GOP says history will judge Bush well, but draw clear distinction between Bush/McCain

MINNEAPOLIS - George Bush’s face filling a screen at the Xcel Energy Center last night didn’t prompt a chorus of boos because most Republicans still like the president, said State Republican Chairman Tom Wilson.

"He’s liked by a lot of people - remember, the people in that room are mostly hardcore party activists," the state chairman said, "and last night he did what he had to do."

"I know his poll numbers are upside down but I think history will judge him well," said Ocean County Republican Chairman George Gilmore. "No terrorist attack in seven years. We’re doing better in Iraq."

State Assembly Minority Leader Alex DeCroce (D-Parsippany-Troy Hills) agreed.

"It would have been nicer if he had been here in Minneapolis, of course," DeCroce said. "People are always happy to see their president. It will take time for most people to appreciate George Bush, but there hasn’t been a terrorist attack since 9/11, our intelligence has been good and the president has kept his word."

Almost to a man, Republicans reserve their harshest criticism for Bush the communicator, acknowledging that while the foot-in-mouth lame duck hasn’t been the best man to effectively carry the message of the party, he nonetheless has faithfully protected the country.

Even while pulling punches in assessing a president mired in the negative consciousness of most New Jerseyans (15 percent approval rating, according to Strategic Vision), Republicans who bused their way out of the protest-riven downtown and back to the bar at the Hilton Hotel tried to make the case that the convention is about Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), not Bush.

"Bush is not helping Republicans, and he will hurt the Republican cause in New Jersey," admitted state Sen. Sean Kean (R-Monmouth), "but McCain - as a maverick - is a departure. The base has not always been happy about McCain, but he is what he is."

McCain’s Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) made the point in his acceptance speech last week that the Arizona senator has voted with Bush 90 percent of the time, but Kean tried to argue that such a stat does not tell the whole story.

"With the volume of bills we receive as legislators, I probably vote 90 percent of the time with (Assembly Majority Leader) Joe Roberts and (Senate President) Dick Codey," said Kean. "A lot of stuff is done on a voting list, that doesn’t mean that I agree with them on some key issues."

Kean said he fears Obama’s advocacy of larger government in the area of healthcare, and his relative inexperience in foreign policy.

Republicans argue that McCain, who opposed Bush in the 2000 Republican Primary, and started drawing a hand across his throat in assessing the Bush Administration’s Iraq War policy before most others in his party, gives them the best shot of proving they want to move beyond Bush.

"There are a few of us - (former Gov. Thomas) Kean, Baroni, (Sean) Kean, O’Toole, Kathe Donovan, who go back to 2000 in our support of McCain," said Wilson. "I remember sitting at the Newark Marriot back then listening to Gov. Kean endorse John McCain, reinforcing in me what I already suspected of McCain. I respect Gov. Kean’s judgement, and if he likes McCain, I remember feeling pretty good about that."