George Bush
I have been thinking about President Bush of late. Several thoughts keep recurring to me.
First, we have elected a cheerleader. The cheerleader's job is to stay on the sidelines and encourage the crowd, no matter what is going on on the field. In that job, he doesn't face the situation where he is behind, and has to grit his teeth, get a ferocious gleam in his eye, and 'do it'. Anyone who has been in that situation knows that you may win, you may lose, but you focus on the goal, and push with all your might and skill. President Bush seems more concerned with appearance than achievement. Which is part of why we are where we are today.
The second thought is that other people have pointed out that Bush has moved from position to position in the business world, and when he got into trouble, his father's friends have stepped in to bail him out. Now we have the 'Iraq Study Group', headed by James Baker, who worked in the first President Bush's White House. The realists are being asked to fix the problems created by the neo-cons. But I doubt Mr. Baker can retrieve the situation in Iraq quickly or cleanly. I doubt anyone can at this point.
Finally, Bush has said that 'God wanted me to be President'. He also seems to assume that we are the good guys, and that because of that, God is on our side, no matter what we do. He should listen to the words of another Republican President, Abraham Lincoln. When assured that God was on the side of the Union, Lincoln replied that he was more concerned that the Union be on God's side.
First, we have elected a cheerleader. The cheerleader's job is to stay on the sidelines and encourage the crowd, no matter what is going on on the field. In that job, he doesn't face the situation where he is behind, and has to grit his teeth, get a ferocious gleam in his eye, and 'do it'. Anyone who has been in that situation knows that you may win, you may lose, but you focus on the goal, and push with all your might and skill. President Bush seems more concerned with appearance than achievement. Which is part of why we are where we are today.
The second thought is that other people have pointed out that Bush has moved from position to position in the business world, and when he got into trouble, his father's friends have stepped in to bail him out. Now we have the 'Iraq Study Group', headed by James Baker, who worked in the first President Bush's White House. The realists are being asked to fix the problems created by the neo-cons. But I doubt Mr. Baker can retrieve the situation in Iraq quickly or cleanly. I doubt anyone can at this point.
Finally, Bush has said that 'God wanted me to be President'. He also seems to assume that we are the good guys, and that because of that, God is on our side, no matter what we do. He should listen to the words of another Republican President, Abraham Lincoln. When assured that God was on the side of the Union, Lincoln replied that he was more concerned that the Union be on God's side.