Currently C-SPAN2 is showing a tribute to those leaders of the Republican Party who have passed away since the last Convention.  No snark here, just a couple of observations.

1.  Tony Snow got the biggest applause.

2.  Jesse Helms was a close second.

3.  President Gerald Ford got absolutely no applause.  A short video tribute to Ford followed, and that got only the most tepid of responses.

I cannot think of anything that more dramatically illustrates the shift within the Republican party away from the center.  For most of these delegates, Gerald Ford is still the guy who kept Ronald Reagan from becoming President in 1976.

I think it’s telling that today, most of those who could be described as “Gerald Ford Republicans” are supporting Obama — Jim Leach, Lincoln Chafee, Susan Eisenhower, and so on.  And I’m guessing that Chuck Hagel will follow them shortly.

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I’m a big Jim Leach fan.  I was sorry to see him get beat.  His speech, on paper, is compelling — as an op-ed. But his presentation is awful.  He’s a college professor, not a stemwinder.  In addition, he’s too academic.  He’s not connecting with his audience.  In fact he’s losing him.

Here’s a good example:  “the portfolio of challenges.”  Nobody is going to know what that means.

Best line:  “Little is more dangerous to this country than more of the same.”

This is the Democrats Zell Miller?  Joe Lieberman?  They couldn’t get Hagel or Chafee?  And remember, I’m a Jim Leach fan.

But hey, he’s better than Nancy Pelosi.

I’m beginning to wonder whether the Obama campaign vetted these speeches.

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Yglesias suggests that Obama reward a smart Republican like Hagel not with Defense, but with the U.N. Ambassadorship:

It would be much more productive, I think, to take someone with a solidly conservative domestic record but internationalist views on foreign policy and make him (or her) UN Ambassador or something. That sends the message that the liberal approach to world affairs has appeal that transcends party lines or debates over tax policy or whatever else. . . .Those are ways of co-opting conservative politicians in order to broaden the appeal of progressive solutions, rather than a way that draws attention to alleged weaknesses in the progressive approach.

I understand the argument, but I can’t say that I agree with it.  Given our track record with the U.N., and given the fact that our credibility with the U.N. is at an all-time low, and especially given the fact that we need someone who can help fix the UN, I don’t think that Hagel is the right choice.  Maybe Jim Leach or Lincoln Chafee, but I don’t know if they’re the right choice either.

So who would I pick?  An old friend of mine.  I think he’d be absolutely brilliant.

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So now there’s a Republicans for Obama movement.  It’s headed by three individuals I respect greatly:  former Rep. Jim Leach (IA), former Sen. Lincoln Chafee, and philanthropist and intelligence expert Rita Hauser.  I imagine Susan Eisenhower is involved as well, although she was not identified in the news reports I saw.

I was disappointed that Chuck Hagel, despite Steve Clemons’ prediction, is not in the group.  And I would love to see a few other folks — Colin Powell and Bret Scowcroft come to mind, as does Tom Kean — join them.  But it’s a good start.

An anecdote:  I happen to know a gentleman in his 80s who is from one of the oldest Republican families in the nation.  Some of his ancestors served in very high positions in government, and some of his current relatives have served there as well.  He and his wife now support Obama — and not merely financially, but also by getting involved in grassroots campaigning.  He said to me that he cannot in good conscience support the Republicans any longer.  He’s not alone — I have dozens of former Republican friends who now consider themselves not just Obama supporters, but Democrats.

That is George Bush’s true legacy.  Congrats, Dubya.  You’ve done a heckuva job.

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