Political Rant 3

I'll ask the question in as plain terms as possible: When are we going to fire George W. Bush?

I have dear friends who dearly hated Bill Clinton. While, in my political innocence at the time I took the opposing view, I was able to have short rational political discussions with them about the direction of the country. My political views have matured somewhat and I no longer think of Bill Clinton as an American political messiah. I think that not a few of the problems attributed to George Bush are the fruit of seed spilled by Bill Clinton. I'll also go so far as to concede that some (but not all) of the glory lauded upon Clinton was fading light of the dot com boom, which, I believe, was an economic aberration that would have benefitted any sitting president.

However, the worst that can be said about Clinton is that he didn't fuck up a good thing. The proof is in the bottom line, and when he left office we had cash. We don't now. Haliburton has it. When Clinton made his State of the Union address and talked about personal responsibility, I took that message to heart and literally changed my life. I stopped acting, took on a responsible job and began developing a marketable skill set. It was a painful process that came with some heavy personal prices, but in the long run I'm glad I did it. It was the right thing. It was Mr. Clinton's speech that made me make the change, and for that I will be personally greatful. Not only am I better off economically, I'm better off personally. Today, no matter what the economic climate, I have a set of skills I can take into any marketplace, and I'll be able to feed myself.

Mr. Bush couldn't say anything to make me defrost my refrigerator. Smirk and smarm is all I see. Even before he first took office, my mother adopted the policy of turning off the volume on anything that included Mr. Bush's voice; and I think that is a fine policy. I used to try to listen to him and give him the benefit of the doubt, but I can't. I believe every syllable out of his mouth is a pre-programmed lie. Whether that is the truth or not is beside the point. I believe it to be true, and I've stopped looking for evidence to disprove that belief. I'm not to the point where I'm ready to crawl under the bed and pray that there is a world left in two and a half years when we will have to replace Mr. Bush, but let's just say I've swept the dust bunnies from under the bed and thought about where I'm going to put my supply of Ho-Ho's.

I have fired people who have displayed a higher level of competence, so I repeat my question: When will we fire Mr. Bush?

Or better: Name one thing -- ONE -- that Mr. Bush has improved in this country to justify his continued employment. Give me one objective metric by which we can clearly see Mr. Bush's positive contribution. The removal of Saddam Hussein doesn't count, because we are not safer than when he was in power. Democracy isn't on the march. It looks very much like a goose step to me. Like a waft of fresh lilac on a spring day, Mr. Bush was supposed to remove the stench of decaying ethics from the White House. Turns out the alleged ethical fragrance was a spritz of Glade Air Freshener. And just like the canned deodorizer, the masking scent of Mr. Bush has worn thin and the stench has matured and ripened.