Distance from the Bush Administration

Increasingly, conservatives are distancing themselves from the Bush administration. With low approval ratings and increasing problems both domestically and abroad many conservatives from various circles are unhappy with the Bush administration. Fiscal conservatives are unhappy that the deficit has soared (the president has not vetoed one spending bill (or any bill) since he took office). Prominent neo-conservatives are bailing as well given how the war in Iraq has gone and how the Bush administration has used the notions of preemptive war.

Any republican that wants to win the 2008 Presidential election (the general election, not the primary) will have to distance themselves from the Bush administration if they want to caputre the swing voters.

Chuck Hagel has done this, but not for political reasons. He has always been critical of the elements of the Bush administration that he feels have made policy errors. Such distance in imporant, particularly when it is sincere and selective.

The following link has a great article that I encourage everyone to read:

Conservatives Are Jumping Ship: Bush Is Going Down