aimed at a kinder, gentler Bush. But beyond atmospherics, the policy initiatives staked out new directions in the sixth year of his presidency that raised questions. Is this the real George W. Bush? Is he really his true father's son and not Ronald Reagan's?

I would argue "Yes", as much as I would argue that Reagan was no true son of Barry Goldwater. Reagan, however, was not the crashing disappointment that Bush is. Well, the disappointment he is to those who do not worship at his altar and preach from the aisle.

Between warrantless wire taps, the appointing of federal prosecutors to federal judgeships when they are involved in investigations of administrative misdeeds, and a whole host of other ethical issues, one truly must wonder how those aforementioned faithful manage to keep swallowing it day after day.