Political posturing: Everything you want, in the worst possible way

Ah, the Internet Archive Wayback machine. Such a wonderful toy. I just finished browsing georgewbush.com, as it existed on 30 Oct 2000. Fun stuff!

George W. Bush for President Official Site: Issues

Environment and Natural Resources
Governor Bush is committed to a new era of environmental protection. The 30-year-old federal model of "mandate, regulate and litigate" needs to be modernized: it has yielded benefits in the past, but it encourages Americans to do the bare minimum to protect the environment and fails to reward innovation or results. Therefore, as President, Governor Bush will maintain a strong federal environmental role but will return significant authority to states and local communities. Under Governor Bush, the federal government will set high environmental standards and provide market-based incentives to develop new technologies and approaches so that Americans meet - and exceed - those standards. He will also ensure that the federal government, which is the country's largest polluter, complies with all environmental laws.

Foreign Policy
Governor Bush believes that American foreign policy must be more than the management of crisis. It must have a great and guiding goal: to turn this time of American influence into generations of democratic peace. This is accomplished by concentrating on enduring national interests and by resisting the temptation to withdraw from the world. As President, George W. Bush will pursue a distinctly American internationalism. He will set priorities and stick to them to avoid drift in foreign policy.

Government Reform
Governor Bush believes a strong leader focuses on solving problems, not settling scores. As President, he will restore honor and dignity to the White House, and set a new tone of respect and bipartisanship in Washington. To restore confidence in government, he will: reform the budget process to encourage cooperation and prevent government shutdowns, attack pork-barrel spending, and return civility to the nomination process.

More from that 'Foreign Policy' section:

Governor Bush's Foreign Policy Priorities

 

As President, George W. Bush will:

Work with our strong democratic allies in Europe and Asia to extend the peace and deal with the challenges of China and Russia - two great powers in transition.

Promote a fully democratic Western Hemisphere, bound together by free trade.

Defend America's interests in the Persian Gulf and advance peace in the Middle East, based upon a secure Israel.

Check the contagious spread of weapons of mass destruction, and the means to deliver them.

Lead toward a world that trades in freedom.

So, come 2012 or 2016, what campaign stances of the current candidates do you think we'll look at, saying, "oh, I didn't think he'd take that approach"?