Weeks Away from Darkness...or Enlightenment

Anyone who is even mildly-well-read about the world knows that Bush is seen as a childish myopic cowboy by the rest of the world. Those Americans who don't make the effort (a basic requirement of good citizenship) to be decently-informed almost take pride in not giving a rat's ass about world affairs or world opinion. They like that Bush is decisive -- even though his decisions are reckless. You know why? It is easier to like a characteristic rather than examine someone's judgment. We do it all the time with arrogant people. We write off their rudeness with, "That's just her way," and then -- we don't have to deal with the repercussions of "her way."

Americans got a pass for the first term. Bush came to power as an innocent, a dolt, but after he used Al Quaeda attacks to ram through everything his religious and diplomatic extremist administration wanted, the election then becomes a referendum not only on him, but on our collective American judgment.

I'm truly flummoxed by his popularity. Watching him in debate one, he is a monkeyfaced know-nothing, out of gas after six or seven one-liners. Watching him in debate two, he is bizarre: While I have heard some think him confident and tough, I saw only an odd, nervous head nod, a facial nod that punctuated his weak, oft-repeated, illogical maxims, and genuinely weird conclusions to his points, like "God bless you" or "Really respect the question" like he didn't know how to close his statements. Yet, people see the same thing I do and find nobility and strength.

What a weird state this country is in. When it's over, when somebody wins, and they start to say "Now's the time to heal," you will hear echoing from the hill and dale the cry, "Fuck the healing, the battle has just begun." The Republicans' destruction of Bill Clinton from the moment he won the election will be nothing compared to the culture wars against Kerry if Kerry takes the election. And if Bush is reelected, I predict that the Left will emerge with a fury unseen in nearly forty years, and Bush/Cheney will take advantage by administering -- though not calling it -- martial law of sorts. If Bush wins, we will see the emergence of Howard Dean in some form. And if you thought the president was confident before in his belief that God led him from the darkness of drink to the bright light of Christian crusade, then hold on to your hat.

I'm deep in thought about this election -- in part because I can be (I and seven others got canned in late July and I'm still out trying to correct my constant professional misfortunes) -- and in part because of the gravity of the election. I believe it is nothing short of this: We are weeks away from the beginning of a dark, smoldering extremist era in American history . . . or an era of enlightenment guided by knowledge, intelligence and idealism based upon service rather than utopian grandeur.