Obsidian Potency 3.0
The Incredible Shrinking Presidency
posted Sunday, 9 October 2005
At this point, I think it's safe to say that the meager benefit of the doubt I gave George W. Bush during his presidency was..well...undeserved.
The GOP is in more trouble than it has been in years. First, Bush blew it with the war in Iraq in the sense that he allowed people underneath him to lie about its scope, length and cost. Then he blew it on the budget and economy, driving this country into a record deficit and debt with his policies. Then he continued to lower taxes and spend more money than any other president in history.
Then came the hurricane -- and he blew that one, too. Badly. The failure was at many levels, but his failure was no less glaring than anyone else's.
And now, with his latest Supreme Court nominee, he has manged to do what I once thought impossible: W has turned the most hardcore, yes-men GOP members against him. Ann Coulter -- yes, THAT Ann Coulter -- was on Real Time with Bill Maher talking about what a horrible decision Bush made, how Meiers is completely unqualified. She basically said "This isn't just some random government job. This is the SUPREME COURT we're talking about!" When the head of the GOP and the reigning president can get Ann Coulter's panties in a bunch, you know the shit's really hitting the fan.
When you look around the U.S., nothing is really going all that well in terms of federal governance. And to drive the final nails in the coffin, many of Bush's staunchest supporters, cronies and party leaders are being exposed as the incompetent, lying cheating frauds that they are. Bill Frist, Tom DeLay and a host of others are being indicted, resigning their posts or getting fired. Fuel prices are skyrocketing -- and just wait until winter heating bills come in. The situation is reflected in the polls: both Bus's approval ratings and (the mostly-Republican)Congress' ratings are both at or near all-time lows.
I've been very careful not to call Bush a total moron. I've also been carefult to give him some credit with certain issues and events. Not much credit, but a little. I see no need to do that anymore.
The bottom line is, he's way in over his head -- and always has been. Everyone always assumed that Bush was a relatively honest, good guy who was of average intelligence and wisdom, but who surrounded himself with good people. Now we're finding out that he surrounds himself with a lot of corrupt, shitty people who are just as unqualified for their jobs as W is for his. It seems that the only people he places in roles of significance are people who admire him and whom he has a close, personal relationship with. Much like his federal policies, his appointments always seem to reward his friends for their loyalty and cozying over the years.
In hindsight, is it any wonder that Colin Powell bailed his post after the first term? Doesn't it seem like an incredibly wise decision on his part now?
I still don't believe Bush is the devil incarnate. But I do believe that at the rate he's going, he will leave office with a tattered legacy. In fact, he may go down as one of the worst presidents in American history -- alongside the likes of Taft and Grant.
He will leave two unfinished wars in two different countries, one of which has destroyed the budget and any semblance of peace and security we might have been falsely clinging to. No, the war in Iraq didn't end after 2 years, and no, we haven't won, and no, the Iraqis have not managed to set up a legitimate, self-sufficient government, and no, there's no end in sight, and no, we don't know if it would have been worse to leave Saddam in power. We just don't, because nothing going on in Iraq now gives us any indication of who will be running the place 10 years from now.
We aren't any safer. Terrorists are bombing away in many countries, moreso than before 9/11. Airports, borders and industrial plants are still unsecured. Airport security is still a joke. Homeland Security is also a joke -- probably because another incompetent tool is running the agency.
We have no money. We are lowering taxes, yet spending more than ever. Who is going to pay the bill?
It's time for those who supported him all this time, those who constantly took his side on just about every major issue he's had since he took office, those who were almost zealot-like in their approval of his presidency, to ask themselves this question...honestly:
Is the United States better off today than it was when Bush took office? More importantly, is there any sign that this country, or the world, will be better off when he leaves?
In my mind, the answer to both those questions is a no-brainer: No. It's time to face facts: he just isn't cut out for this gig, and you were wrong. I'm not saying this to gloat. It's not something I'm happy about. But it's time to re-assess everything you may have thoughtabout him and his inner circle, and to move on to some leaders who might actually be effective.
The GOP is in more trouble than it has been in years. First, Bush blew it with the war in Iraq in the sense that he allowed people underneath him to lie about its scope, length and cost. Then he blew it on the budget and economy, driving this country into a record deficit and debt with his policies. Then he continued to lower taxes and spend more money than any other president in history.
Then came the hurricane -- and he blew that one, too. Badly. The failure was at many levels, but his failure was no less glaring than anyone else's.
And now, with his latest Supreme Court nominee, he has manged to do what I once thought impossible: W has turned the most hardcore, yes-men GOP members against him. Ann Coulter -- yes, THAT Ann Coulter -- was on Real Time with Bill Maher talking about what a horrible decision Bush made, how Meiers is completely unqualified. She basically said "This isn't just some random government job. This is the SUPREME COURT we're talking about!" When the head of the GOP and the reigning president can get Ann Coulter's panties in a bunch, you know the shit's really hitting the fan.
When you look around the U.S., nothing is really going all that well in terms of federal governance. And to drive the final nails in the coffin, many of Bush's staunchest supporters, cronies and party leaders are being exposed as the incompetent, lying cheating frauds that they are. Bill Frist, Tom DeLay and a host of others are being indicted, resigning their posts or getting fired. Fuel prices are skyrocketing -- and just wait until winter heating bills come in. The situation is reflected in the polls: both Bus's approval ratings and (the mostly-Republican)Congress' ratings are both at or near all-time lows.
I've been very careful not to call Bush a total moron. I've also been carefult to give him some credit with certain issues and events. Not much credit, but a little. I see no need to do that anymore.
The bottom line is, he's way in over his head -- and always has been. Everyone always assumed that Bush was a relatively honest, good guy who was of average intelligence and wisdom, but who surrounded himself with good people. Now we're finding out that he surrounds himself with a lot of corrupt, shitty people who are just as unqualified for their jobs as W is for his. It seems that the only people he places in roles of significance are people who admire him and whom he has a close, personal relationship with. Much like his federal policies, his appointments always seem to reward his friends for their loyalty and cozying over the years.
In hindsight, is it any wonder that Colin Powell bailed his post after the first term? Doesn't it seem like an incredibly wise decision on his part now?
I still don't believe Bush is the devil incarnate. But I do believe that at the rate he's going, he will leave office with a tattered legacy. In fact, he may go down as one of the worst presidents in American history -- alongside the likes of Taft and Grant.
He will leave two unfinished wars in two different countries, one of which has destroyed the budget and any semblance of peace and security we might have been falsely clinging to. No, the war in Iraq didn't end after 2 years, and no, we haven't won, and no, the Iraqis have not managed to set up a legitimate, self-sufficient government, and no, there's no end in sight, and no, we don't know if it would have been worse to leave Saddam in power. We just don't, because nothing going on in Iraq now gives us any indication of who will be running the place 10 years from now.
We aren't any safer. Terrorists are bombing away in many countries, moreso than before 9/11. Airports, borders and industrial plants are still unsecured. Airport security is still a joke. Homeland Security is also a joke -- probably because another incompetent tool is running the agency.
We have no money. We are lowering taxes, yet spending more than ever. Who is going to pay the bill?
It's time for those who supported him all this time, those who constantly took his side on just about every major issue he's had since he took office, those who were almost zealot-like in their approval of his presidency, to ask themselves this question...honestly:
Is the United States better off today than it was when Bush took office? More importantly, is there any sign that this country, or the world, will be better off when he leaves?
In my mind, the answer to both those questions is a no-brainer: No. It's time to face facts: he just isn't cut out for this gig, and you were wrong. I'm not saying this to gloat. It's not something I'm happy about. But it's time to re-assess everything you may have thoughtabout him and his inner circle, and to move on to some leaders who might actually be effective.
Want to read comments, or have something to say? Bring it.
Obsidian Hit Counter
Total: 287,657
since: 18 Oct 2004
since: 18 Oct 2004