The ship that is George Bush’s presidency that is………..
Imagine if you will, if this were a parliamentary style of government-would George Bush survive a no confidence vote?
Probably not-especially when Bush supporters like this one start questioning his sincerity.
I’m not referring to what used to be called Bush Derangement Syndrome. That phrase suggested that to passionately dislike the president was to be somewhat unhinged. No one thinks that anymore. I received an email before the news conference from as rock-ribbed a Republican as you can find, a Georgia woman (middle-aged, entrepreneurial) who’d previously supported him. She said she’d had it. “I don’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth.” I was startled by her vehemence only because she is, as I said, rock-ribbed. Her email reminded me of another, one a friend received some months ago: “I took the W off my car today,” it said on the subject line. It sounded like a country western song, like a great lament.As I watched the news conference, it occurred to me that one of the things that might leave people feeling somewhat disoriented is the president’s seemingly effortless high spirits. He’s in a good mood. There was the usual teasing, the partly aggressive, partly joshing humor, the certitude. He doesn’t seem to be
suffering, which is jarring. Presidents in great enterprises that are going badly suffer: Lincoln, LBJ with his head in his hands. Why doesn’t Mr. Bush? Every major domestic initiative of his second term has been ill thought through and ended in failure. His Iraq leadership has failed. His standing is lower than any previous president’s since polling began. He’s in a good mood. Discuss.
Of course he is in a good mood. The people he really cares about-his inner elite circle of rich cronies is being taken care of. The nearest threat to that circle breaking has been eliminated with reprieve of Scooter Libby-thus protecting the Sith Lord Cheney from further scrutiny. Ms Noonan comes out and finally realizes what us Bush bashers have known all along-he says one thing, but means quite another. ” With Mr. Bush it is the people who are forced to be cool-eyed and realistic. He’s the one who goes off on the toots. This is extremely irritating, and also unnatural. Actually it’s weird. ”
It could be that maybe, just maybe, George Bush believes the lies that have been told to him by any number of sycophants. That he believed we would be welcomed as liberators, that he believed that Iraq was fertile ground to plant democracy and that somehow it would outgrow the inadequacy of its people to understand what that involves-much less execute. He may have actually believed the lies of Donald Rumsfeld that the military was too large and too well paid-that it actually could take on a major ground war while foolishly shrinking it’s numbers.
Which no one wants to believe because if its true-it makes him out to be a bigger poltroon than any of his opposition ever thought. And leaves the people stuck:
You work, pay your taxes, which are your financial contribution to making it all work, you become involved in local things–the boy’s ball team, the library, the homeless shelter. You handle what you can handle within your ken, and give the big things to the president.And if he can’t do it, or if he can’t do it as well as you pay the mortgage and help the kid next door, you get mad. And you fire him.
Americans can’t fire the president right now, so they’re waiting it out. They can tell a pollster how they feel, and they do, and they can tell friends, and they do that too. They also watch the news conference, and grit their teeth a bit.
More than just a bit-so much so I may need to see a dentist. Thank God I out grew hitting things…………..
