Seven Kernels of Wheat from the CHAFF

National Review Online’s Rich Lowery has laid down seven lies we conservatives tell ourselves and the media tells us as a result of last week’s election outcome. I like them because they even publish my meager submissions from time to time. It’s worth reading.

In quick summary here are the 7 lies you have heard. Remember these are LIES. Lies you have told yourself and lies the media tells you. Check it out:

1 Republican losses were in keeping with typical setbacks for a party holding the White House in the sixth year of a presidency.
NO, we got out butts kicked in the house. The senate not so much. In fact if Lieberman breaks R we are back to 2000.

2 The conservative base, discouraged by the GOP’s doctrinal impurity, didn’t show up at the polls.
The full conservative base showed up, It’s the independents that didn’t break right

3 Republicans lost because they weren’t fiscally conservative enough.
Other than the prescription drug plan that didn’t lose any votes, what else could anyone have cut? They spent, but mostly on war. The mullahs aren’t going to overthrow themselves.

4 The GOP was too socially conservative for voters.
Really? Nearly all anti gay marriage amendments passed. Nearly all pro traditional marriage amendments, passed. And the efforts to legalize marijuana failed. We are a socially conservative country.

5 The election was a great victory for conservative and moderate Democrats.
Only 5 of the 29 new house democrats are conservative socially. Not a very large conservative demo caucus is it.

6 The election was a decisive ideological rejection of conservatism.
See above, what lost the war was a drumbeat of Katrina, Corruption, Scandal, and frankly some incompetence in leaders President Bush put in place. Not a rejection of conservatism. If the Democrats whole strategy is to depend on the Republicans to continue to associate themselves with these things they will be out of power quickly just as the Republicans (including this Republican) has depended on the Democrats to “Blow” every election. They just didn’t.

7 President Bush now must give up on the Iraq War.
Oh, Sure, there’s a great deal of huffing and puffing by the usual suspects about bringing home the troops, but even the treasonous New York Times has published their own poll that shows the US electorate want to send even MORE troops in to finish the job. 55% polled said so. Even the editorial board of the TNYT now endorses this. So, behind all the airplay is the truth. Unless John Murtha is given too much sway, we are going to finish this war.

75 years from now the much-pilloried President Bush will be seen as one of the most decisive effective leaders of the last 100 years. Bill Clinton will be a blip on the radar screen.