During his time in the White House, George W Bush was regarded as a warmonger and hardline conservative. As president he did an awful lot to polarise the country and was viewed as such a threat to world peace that when he left office the Nobel committee handed his successor the peace prize – for not being him. It says a lot about the United States that Mr Bush can be seen now as a paragon of virtue. He sounds a lot better out of office than in it. His defence today of a free press (“indispensable”), his call for a “lawful, welcoming” immigration policy and his preference for “answers” in the scandal engulfing Donald Trump’s team over Moscow’s meddling in the presidential election may mark a turning point for Republicans. We certainly hope so.
The Grand Old Party is trading its principles for power. Instead of dousing incendiary language, probing Russian interference and promoting inclusive policies, Republicans are nodding along to populist tunes. But even with the proliferation of voter-suppression measures, the US is demographically marching away from Mr Trump. Turning Hispanics and Muslims into hate figures will ultimately repel ordinary voters. Republicans should be talking down the threat from Islam and champion immigration reform, as Mr Bush once did. In reminding us of that, the 43rd US president should be applauded.
