CONCLUSIONS
George W. Bush probably is, mostly, who he seems to be: a nice enough guy, pleasant for chit-chat over dinner, a generally likeable fellow. I'm willing to believe he's doing the best he can with what he has, to do the best he can for what he believes the world to be. I try to respect what I hope are honest basic intentions.
And I do believe George Bush acts mostly consistently within his world view. I do believe he fundamentally wants to make the world a better place, though primarily and exactly for whom, at what cost, involving how many deaths, raises other serious concerns.
In sum I disagree with many of Mr. Bush's evident premises, principles, and practices, and with some of his supporters who would rather suppress, deny, or just ignore them:
• an earnest mind that simply cannot, or perhaps will not,
grasp moral • a drunk-frat-brat immaturity that fails to see the obscenity of his publicly laughing off his own errors, which have sent thousands to their graves, including hundreds of American soldiers. • mostly B-movie stereotypes of old-west bravado and bluster, relying on Hollywood-script sound bites that carry visceral appeal but no intellectual weight. • a callous deterioration of Presidential integrity, confabulating only tangentially related aspects of 9/11, Iraq, Osama, and Saddam to fabricate a the shallow pretext to beat the drums of war and then champion himself as a "war president." • a paranoid and democracy-hating secrecy that would undermine the Presidential Records Act, denying citizens access to public information. • a blatant corruption of Jesus' teachings to serve his own ambitions or passions. • a grandiose self-image as messiah-like deliverer, at least verging on delusion. • a refusal to accept or even face responsibility for his errors, flaws, or failures. • a dismissal of valid data and prudent contrasting viewpoints that warrant thorough examination. • escalation and inflammation of violent conflict, from the use of prepubescent profanities and juvenile taunts, to an unwarranted pre-emptive invasion that has, among other things, alienated our overall healthy relationships with long-standing allies, gained contempt from many, and reduced America's respectability and moral stature among many other civilized nations.
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No one can perfectly and flawlessly negotiate all the challenges we face. Many of these dynamics are terra incognita as complex and volatile as anything we've ever seen. If we would chart our way through these things, we cannot afford to re-elect a demagogue with a messiah complex. We need a leader who can think and speak at least less brashly and irrationally, more thoughtfully and intelligently, beyond pubescent vulgarity and taunting, someone who at least has grown up beyond a smug dogmatism of me-right-you-wrong, with-George-or-against-George.
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