Sunday, October 29, 2006

Unfit to Command or Thank You Sir May I Have Another?

At an Indiana campaign rally, President Bush continues screeching that the actual Democratic plan on Iraq is to "leave before the job is done." He also said Democrats don't want the government listening in on terrorists.

Anyone with half a brain, including the President, knows these are lies and it isn't necessary for me to explain that Democrats seek effective leadership in Iraq and insist on constitutional oversight, not to prohibit, when the administration wants to tap anybody's phone. But Bush has to lie about his opponents to appear better than them.

He reminds me of the character Mike, played by Dennis Quaid in the 1979 film "Breaking Away," the hometown quarterback whose stardom disappears after high school and who sizzles in resentment at those who move on to college sports and adult lives. Like Mike, Bush had his moment in the sun when he stood atop the rubble with a bullhorn. Personally, I wasn't very impressed by that moment. It was a very human moment, but it wasn't great. It wasn't the pinnacle of leadership so many claim it to be, just as Ronald Reagan saying "there you go again" in a televised debate wasn't anything more than momentarily clever retort, and not a dazzling presentation of idea. I was shocked when, at Reagan's death, they kept playing that clip over and over, as if the man had contributed nothing more to our lives than a snooty, dismissive response. And now, it's repeated by a president with lesser, crueler talents that are maybe befitting a lesser, crueler age. Bush's willingness to be dismissive of his opponents now means that he is dismissive of not only Democrats, but high-ranking Republicans, a growing legion of career generals, former staff members, and more than 60% of the public he governs.

If the best he can do to keep a grip on his cozy leadership is to sneer at us and call us stupid and cowardly, then he's not up to the job.

What next week's election will reveal is how many voters are sold by this rhetoric. How many Americans truly need to despise other Americans in order to feel good about themselves? That's what the mid-term elections will tell us. And that psychological study on our national character will be the most interesting indicator on whether we as a nation have learned our lesson from the Bush administration, or whether we are willing to bend over in front of the paddle and say, "Thank you, sir, may I have another."