Politics: Observations & Arguments

Bookslut.com

An Interview with Hendrik Hertzberg

Yeah, sure that’s the debate the conservatives have among themselves. “[Bush] is not a true conservative,” and all that. He spends too much. I’m not interested in that debate. That’s for them to hash out. Ronald Reagan was, from 1964 on, the leader of the conservative wing of the Republican Party. Like it or not, he was the advocate, the public face, the intellectual motor of the Republican Right, where Bush II is just a twerp. He’s a bundle of resentment. He’s never had any real interest in political ideology. It’s all an Oedipal drama. And ultimately that’s how it will be understood. I don’t think it’s comprehensible in any other way. His dad raised taxes, so he’s not going to raise taxes. Dad didn’t go to Baghdad, so he’s going to Baghdad. Dad hated Rumsfeld so he made Rumsfeld secretary of defense. Full interview.