Expect the President to Be Perfect? Think Again

George W. Bush is not a popular president. Everyone in this country can attest to that. This is not to dispute that. He hasn't made clear, consistent policy decisions on everything ranging from domestic policy to the war on terrorism to the war in Iraq. That fact is not in dispute. What does seem to be a major issue is respect for the presidency of the United States. Most Americans seem to equate George W. Bush with the entire U.S. presidency and thus have no respect for it at all.

The first issue that needs to be cleared up is the humanity of the President. The President is a human being, though there are some who would like to say otherwise. Humans by their very nature are imperfect. They are inconsistent. They do have the tendency to be self-serving at times, though they can also be capable of the most unselfish of acts. If you look at George W. Bush, he fits all of these characteristics. If you look at all the U.S. Presidents throughout history, they all fit that description.

Since all U.S. Presidents are human, then we can dismiss the notion of them being more perfect than anyone else. The President is elected by people from many different backgrounds and many different faiths. They each elect him based on what they think he can do for them specifically, or what he can do for a specific group that they identify with. Christians expect him to uphold traditional values. Businessmen expect him to cater to their industries. Women expect him to uphold their right to abortions or for more equal working conditions. Minorities expect him to uphold affirmative action and their right to be treated as equals. There are many, many more groups in addition to these. Can one man ever give every single citizen what they ant, all the time? One man isn't capable of making everyone happy all of them time. Since the President is like every other man in the world, he can't fulfill what many expect him too.

That being said, how is the President supposed to act? The answer is simple: just like us. He has to use his own judgment, balanced against his beliefs and against the needs of the nation as a whole, when making his decisions. Since he can't make all of the people happy all of them time, he has to try and view them as one single group. He has to view the all as citizens of the same country. It's that simple. Making decisions from that standpoint makes the reasons for his decisions the country as a whole.

George W. Bush definitely isn't a perfect President, much less a perfect man. He has made foolhardy decisions that have resulted in many deaths, the downturn of the U.S. economy, and the destabilization of America's place in the world. That being said, can any of us truly say we could have done better? Since the President is only a man, then anyone who holds the office would make bad decisions too.