Mentions of Bush in St. Paul dwindle to one

We don't know if George W. Bush watched the Republican National Convention Wednesday night. If so, he might have been surprised to hear his name mentioned.

As Countdown to Crawford has been chronicling over the last two weeks, Democrats made frequent use of the president's name from Denver. Tuesday, the first night of the Republican National Convention, the only mentions of the president's name -- five -- came from his wife, First Lady Laura Bush.

So we might have expected a no-Bush night on Wednesday. And most of the top speakers -- Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee -- stayed away from any talk of the president, whose popularity ratings hover around 30%.

But to our surprise, there was one mention of the president, and it was favorable. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney credited Bush for labeling terrorist-sponsoring countries "the axis of evil."

By tonight, when Republican John McCain accepts the nomination, we're guessing the 43rd POTUS will not be mentioned. But we've been wrong before.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Comments

[JOJO]

It is amazing Republican did't memtion their pope by name. And they didn't want his blessing oh! my mistake he blessed them throgh the Screen.

[Ed Morabito - Rhode Island]

Republicans Hate the America They Gave Us

What I find amazing about Sarah Palin and the Republicans in general is that everything they hate in America... big government, corruption, big-time lobbyists, a Washington elite out of control, less freedom, rural America in dire straits, the little guy being forgotten, small businesses failing, millions of our dollars being spent on foreign oil, an energy policy stuck in the last century... is a direct result of what their policies and leaders have given us.

For God's sake, who do you think has controlled the Washington establishment...the Congress, the White House, the Supreme Court... for the last eight years? Just a note from a real conservative.