A mixed bag of WHAT, exactly? I was almost afraid to know the answer to my own question. Between stories of man-eating tigers and Huckabee's hunting trip, CNN has been attempting to shore up the image of the worst President ever with Ed Henry's piece "With one year to go, Bush's legacy a mixed bag" at CNN.com and ad nauseum repetition on the companion 'news' station.
Here's how Ed's tale begins:
It's the best of times, it's the worst of times -- a tale of two legacies as President Bush prepares to ring in the final year of his presidency.
First, Ed, I really doubt 'W' has read much Dickens, who he would most likely deem a 'librul' given his recurring themes of social injustice. In the Bush version of Dickens' tale, it would be Barb and Jenna's dad in the Bastille, not Lucie's (I think in the Bush version, Dickens would have just left him there to rot), and neither of the cities would be Paris, as even George knows Paris is French. Though I guess it was the best of times for Halliburton, Exxon and Blackwater. And the worst for homeowners, the US dollar, the troops, Iraqis, people who need healthcare, the Constitution and the planet.
Sitting in the front row for Bush's final press conference of 2007 on Thursday, I was struck by how it's a mixed bag for the president on three key issues -- his relationship with the Democratic Congress, the state of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the health of the U.S. economy.
That's where it gets freaky for me. A mixed bag of what? His relationship with the Dem Congress is about as cordial as Mme. Defarge and the Evremondes. Bush STARTED the immoral trillion dollar war in Iraq based on nonexistent WMD, and left binLaden to roam free in Afghanistan and/or Pakistan where we still don't have enough troops. And as for the economy ... well ... that's actually fairly Dickensian, so there's that. Oh, and there's torture. That one's covered in both the Dickens tale and Bush's presidency as well. But unlike A Tale of Two Cities, there hasn't been a civil war. Oh, wait. There's also a civil war.
I suppose there are a few parallels.
How Bush handles those three issues in 2008 will go a long way toward figuring out his legacy in 2009 and beyond.
So Ed thinks that GW can make up for seven years of disaster in the eighth. Well, I guess it's possible to weave that story, given enough media spin, and it looks like Ed's started that ball rolling. At least we're down to the wire, and with any luck, the worst is over. And if not, to mangle a phrase from another Dickens favorite, God help us, every one.
"... it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known." Well, George, when you're down in Crawford full time, clearing brush and reflecting on our eight year nightmare, I expect it'll be far, far better for the rest of us, too.
Comments (2)
Posted by wisteria | December 27, 2007 2:46 PM
Good post.
And, as for Ed Henry, he has no credibility as far as I am concerned. I wouldn't be surprised if the White House provides him with a little something extra to be nice to Bush the Failure. Every Henry piece on the president is a fluff piece and presents him as an involved leader- what joke.
Posted by burke | January 3, 2008 12:17 PM
Incredibily clumsy and inarticulate in a post that requires communication skills, Bush is mentally weak. The proof exist, a C student he failed in business, sports and personal choices. (Could he have suffered damage due to earlier alcohol abuse?) The theory that he surrounds himself with bright people does not wash; his decisions show he is poorly advised (whether he is responsible for those choices of advisors or not), or, as I fear cannot sort through the necessary information that underly the strategic and policy decisions he makes. Dunce is as dunce does. You canot spoon feed a president and have effective leadership. Questions must be asked,is he a savant? I am unable to see where his talents lie.