Pat Buchanan, the man who some say contributed to the election of Bill Clinton by challenging incumbent President George H. W. Bush, is trying to screw things up again for the GOP. His statement that, "his [George W. Bush’s] spending is making his father look like Barry Goldwater, and my view is that domestic social spending is exploding.” Buchanan continued, "He's not vetoed a single bill, he has gone south on affirmative action. And I think he's gone AWOL on social and cultural issues." This type of rhetoric is playing into the hands of the Democrats and Buchanan’s intention, no matter how honorable, should be questioned.

On the issue of spending it can be argued that if Congress, and this includes members of both parties, were to actually honor the sentiment of a balanced budget the spending wouldn’t be nearly as out of control as it is. Placing the blame at the feet of President George W. Bush is to overlook the real culprits in this matter, those who propose, vote on and pass the bills that cost all that money. The villain in the spending mess is the Congress and to pass the buck onto the shoulders of President Bush is to ignore the real problem. If we were to count how many times President Bush has commented on the need for Congress to reign in its out of control spending the tally would be approaching the hundreds.

On the issue of affirmative action it should be pointed out that the Supreme Court is in actuality the governing body that had the final say on what happened in Michigan not President Bush. As a conservative, Pat Buchanan should be ultimately concerned with state’s rights yet he points the finger of blame for the continued existence of affirmative action the way of the federal government. I would ask, when Ward Connerly, the University of California Regent who has championed the elimination of racial bias in government and community, was running his Proposition 54 campaign in the last election, where was Pat Buchanan? President Bush has been touting equal opportunity for all while the leftists have been touting preferential treatment for minorities. Buchanan’s accusation twists President Bush’s words, intentions and deeds and Buchanan would be well served to clarify that statement in defense of his reputation.

As far as his contention that President Bush has gone "AWOL on social and cultural issues,” I would ask him to once again clarify himself. While teachers and school administrators wrestle with the complexity of No Child Left Behind, a program geared toward raising the expectations of our countries students instead of allowing the dumbing-down to continue, the Bush Administration and in particular First Lady Laura Bush are championing literacy in the classroom. President Bush has gone further to make alternative fuel sources a reality than any other president in history including Bill Clinton. The partnership between Shell Oil and GM in bringing hydrogen-based fuel cells to the consumer market is proof enough of that. For the first time ever there are limits set on the amount of mercury that there can be in our water supply. All of these things directly affect us yet Mr. Buchanan contends that the Bush Administration is AWOL on social and cultural issues. I beg to differ.

It would be refreshing for the GOP, especially the far right in the organization, to realize that harping on issues that polarize the party is in effect championing the efforts of the Democratic Party. To be certain, the only things that could possibly come out of Pat Buchanan’s statements are a boost for the Democratic presidential candidates and a set of inane talking points that garner no credibility whatsoever.

If Pat Buchanan wants to rail against those who have become today’s spendthrifts, those who have aided in the racial division of this country and those who have done nothing to make the country a better place to live then he should he would be better served to take aim at those who actually are doing the spending, creating the divide and sitting on their pork barrels instead of having the courage to stand up for what our country really needs. Here’s a hint, Pat, it isn’t the guy in the White House. Open your eyes.

Frank Salvato is a political media consultant and the managing editor for The New Media Journal.us. He is a contributing writer for The Washington Dispatch, GOPUSA, OpinionEditorials, Men’s News Daily, Canada Free Press & AmericanDaily. His pieces are regularly featured in Townhall.com. He has appeared as a guest on The O’Reilly Factor, The Kevin Matthews Radio Show (Chicago) and The Brad Messer Radio Show (San Antonio). His pieces have been recognized by the Japan Center for Conflict Prevention and are occasionally featured in The Washington Times and The London Morning Paper as well as other national and international publications.