Likin' the Bush...

AllahPundit links yesterday to an article by Rick Perlstein of the Village Voice, and he asks for responses.

His contention is that Bush fans like Bush only becaus they think he is inherently good, and that such a view is unamerican because the constitution doesn't believe in the inherent goodness of people.

I think that Perlstein has his cause and effects reversed. Perlstein seems to think that conservatives support Bush's policies because they like him. I think that conservatives like Bush as a person because he's someone who agrees with most of their views. Sure, there are some conservatives who will formost argue that Bush is a great guy, but chances are they think he's a great guy because they think he is pursuing policies that make the country safer and more prosperous.

It seems odd to me that it's Un-American to think that Bush is a nice guy, but if you think he's totally evil, that's perfectly normal. Comparing Bush to Hitler, calling him stupid or a monkey or making fun of his mispronunciations is par for the course, but thinking he's a nice guy makes you Hitler too. I would like to think that the reason that liberals dislike Bush is because they disagree with his policies based on reasoning and analysis, and not just because they don't like the guy's accent or where he comes from or who his dad is, but I don't think that's always the case, and it seems odd to critize Republicans for something I think the liberals are far more guilty of.