Because You're Dying to Know

With apologies to LB and Superfly, who would rather I not discuss things of a political nature; Herewith, a wee rant on the current Administration, and then an homage to Dad:

It's not so much Mr. Bush, whom I deem borderline retarded, it's his handlers. Mr. Cheney, Mr. Rove, etc., and the ultra-anything (-religious, -right, -sociopathic, what-have-you). What I despise about all of dem is their utter contempt for ordinary American citizens. Is this reserved for Republicans? No, of course not. Is it the first administration to behave thusly? Nope. But this particular administration displays it with such blatancy, such sneering nobless oblige, it makes me want to empty out the bars and organize a guillotine-pushing angry mob toward Washington.

Now they are under political siege, victims of their own carelessness. Cheney will likely take the fall, but Rove is immoveable. He's like the ugly old china cabinet you inherited from a relative that you'd like to get rid of, but it's so heavy, and this relative still comes over for Thanksgiving.

Does Mr. Bush issue a contrite apology, a mea culpa for the meshuggas around Plame and leaks and the gestapo-like tactics of his advisors? Well, no. He takes to the airwaves, denouncing "Libbrals" for questioning his integrity and sending toadies onto Sunday news shows (he himself could not withstand the probing questions of, say, Charlie Gibson) to red-facedly reassert the existence of WMDs.

If it walks like a lame duck, and quacks like a lame duck...but, then again. Some point out the Supreme Court Justice Alito, who has the 'Religious Right' in a foamy froth of delight, is poised to sail into the HEAD seat on the Court. Oil pipelines are quietly and speedily being built in Alaska, Afghanistan, the Middle East, with the Bush family and friends ecstatically profiteering, and the CIA is still mucking around the Middle East (without, of course, disturbing the Saudis) fomenting unrest, as they have since the 1940s. And there's that war thing in Iraq, with soldiers being told, "get comfortable--next stop Iran!".

Do I think GWB will go down in history as the worst President, ever? Yes, for now. There are more Bush generations, you know.

Oh, and I am a Conservative, by the way. Unaffiliated, politically, but I tend to vote for people who remind me of my father. Integrity, vision, leadership, both feet on the ground, eye-rolling sense of humor. Whenever a Democrat or Liberal candidate displays an overabundance of cynicism or sarcasm, that's it for me. Those aren't what I call good leadership qualities--instead, they are feelings we all have in moments of weakness. Republican candidates seem to all be cut from the same bad haircut and self-righteous mold, so that's no better. Unfortunately, there aren't many men like my dear old Dad.

The only political issue Dad and I have ever disagreed on is GWB! In fact, for all his Republicanism, my Dad sure acts like a Democrat: He doesn't allow his personal beliefs to carryover onto his voting on topics that affect other people besides himself. He doesn't just donate money to Habitat for the Homeless, he donates his time and skill as an architect and builder. He's volunteered for the Salvation Army since before I was born, and now travels around the state, organizing chapters for disaster relief. I'm pretty sure the only thing he gets out of all this is satisfaction. If he ran for office in our little PA town, he'd probably win. Not interested. He was, however, pleased to receive a "World's Best Dad" coffee mug, and a sweatshirt (now a favorite) that reads "Front" on the front, and "Bach" on the reverse. He's fond of both puns and classical music (he wouldn't know Eminem from Auntie Em), y'know.

GWB is a Dad, too. I just hope he's a better Dad than he is a President, for the Twin Twinkies' sake.