He was promised roses, but he instead got a bloody insurgency. He dreamt of praise, but found himself receiving the rightful condemnation and hatred he deserves. He counted his "political capital" before the eggs hatched, and instead became what many would call "the worst president in U.S. history".
And so that towering giant of a man, that great visionary, that brilliant leader, warrior and all-around "Decider", "Bush the Great", remains hopelessly trapped inside the body of "Bush the Abject Failure".
And could it be as a result that "Bush the Puppet" is finally starting to get sick and tired of taking orders from his handlers? Could it be that the incessant "Now you've got to do this, George", and "Now you've got to tell them that, George", are starting to take a heavy toll?
At this point, I imagine even the best and the brightest of the bloodthirsty handlers must be struggling to retain control their puppet. After all, it must be hard to continually patronize and play up to your puppet's pathological vanity, while floating in a veritable sea of self-imposed disaster...yes there apparently is a downside to having a malignant narcissist as your puppet.
So while his handlers are struggling, some recent rumors have given rise to what may be a glimmer of hope for the rest of us.
According to Wayne Madsen, a "Bush-Cheney rift" has developed; moreover:
"There are also indications that former President George H. W. Bush is quietly supporting a "whispering campaign" against Cheney in an attempt to force him and his remaining neo-con stalwarts from office."
If this is true (and yes, that's a big "if"), this may be the best news I've heard in a long time.
Could it be that Bill Maher's prescient recommendation to Bush has come to fruition? To wit:
"Mr. President, this job can't be fun for you anymore. There's no more money to spend. You used up all of that. You can't start another war because you also used up the army. And now, darn the luck, the rest of your term has become the Bush family nightmare: helping poor people.
Yeah, listen to your mom. The cupboard's bare, the credit card's maxed out, and no one is speaking to you: mission accomplished! Now it's time to do what you've always done best: lose interest and walk away. Like you did with your military service. And the oil company. And the baseball team. It's time. Time to move on and try the next fantasy job. How about cowboy or spaceman?!"
Could it be that we've gotten lucky, and the same manifest character defects that made this mess possible in the first place will now get us out of it (or at least, prevent it from getting too much worse)? Has Bush decided to hide under a rock until his term expires and then just slither away? Has "Bush the Quitter" pushed "Bush the War President" aside? Let's hope so.
