Bush Hatred Revisited

Remember Clinton Hatred? Poor, poor W. He has suffered so much in life that a little criticism is just too, too much. The Trickster (anti-Semitism and all) was a genius compared to W. Dutch was a genius (?) compared to W. Warren Harding was a genius compared to W. It just gets worse and worse. Iraq, the economy, the cynicism of Leave No Child Behind, Rummy, Dickster, the cynicism of supporting the military, Condi, Wolfie, and the Protestant Right. W will reap the whirlwind. Unfortunately, he will take all of us down at the same time. If this be (fair & balanced) hatred, so be it.

[x New Republic Online]
October 10, 2003

Dear Reader,

In the September 29 issue of The New Republic, we published a piece by Senior Editor Jonathan Chait in which he argues that there is a rational basis for the deep hatred many liberals feel for President Bush. Chait opens: "I hate President George W. Bush. There, I said it." While it sometimes seems that our critics attack us before they bother to read the first line of our articles, Chait's piece has clearly caused a stir, prompting excerpts and op-eds in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and appearances and discussions on such networks as C-SPAN and Fox News.

As you know, we're used to this kind of controversy. But the funny thing is, many of those who criticized the Chait piece failed to mention the article we published right along side of it: an articulate critique of "Bush hatred" by National Review Senior Editor Ramesh Ponnuru. If you haven't had the chance to read these articles, we've included portions of both of them below, and if you have, click here to see a video of Chait and Ponnuru speaking about this on C-SPAN.

We see our magazine as a forum for open debate, and we're proud to guide public conversation by presenting all points of view. It's what makes The New Republic unique.

Enjoy,

Peter Beinart
Editor

Copyright © 2003 The New Republic