The Man Who Shouldn't Be There.

One week to go in the 2004 Presidential Campaign, and I finally got around to watching Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11. Okay, yes it was biased, and yes it had some continuity problems, but overall it was a compelling look at what has got to be the most problematic presidency in recent memory. In addition to watching this movie, I also recently listened to Frontline's "The Choice" ( which profiles the lives and careers of both of the presidential candidates) and read "Without a Doubt" an October 17th, 2004, New York Times article by Ron Suskind that looks at President Bush's reliance on faith over facts to govern the nation. After absorbing all of this material, I'm left with two nagging questions:

1. How did a man like George W. Bush manage to get himself elected president of the United States of America?
2. Why is George W. Bush still in office?

First of all, I am baffled as to how George W. Bush ever managed to get elected president in the first place. By all accounts - both liberal and conservative - George W. Bush was really something of a loser. To begin with, he has one of the lowest IQ's of any President. He had a lack-luster college career. Every business he put his hand to failed. He was seen by some of his business associates as something of a joke. His career in the Air national Guard during the Viet Nam war is spotty at best. And during his single term as governor of Texas, he accomplished almost nothing of importance (most of the programs and policies he took credit for were actually initiated by the powerful Texas legislature, not by Bush). Yet, with all of this against him, he still managed to win the US Presidency.

Why? According to most polls, because people can "relate to him." He has that "down-home" feel to him. He's the kind of guy you'd like to "invite to dinner." He's "simple" and "genuine." In other words, as near as I can tell, George Bush got elected President of the most powerful nation on earth because he's a "good ol' boy!" A redneck. A hick from Texas. It seems the majority of Americans would prefer an ignorant redneck over an intelligent, sophisticated urbanite any day of the week. Maybe because the redneck doesn't threaten them by being more intelligent than they are. And maybe that's it, the reason Bush got elected. Maybe a lot of folks just want a president who's as dumb as they are, if not dumber.

Second question: why is this man still in office? That's a harder one to answer. George Bush's presidency has got to be one of the most criminal administrations in recent history. He strong-armed the Supreme Court to stop the 2000 Florida recount and call the election in his favor. He spent almost half of his tenure prior to September 11th, on vacation. He aided members of Osama bin Laden's family in getting out of the country after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He illegally diverted money from the war in Afghanistan to Iraq without Congressional approval. He lied to the American people, to Congress, and to the United Nations security Council about his real reasons for wanting to invade Iraq. In the midst of a war, with a rising deficit, he gave the largest tax cuts in recent history to wealthy Americans and US corporations, while millions of middle-class Americans lost their jobs, lost their health insurance, and slid below the poverty line. Yet, no one has done anything about all of this.

Any other president would have been impeached years ago, but George W. Bush is still in office and - even more amazing - still adored by millions. Republicans in Congress sought to impeach President Clinton because he lied about having sex with a White House aide. President Bush lied about the reasons for going to war in Iraq, but no one has threatened to impeach him. Richard Nixon was forced to resign from office because - among other things - he attempted to fire the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. George W. Bush strong-armed the Supreme Court into putting him in office, lied to Congress, lied to the UN, lied to the American people, and started a war that has helped to earn his family and friends millions of dollars in contracts. No one has even suggested that Bush be forced to resign for any of these acts.

The Bush administration is a corrupt regime that has gained access to the highest office of the most powerful nation on earth for one reason - personal gain. And - like long-time Bush associate Kenneth Lay of Enron infamy - Bush and his cronies will gladly run this nation in to the ground if it means more money in their banks accounts. Sadly, the US Senate, Congress, the Supreme Court, and a vast number of the American public have no problem with this. We have what amounts to a flim-flam man running our country, and at least half of us have been taken by him.