Former USA Freedom Corps head John Bridgeland say Bush critics overlook volunteer accomplishments
Ex-Administration Officials Disappointed in Compassionate Conservatism
BY MARK O'KEEFE
c.2004 Newhouse News Service
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WASHINGTON -- Four years ago, George W. Bush ran for president as a "compassionate conservative" with a new Republican agenda to help the poor.
But a growing chorus of former administration officials and advisers say that reality has fallen short of campaign idealism, leaving compassionate conservatism with an uncertain future.
"So far, the call for an army of compassion has outstripped the equipping of that army," said Marvin Olasky, author of "Compassionate Conservatism" and the man Bush credits as the intellectual inspiration for his faith-based initiative. Olasky, a professor at the University of Texas, blames a poverty-fighting strategy relying far more on government grants than on vouchers and tax credits, which he sees as more efficient and constitutionally defensible.
Other Bush supporters cite competition for resources with the war on terrorism, the administration's emphasis on tax cutting, Democratic stonewalling, Republican infighting and the lack of a core constituency willing to lobby Congress for change.
Compassionate conservatism still has its Republican fans, who say it has given the party a new governing philosophy and language to address the needs of the most vulnerable. They point to increasing levels of volunteering and a five-year, $15 billion plan to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS worldwide, especially in Africa.
In recent weeks, Bush has renewed talk of his compassion agenda, which includes his "No Child Left Behind" program to pressure all public schools to effectively teach reading and math.
Because it is a philosophy that transcends government, compassionate conservatism will take time to take root and flourish, Bush says.
"Listen, our society is going to change one heart and one soul at a time," the president told a White House-sponsored gathering of faith-based activists Tuesday. "It changes from the bottom up, not the top down. It changes when the soldiers in the armies of compassion feel wanted, encouraged and empowered.
