Bush Aimless, Out of Control - As Usual

It's been another busy week for the president, who's been trying valiantly to gain back some of the ground his bumbling administration has lost since the last election. No longer the "bubble president", he's come out punching, taking questions - can you believe it? - and making his case on Iraq to the American people. But it seems like for every step forward there's two steps back.

The Iraq elections drew millions to the polls - good! The millions voted in line with the religious and geographic identities they've had for a thousand years - bad! Some sort of unity government is the only answer, but the odds are slim that a unity will be achieved. If it's not achieved the terrorists and insurgents will have safe havens to continue attacks on our troops and the new Iraqi army and police. Look out, GWB, this issue is going to keep on simmering throughout 2006, and it could boil over with the U.S. electorate! Yet I continue to hope that it does not, much as I like to see this president's chickens come home to roost. Maybe a miracle will happen and the Iraqis will get their act together.

President Bush in his news conference this week was asked about his goals for the coming year. Talk about stumbling around! World peace and Katrina recovery, that was it, and in a rambling aimless presentation. Wouldn't have made it to the finals in Miss America, that's for sure! GWB sort of forgot about social security, medicare, the tax code, the bird flu, and the rest of the big national issues he can actually do something about...guess these matters just aren't between his pointy ears right now. As they say, you can't coach brains. Or, perhaps he's decided not to mention any goals because he knows he hasn't got enough clout left to influence either the congress or the people.

GWB must have been distracted by all the questions about his approval of spying on Americans whom his spycatchers feel are communicating with the bad guys abroad. Perhaps he didn't know that spying on citizens is illegal unless a warrant is issued by a secret court set up by the congress. GWB explained that the Iraq war resolution gave him power to do just about anything that he could rationalize as security-related, and he stated his belief that the American people would want him to spy like he did. Wrong. As he and his pals love to say, America is a land where freedom is guaranteed by law. I guess some laws are just more lawful than others, and maybe some guys will start reading my email now that I've written this blog. Bad move, Mr. Imperial President. Americans worry about losing their freedoms more than they worry about the bad guys...just ask John Wayne.

So, the big question still remains: how will we get through this presidential term? Elections are almost three years away, and there seems to be no limit to the stupidity and ineptness of this president and his merry band of incompetents. If there ever was a reason to believe in the power of prayer, this is it. Let us pray.