An Insecure Buck Passer

Why would anyone be surprised that President Bush steps aside and lets the disingenuous swift boat veterans do his dirty work for him? He had no qualms about letting them do it back in 1968, nor did he have any qualms about hiding behind his chaperone, Dick Cheney, at the hearings conducted by the 9/11 committee. Set aside partisanship, and imagine the 27-year-old George W. Bush bravely speaking to a Senate panel about his firsthand experiences in war. Set aside partisanship and imagine a 40-year-old George W. Bush working side-by-side with fellow members of Congress where consensus and cooperation are required.

The U.S. Presidency is too important of a job for someone who passes the buck or needs chaperoned and is so out of his depth that he relies on trigger-happy cowboy B-movie dialogue to establish the national discourse. Nor is it a position for anybody who lets other people do his work for him.