Comparing Bush and Obama

In a new piece over at National Review Online, John J. Pitney Jr. questions the characterization by Obama supporters of the young senator as the "anti-Bush." While many Democrats have pointed to Bush's divisive character and partisanship, Pitney finds many similarities between Obama's rhetoric, which centers around transcending partisanship and "working together," and the main points of Bush's 2000 presidential campaign.

While Pitney is certainly right in pointing out that many of these themes are the same, this does not necessarily contradict the characterization of Obama as the "anti-Bush." The reason for this is simple. While Bush promised to be "a uniter, not a divider" and spoke of a new kind of non-partisan politics, these themes were abandoned and even totally reversed once Bush was in office. The few themes along these lines that Bush had shown a real intent to pursue were thrown out following 9/11, which we are constantly reminded "changed everything."

The reality is that Obama has the potential to be either an "anti-Bush" or to follow in Bush's footsteps. If he is elected, his identity will be decided by whether he makes good on his campaign rhetoric, or checks it at the door to the White House, as Bush did.