Bush II the moderate

I have to write this quickly, as I'm heading out the door, but did anyone else ever think that a Republican nominating race could make Bush II seem "moderate"?  I remember Bush II's first election, when he talked about "compassionate conservatism", when he talked about immigration reform, when he (at least) gave lip service to the idea that global warming was real and that, while he disagrees about the cause didn't argue that something need be done about it.

I'm not at all saying he WAS moderate. But, listening to Perry (the secessionist who simultaneously claims that the "jury is out" on global warming, but wrote in his book that it's a sham that scientists use to get money and that Medicare and Medicaid are unconstitutional), Bachmann (the ideological purist who thinks the EPA should be eliminated altogether and we should drill in the Adirondacks and the Everglades), Romney (who thinks his own, successful health care reform is now unconstitutional) and Ron Paul (need I go there?), it makes my head spin.

After Bush II's election, I thought surely a moderate Republican would bring the party back to a place of legitimate governance. I was wrong. They will drive their party off the cliff. My only hope is that they don't succeed in taking the entire govt down with them.  Sure, I'd love to see their crazy ideas proven wrong, but not if the price is utter failure of govt.