Morning Rant: Bushness as Usual

Saturday, the New York Times gave us a preview of the Republicans' convention strategy: Trot out the old "compassionate conservative" warhorse, and sneak through a radical-right platform while no one is looking. Sounds, almost, like a replay of 2000 -- but with a new wrinkle: The G.O.P. will blame the Democrats for any hint of public disorder (and we've had more than enough hints that there'll be plenty of disorder to go around). Quoth the Times:

Mr. Bush's advisers said they were girding for the most extensive street demonstrations at any political convention since the Democrats nominated Hubert H. Humphrey in Chicago in 1968. But in contrast to that convention, which was severely undermined by televised displays of street rioting, Republicans said they would seek to turn any disruptions to their advantage, by portraying protests by even independent activists as Democratic-sanctioned displays of disrespect for a sitting president.

Essentially, no matter what happens, it will be portrayed as the nefarious work of the Democrats, seeking to cast doubt and shame on the country's saintly and patient leader. I suppose that's politics. More interesting is the question of the Bushites' promise to "lay out an ambitious agenda" at a time of a near-half-trillion-dollar deficit at home and military entanglement abroad. One might reasonably ask, too, why anyone would possibly believe that line, in light of Bush's record of saying one thing and doing another on everything from homeland security to gay marriage to nation building. Will anyone buy this line -- knowing that, judging from his past behavior, he will say whatever it takes to get elected, and then do whatever he wants afterward?

I hope not. But then, many of us didn't buy it in 2000, and nonetheless, look where we are. I saw a bumper sticker yesterday (pointed out to me by my son) that just seemed to sum it all up: "If you aren't completely appalled, then you haven't been paying attention."

Has everyone been paying attention?

In any event, for a bracing antidote to the Republican Convention spin, have a look at the interview with Garrison Keillor published Saturday on Salon. In it, Keillor refers to George W. Bush as "the shallowest man to occupy the White House since Calvin Coolidge" -- not especially fair to Coolidge, but it was, after all, presumably an off-the-cuff remark.