First Things: "The Leadership of George W. Bush: Con & Pro"

Joseph Bottum and Michael Novak address the positives and negatives of the Bush presidency in the March 2007 issue of First Things:

Joseph Bottum writes:

After six years of President Bush — thought by nearly every observer to be the most socially conservative president of recent decades — where does social conservatism stand? No one can deny there have been some bright spots: the defeat of the Democrats’ Senate leader Tom Daschle in 2004, the nominations of Justices Roberts and Alito to the Supreme Court in 2005, a few successful state referenda in 2006.

What isn’t so clear is what it all amounts to. The noise has been overwhelming since George W. Bush took office. Abortion, euthanasia, stem cells, public Christmas displays, same-sex marriage, pornography in the movies, faith-based initiatives, immigration, visible patriotism: We’ve been warned by the media, over and over again, that Republicans are reshaping America into a Puritan’s paradise. But, at the end of the day, the media mostly won and the Republicans mostly lost. Social conservatism is in little better shape now than it was when Bush was first elected. In many ways, it is in worse shape.

In truth, no branch of conservatism has prospered much under Bush, particularly since the beginning of the Iraq War...

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Michael Novak writes:

Shortly after President Bush’s State of the Union Address this January, I attended a conservative summit in Washington, D.C., where I heard a raft of criticism about the president’s falling away from conservative principles. There was hope and energy, of course, but also more demoralization than I expected-a demoralization Joseph Bottum clearly shares.

I am considerably more supportive of President Bush’s stewardship. Bottum’s judgments-many of which have force, I admit-require two general remarks. The first involves his claim that the war in Iraq is “already lost” (which he qualifies by adding “in perception”). The second is the criterion of “competence,” lack of which in several major areas is Bottum’s single most serious charge against President Bush.

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Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
First Things on "The State of Social Conservatism"