Bush Derangement, Then and Now

The far Right Wing are an increasingly insular, isolated and disgruntled group composed mostly of racist bigots and religious fanatics. One of their most closely held beliefs is that there is a Bush Derangement Syndrome and nobody ever gave poor GW a chance to shine. That's bullshit. When he was elected the first time he enjoyed wide support. After his election he had very high popularity among most Americans. He fucked up. He has been the worst President ever. He has caused deep cultural divides to open among the population. He has squandered our influence and power pursuing multiple unilateral foreign wars of aggression against countries which pose us no threat. He has dismantled many of our most cherished traditions of personal freedom. He is ever eager to shift blame away from himself, accepting responsibility only for his ever decreasing successes. He has been a divider, not a uniter both at home and abroad.

Barack Obama is now in the same position as Bush was eight years ago only now we face much graver conditions and challenges. Time will tell whether he is any more up to the task than Bush. The idea that failure or success of our nation is somehow preordained is stupid but much what can be expected of the Right.

Bush and his xenophobic minions flatter themselves that history will smile on them and that Bush will be judged as a great man, ahead of his time and not a pathetic clutcher always behind the curve. He styles himself as a new Harry Truman. I don't think anything could be farther from the truth. When Truman left office, he had nothing to hide. He went home to Missouri and his small town friends, some of whom he served with in the trenches of World War I. He walked the streets every day, with no fear or apprehension, among them. He made no claim to greatness and couldn't care less what people thought of him. When he and Bess had people over for dinner, they were more likely to be humble neighbors than captains of industry or foreign dignitaries. I don't think that their post Presidential careers are going to be similar. I don't think people's opinions of Bush are likely to change.

I could be wrong.