I’ve said before that I am a conservative first and a Republican second. Because of this priority, there is something about President Bush that has made his presidency a little "off." Peggy Noonan hits it on the head in her newest article. While I think the President is a good and sincere man, Noonan points out how Bush has done many things that are contrary to conservative values. She does a great job of looking at how Bush’s policies have alienated the very people that put him in office.

The biggest obstacle facing the Republican party is not the Democrats, but instead returning to the basic conservative values that it’s members believe in.

Peggy Noonan has a new article up about the unique challenges facing Republicans currently in office. Before I say anything about the article, let me say that Peggy Noonan is one of the best writers around. Everytime she says something it seems dead on and cuts through all the balogna.

Most people think the country is going in the wrong direction. Six months ago I would have attributed this simply to people being idiots and looking for someone to blame. Politics seem somewhat cyclical, and the cycle for Republicans might be up. The true negatives about the Bush administration really aren’t that bad. The country is not falling apart, the war in Iraq is rarely a headline anymore, and the economy is great. But I think over time people get anxious, and especially the undecided people in the middle that blow with the wind. "Well these guys have been in power for 10+ years and they haven’t done much, so screw them!"

Democrats have hated Bush since he was elected, but I think his major problems of late stem from his own party. When you don’t veto spending, and you promote GUEST WORKER programs, your own party is going to be fed up with you (and the same goes for congress). Republicans in D.C. better get their act together really fast, or the Democrats will be back in power. At least they would be up front about wanting to spend all our money.