It's amazing to me how still unprepared George Walker Bush is for taking his job seriously. In a teleconference with troops in Iraq, a set was designed with gold decoration and gaudy representations of "plastic patriotism" all over it. Why do you need a "set" when you have the White House, The Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, Korean War, WWII and Vietnam Monuments?
Okay, scratch the Vietnam Memorial Monument from the list. That's probably not the best place to broadcast a press/teleconference about an ongoing war in an unstable country where America is trying to influence the future of the government. I can empathize with the President on not making use of that monument.
I also was able to catch glimpses of Mr. Bush trying to exit another press conference in China when the questions just got TOO HARD. He got a funny expression when the door he chose was LOCKED!
I got a laugh out of that. However, it is quite sad that the President of the United States, a position that has become one of great power throughout the world, tries to leave a press conference, instead of holding ground on his/her positions.
I feel bad for George sometimes. I still remember seeing the video of him sitting down with James Baker and other Republican heavyweights in 1999 or so to talk about him running for President in 2000. I'm sure he thought it would be a cakewalk after the negative exploits of Bill Clinton and the sloppy Liberals.
He didn't even technically win in 2000. He barely won (if you can call it that) in 2004 and his approval ratings have slipped in the middle. I bet sometimes he wishes he lost in a landslide in 2000 so that he wouldn't have to put up with these annoying press conferences to address the issues related to the war he started in Iraq.
The bottom line is George W. Bush is the President of the United States and with that comes great responsibility to the people that ultimately put him there. He owes it to all of us, Republican, Democrat, Conservative, Moderate and Liberal, to step up to the plate and at least stand on his convictions and not try to hide behind false TV tricks ("Mission Accomplished") or try to run away from the hard part.
President Abraham Lincoln could have had thoughts of returning to Illinois and not dealing with the complex issues involved in the war that threatened his beloved country. President Lincoln continued, however, to open the doors of the White House to open houses and press conferences, despite the safety issues, through his presidency and the Civil War.
He knew that he owed nothing short of his complete dedication to doing everything in his power to serve the American people, even through his own real personal tragedies and those of the country.
You'll get your break, Mr. Bush. Just remember that your job is not over and your responsibility to the people remains. January 20, 2009 is coming soon enough, thank goodness for all of us...including you, Mr. President!
