Bush and McCain

The latest news from the campaign trail is that Senator McCain is moving to minimize his ties to President Bush in response to Senator Obama's accusations that Mr. McCain would continue Mr. Bush's policies for four more years. As Mr. Obama put it in remarks prepared for delivery yesterday, "He's holding a fundraiser with George Bush behind closed doors in Arizona. No cameras. No reporters. And we all know why. Senator McCain doesn't want to be seen, hat-in-hand, with the President whose failed policies he promises to continue for another four years."

The Obama remarks underscore the futility for Mr. McCain of attempting to distance himself from Mr. Bush. No matter how hard Mr. McCain tries to distance himself, the Democrats will still tie him to Mr. Bush. Truth is, the Bush record, while hardly perfect, is not something Mr. McCain would be wise to flee. On the economic front, we have seen 26 consecutive quarters of real growth in Gross Domestic Product, with unemployment in the 5% range, and Americans are keeping more of what they earn because of the Bush tax cuts. Even after the recent dip in the housing market, Americans who have owned homes over the entire Bush administration have seen remarkable price appreciation. Home ownership has reached historic highs.

In respect of foreign policy, dictators have been replaced with elected governments in Iraq, Ukraine, and Liberia. America has reached bilateral free trade agreements with Chile, Singapore, Australia, Morocco, and Bahrain. We are approaching seven years since September 11, 2001, without a successful major terrorist attack on the American mainland, which is a tremendous accomplishment — the dog that may have barked but did not bite, as it were. In respect of both foreign and domestic policy, the Supreme Court has been re-centered on Mr. Bush's watch, with a new chief justice of the United States, John Roberts, and a new associate justice, Samuel Alito, elevated to the court.

President Bush's job approval rating, while mired in the low 30s in recent polls, still exceeds that of the Democratic Congress by a double digit margin. Only about 18% of Americans approve of the job the Democratic Congress is doing, polls indicate. All the more reason for Mr. McCain to stand his ground with Mr. Bush. The senator may recall that Mr. Bush's father ran in 1988 promising a "kinder, gentler" approach to policy. Many interpreted it as a slight to President Reagan. But when the elder Mr. Bush actually did distance himself from Reagan, by increasing marginal tax rates, the blunder cost him a second term. Mr. McCain would be wise avoid the temptation to move away from a president whose stature will only grow in time and come, we believe, to be appreciated by the historians and, as Reagan and Truman have been, by the public.