Notes From D.R. | Random Thoughts on the Passing Scene

Despite the way things appear now, it’s very likely that the Republican Party’s conservative base will ultimately offer amnesty to President Bush.

The current spat over immigration will not damage Bush’s reputation among conservatives in the long run. Once Bush leaves office in January 2009, the right will recognize that the man’s flaws paled in comparison to his achievements.

If conservatives were willing to give Ronald Reagan a free pass despite his support for official amnesty in 1986, why would they hold Bush’s position on immigration against him when making their historical assessment of the man? It would be irrational for conservatives to declare that Bush’s liberalism on immigration outweighed his conservatism on taxation, the judiciary and antiterrorism efforts.

In a way, it’s good that conservatives are expressing their issues with Bush now, as opposed to attacking him after he departs the White House. Once anti-Bush grievances are aired, the right will be able to take a step back and appreciate the positive aspects of his administration.

With a year and half left to go in the President’s second term, conservatives must now prepare to make a “comprehensive evaluation” of the Bush years. Knowing that Democrats will try to present Bush in the worst historical light possible, it will be up to Republicans to point out that the country was safer under his watch post-9/11 than it would have been under a Gore administration.

Hopefully, conservatives will be able to set aside their differences with the President soon, because there is so much work to do to prevent the left from “officially” declaring Bush the worst President of all-time. Just as Democrats are willing to aggressively defend the Clinton years, so too must Republicans be willing to explain the benefits of Bush.

The task won’t be easy. His poll numbers are quite low, and the electorate now seems to believe that it made the wrong call in 2000 and 2004. Conservatives—in talk radio, in the blogosphere, in periodicals—must demonstrate that the decision to elect Bush was the right one, and that his actions with regard to the economy, the judiciary and national security will prove positive over the long term.

Conservatives must understand that they’re playing defense. In 2000 and 2004, they convinced Americans that Bush was the right choice. After he leaves office, conservatives must move past their quibbles with Bush’s quirks, and state for the historical record that he was the only choice.