George W

George W. Bush: American of the Future

Dec. 27, 1999

George W. Bush is an American presidential candidate for the 2000 election year. He is the Governor of Texas and, being the son of a former President, experienced in the workings and the machinery of politics and government.

George W. Bush is not a stupid man. He is very shrewd.

George W. Bush is not a loser. He is a no-holds-barred campaigner and, I’ll wager, one of the most stubborn people you will ever meet.

He was raised on politics. He has been around politicians his whole life.

This man is a fierce contender for the Republican nomination. I doubt anyone would argue with that statement.

Yet I see some very disturbing signs.

Governor Bush was asked by a journalist to name some world leaders, granted some rather obscure world leaders, but still the question was asked, and clearly, needed to be answered or at least addressed. That’s what journalists do. They ask questions. Governor Bush could not answer the question. So he said, “Gosh, you know, I don’t know the names of those people. I am very embarrassed by that. I will go home and get on the Net, and, by golly, I am going to find out everything I can about some of these people I have ignored because I am so busy trying to run a political campaign that is all about spin and personality rather than issues. I am making a pledge to stop being so shallow and really begin to delve into hard-core reality for a change, and I hope you will get back to me to be sure that I kept my pledge.”

No, that’s not what he said. What really happened is that he fixed the reporter with a look worthy of a defiant four-year-old and said, “No, I can’t name those people. Can you?”

Another incident. Governor Bush was asked who he regarded as a person whose philosophies most influenced his own ideas. Bush replied that his choice was Jesus Christ. When he was asked why, Bush replied, “Because He changed my heart.” Now, I am a Christian person, and I feel very strongly that Jesus is indeed able to change the human heart, but, friends, Bush simply did not answer the question. The interviewer was not asking for a disclosure of the condition of the heart of George W. Bush. He was asking a political question, and he was entitled to a political answer. I am a journalist myself, and I would call what Bush did “evading the question”. Maybe he did not have a good answer. Maybe Bush has no political role models. Maybe political thought is not something he is strong on. In that case, that is a fact that the American public has a right to know. A politician with no political philosophy. Hmmm.

What are we seeing here? We are seeing a man who cannot accept a head-on challenge in a way that shows that he is willing to admit failure, and, subsequently, agree to do better next time. Here is a man who earnestly hopes that “his people” will always be able to bail him out with a favorable spin and an emphasis on Bush’s “boyish charm”. Here is a man who will try and muddy the political waters with religious issues, if it helps get him elected.

To George W. Bush: Learn how to accept criticism when called for. Understand that when a person asks a question, they are entitled to as honest an answer as you can give. Learn to face up to your own inadequacies and stop trying to cover them up with evasions and bravado. In other words, learn how to be a leader, not a media darling. Maybe Jesse Ventura can get away with that nonsense, but Minnesota is not Washington, D.C. (Thank God.)

To the American people: Think about the ramifications of having a President who cannot even honestly agree to rectify his ignorance of any particular issue and who, having no answer to a question, uses religion as a smokescreen. Think about these words: arrogance, superciliousness, ignorance, superficiality. If you do not know the meaning of any or all of these words, look them up. Better yet, take a look at Governor Bush. You will understand the meaning of these words immediately. Now ask yourself: Is this what I want in a leader?

To Israel, our ally and our #1 receiver of foreign aid: Be afraid. Be very afraid. It looks very much as if this guy is going to get elected as America’s 43rd president. The complicated, difficult issues you are facing are not going to be Bush’s cup of tea. He hates confrontation, at least any confrontation he is likely to lose. When the going gets tough, he cuts and runs. When he cannot answer a question (or broker an agreement, or dominate public opinion, fill in the blank), the man creates an ink cloud that would make any squid proud. What I’m saying is this: it looks as if you may have to think very seriously about solving the Palestinian problem, yourselves. How? I’m so glad you asked! Give the West Bank and Gaza to the Palestinian people for an independent, autonomous, sovereign state. Dismantle the settlements. Let the refugees come home. Return East Jerusalem. This has always been the path to peace. Do it now before you have to deal with the squid. You will never know what rock he will be hiding behind when you need him.