Rewriting Presidential History

George Dubya Bush's feverish last minute attempt to rewrite his Presidential history is falling flat on it's face.

He has resorted to writing notes for cabinet members lest they forget what a fine fellow he is. According to the LA Times today "a two-page memo...sent to Cabinet members and other high-ranking official's offers a guide for discussing Bush's eight-year tenure during their public speeches." This follows the White House's near rabid response to Sunday's New York Times fine and fair article "Bush: The deluder in chief." Links to both appear at the end of this article.^{(1, 2)}

GWB need not worry, he will be indeed be remembered for many things; not least as one of - if not the worst - president America has ever had. His December 1 2008 interview with ABC News' Charles Gibson ⁽³⁾ was a lesson on how Bush truly believes that, through continued bullying arrogance and bluff, he will be fondly thought of as a great man. In case he missed the New York Times review of said interview, let me sum up in two words how well he will be remembered as, among other delusions, a "comforter in chief." He won't.

During the Gibson interview Bush attempted to brush off the Iraqi war as the result of faulty intelligence, an opinion parroted by his diplomatic haus-frau Condoleezza Rice during a Sunday news interview. Rice has not yet realized that her appointment as Secretary of State was somewhat of an inside joke among the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld-Rove set. She was very much the spare wheel and was treated as such from the beginning of her tenure. She did have one defining common feature with Bush; arrogance. She lacked street smarts however.

The often whispered about reality was that sending a woman of color to deal with Muslim politicians in the Middle East and around the world was a chuckle enjoyed many times on Pennsylvania Avenue and the Muslim countries that she so often visited. The leaders she shook hands with took no more notice of her had they been visited by Roger Clinton. In fact had Roger been sent in her stead he would have been in better standing being a man in countries where women are regarded as property, unworthy of recognition. Need proof? Name one issue of value that Rice accomplished negotiating with a Muslim country under her watch. She continues to believe, according to media accounts, that she can hammer together a Middle East peace deal. The can't. She never could.

Rice's ineptitude was underscored - pun intended - when, as the highest ranking American diplomat, she breached protocol and played the piano for Britain's' Queen ERII.

Is this what Secretaries of State do now? Is entertaining heads of state now a part of their portfolio? I don't recollect Kissinger, Baker, Schultz or Albright doing so. Her ivory tinkling is a diplomatic misstep that will go down in diplomatic text books under "F Major" as in "faux pas."

As history is written Rice will be cast in a similar mold as Bush, as his faithful - if impotent - hand servant; his world traveled attention diverter, who, when the chips were down, was pushed aside and a man was sent to seal the deal. Cheney in Georgia for example. And to think she thought she would be selected as a Vice Presidential candidate. Talk about delusion; she makes Sarah Palin look like Margaret Thatcher.

A special footnote in the Bush history belongs to the forgettable First Lady Laura Bush. Mrs. Bush did absolutely nothing of public note in eight years in her role. Under the not-too-silent Republican understanding that "women should be seen and not heard," Mrs. Bush performed admirably.

She never rocked the boat or got involved in anything controversial. Women's issue - nary a mention. Equality - didn't warrant discussion. Causes for the underserved or underprivileged - who needed the aggravation? She sat in her make-up encrusted face and dapper cloned pant-suits and attended as Georgie did his 'men's' business. Opportunities unforgivably missed; duty served. Echoes of the 1950's.

Bushes memo's, interviews and rejected published deals (no publisher wants to publishes his 'memoirs')⁴ - should be seen for what they are; a poor attempt by an arrogant, dry-drunk, sociopath to rewrite history. Bush will enjoy no such luxury however as his record is carved on the gravestones of the soldiers and civilians - friend and foe - whom he is responsible for killing. Over a million by the last count.

He will be remembered by the millions of investors, homeowners and retirees who lost their shirts in a market collapse, the impending warnings of which he blatantly ignored. He did this while bailing out his own banking friends, no questions asked.

He will be remembered as the least transparent presidency who attempted to change our constitution in a foolhardy attempt to combat the all inclusive 'terrorism' threat. In doing so he created a new brand of near-fascist terrorism of his own at home and abroad which included a reduction in our freedoms; torture advocacy; imprisonment contrary to the Geneva Convention; illegal wire-taps and surveillance among others.

While we in America were afraid to point out that the President had no clothes (we were in danger of being labeled 'unpatriotic'), the rest of the world noticed and our standing in the world is at an all time low.

Cheney? There is a special place in hell reserved for the 'evil one.' Enough said.

January 20th can't come soon enough.

¹ NY Times: The Deluder in Chief

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/12/07/opinion/edeluder.php

² For Bush's staff, upbeat talking points on his tenure

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-na-bush9-2008dec09,0,4145069.story

³ ABC News' Charles Gibson interview with Bush

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/Politics/story?id=6354012

⁴ Bush memoirs? Publishers are underwhelmed

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008360756_webbushmemoirs.html