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Outside View: Bush's wild joyride

By RACHEL MARSDEN, A UPI Outside View commentary

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- It's a safe bet that George W. Bush, chief adviser Karl Rove, and the rest of the president's re-election strategy team are shifting gears. But while they're at it, they may want to bring the Bushmobile into the shop and set it to pull a little harder to the right.

Who would have ever predicted that on the eve of the State of the Union address, a front-running Democrat in the presidential race, Howard Dean, would flip out on stage at the Iowa caucuses, and start acting like he was trying out for a gig with the World Wrestling Federation instead of running for president?

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Bush's State of the Union was already in the can when Dean -- the furthest left-leaning of all the "viable" Democratic candidates -- was in the lead. Team Bush could have been excused for thinking that, based on Dean's perceived popularity at the time, there may have been somewhat of an appetite in America to buy into a few more liberal ideas under the label of "compassionate conservatism."

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The reality is that veering left won't get Bush the support of the loony left crowd, no matter what he does. They'll forever be upset that Bush "meddled" in the foreign affairs of dictatorial regimes, and that Osama bin Laden isn't on Al Jazeera every week with a regular "Jihadi Update."

Moderate Democrats will ultimately choose Bush over a candidate like the current front-runner, Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., simply by virtue of the fact that they feel Bush is a stronger leader than Kerry (53 percent vs. 39 percent in a recent CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll), and that they trust Bush more than they do Kerry when it comes to foreign policy issues (50 percent vs. 44 percent on the issue of Iraq).

Kerry has said that if he were to become president, the fight against terrorism would "involve the military now and then," but it would be "primarily an intelligence gathering, law enforcement operation." In other words: Come on out, Osama! The coast is clear.

And just wait until these figures start taking into account the flip-flopping that Kerry has done on issues such as NAFTA, the war in Iraq, and education legislation -- all which are symptomatic of a serious leadership deficit.

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Kerry has done more waffling than an Eggo factory worker -- a fact that will make for a delicious field day for Rove and Co.

The only thing pandering to liberal ideals will do is alienate Bush's right-wing support base. After asking them to suck up some of the proposals in his speech, tossing them a few dollars for abstinence programs and faith-based charitable work would be like buying someone flowers after you've just burned down their house.

Let's start with Bush's proposed immigration reform, which would reward illegal immigrants for breaking the law by granting them 3-year work permits. Any bets that al-Qaida has already been in touch with the INS to ask about getting their hands on application forms? Why bother forcing foreigners entering U.S. airports and seaports to have their fingerprints scanned and their photographs snapped as part of a new program designed to enhance border security when the back door to the United States will be left wide open?

Here's a better idea. If Bush really wants to show some compassion, he should drop the protectionist tariffs on steel, textiles and lumber and start walking his free-trade talk. This would improve the economic climate around the world, improve peoples' lives in their own countries and dampen their need to flee to America illegally.

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As for professional positions, if Bush is a true free-trader and free-enterpriser who really believes in "matching willing employees with willing employers" as he claims, he'd open up America to competition with the North American market and encourage legal competition and immigration across the board.

The bottom line is that Bush knows full well that his immigration legislation will end up being relegated to the dreams of the Islamic extremists -- alongside the 79 virgins, or whatever the going reward is nowadays for fundamentalist fruitcakes willing to blow themselves to smithereens in the name of Allah. The chances of Republican majorities in both the House of Representatives and Senate passing Bush's immigration reform plan are about the same as Al Sharpton's chances of becoming "Leader of the Free World."

The only mileage Bush will get out of the idea will come from a few more Hispanic votes, before people clue in to the fact that the legislation is -- and only ever will be -- a pipedream. And that's provided these people aren't already turned off by the idea of being drop-kicked by Uncle Sam back across the Rio Bravo after their 3-year temporary work permit expires.

Another post-State of the Union jawdropper was Bush's proposal of an $18 million increase to $122.5 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. Goodness knows it should be one of the president's top priorities to ensure that Americans never have to do without their Shakespeare, jazz dancing and painting! Look, if some performance artists want to take pictures of their private parts, and put them on display in the name of "art," then they should do it on their own dime.

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As a free-market capitalist, Bush should, again, let the market "fund" these folks.

I am all for massive funding for the arts. Go nuts and fund it like crazy. But privately! If Bush really can't curb his urge to toss cash at artists, then how about sending them into war zones to paint camo patterns on the side of tanks? At least that would be constructive and appreciated.

Some of Bush's proposed spending -- particularly with respect to Medicare and seniors -- is well-justified. It's reasoned, compassionate, sound governance -- and it's undoubtedly more restrained and better planned out than any proposals fielded by the Democrats. Granted that it might have been fun for "Dubya" to take a little bit of a spin on the left/wrong side of the road prior to the Dean meltdown in Iowa, it's time now to head in for a tune up.

That is, unless Bush wants to forget about winning the next election and instead keep drag racing with loony leftist, Howard Dean, all the way to Arizona! Oklahoma! Missouri! South Carolina! North Dakota! Delaware! New Mexico! And straight off that big cliff on the "left" ... YYYYYEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!

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(Rachel Marsden is a freelance commentator living in Canada.)

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(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)

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