The Bush Presidency: Shakespearean Tragedy or Cruel Farce?

As the Bush era draws to a tragicomic close -- with shoes being hurled at the American president -- it might be tempting to portray the Bush presidency in Shakespearean terms, as a tale of overarching arrogance and hubris that led to his ultimate downfall. In fact, the presidency of George Bush hardly fits the bill. Bush himself described his disastrous tenure as "joyous" and there is barely a hint of personal tragedy or even discomfort in his legacy. Most telling was Bush's response to the shoe-throwing incident, when he wondered out loud what the fellow's "cause" might be, ignoring the widespread death and destruction visited on the Iraq people in the wake of the American invasion.

Unlike earlier failed presidents like Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon, Bush does not seem to acknowledge or even recognize the destruction that he has wrought. At the end of their presidencies, Hoover and Nixon were tortured individuals, trying in vain to redeem themselves from the scorn of history. Despite their obvious suffering, or perhaps because of it, this cast Hoover and Nixon as characters in an overarching tragedy on a grand scale. There is no such grandeur in the Bush exit, even though the damage and suffering that he caused is arguably greater than either Hoover or Nixon.

In part, this may because Hoover and Nixon were, in many ways, gifted and talented individuals who were undone by their own tragic flaws. In Hoover's case, it was his deep-seated belief in capitalism, while in Nixon's case, it was his own myopia and paranoia in the exercise of power. Bush, on the other hand, brought few gifts to the White House beyond aw-shucks mannerisms and powerful friends. His commitment to spreading freedom -- and even to his own religious principles -- seem in retrospect to have been convenient ex post facto rationales for his political strategems.

What is most breathtaking about the Bush presidency -- beyond its arrogance and aggressive bluster -- is the sheer incompetence and lack of vision that was endemic to the administration. A more profound misreading of the state of the world and of the global balance of power could hardly be imagined, from the incoherent, unfocused declaration of a "global war on terror," to the unprecedented, preemptive invasion of a sovereign nation and the almost criminally benign neglect of overheated financial markets. The use of torture is but one particularly repugnant example of not only the Bush administration's moral bankruptcy, but also of their sheer incompetency. While countries like Israel, England and Germany - no strangers to terrorist tactics -- had long since developed much more sophisticated, and less morally offensive, interrogation techniques, the Bush administration applied outmoded, ineffective and immoral tactics that did not, and could not, achieve results.

At the center of all this was the blindly affable Bush, profoundly and blissfully ignorant of the fiasco over which he was presiding. While a special place in outer darkness must be reserved for his own monumental failures, the blame must be shared. The first circle is clearly those policy makers who, for the sake of infamy, must be mentioned by name: Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condeleezza Rice, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz, Douglas Feith, George Tenet and Paul Bremer. Although perhaps not personally as culpable, though clearly complicitous, were Colin Powell, who could have taken the courageous path of resignation, or General Tommy Franks, who must have seen the folly of the Iraq invasion, yet was a key enabler.

The responsibility, unfortunately, doesn't end there. Too many members of Congress - both Republicans and Democrats - put their heads down and their hands up, voting for a preemptive war that was impulsive and misguided, and then never did enough to stop the ongoing fiasco. And, finally, some blame has to rest with the American people. Those who supported the war must bear responsibility for condoning a destructive and misguided course, while those who opposed it must take responsibility for not doing enough to stop the madness in its tracks.

Sadly, much of the same incompetent stewardship that was the hallmark of the Iraq war was at work in other arenas, from Katrina to the economy, as we have discovered to our dismay over the past six months. While the Bush administration and the Republican do-nothing attitude towards regulating corporate fraud may be only partly to blame for our current dire economic straits, it is clear that they were not even bothering to rearrange the deck chairs as this Titanic began to sink. Ultimately, however, the American people must do some real soul-searching in the wake of a Presidency that was profoundly destructive of much that is good about America. The tragedy is hardly Shakespearean - characters like Bush, Cheney and the rest don't merit that kind of prominence. But it is a tragedy nonetheless - for us as individuals and a nation. A tragedy that will take a long time to overcome, and that has surely rocked us to our souls.

Comments

[tequilamockingbirdJC]

On January 20 I'll be renting bullhorns outside the White House to the crowd singing "Na Na Hey Hey".

[Oonagh]

It is hard to watch a man so disconnected... I often wondered why he ran for President .....

[lokaydokay]

The architect of the disastrous Bush presidency was the Palm Beach County Electoral Board that approved the infamous "butterfly" ballot in 2000.

[realpolitic]

If Bush showed some anguish, many of us would have more satisfaction in knowing that Bush knows the pain and destruction he has reaped throughout the world. Yet he is in blind oblivion. It is not surprising because if he was more self-aware, he would not have been the instrument of so much destruction that resulted from his blind ideology.

Bush has a few whims, but no vision or idea of a system of governance. His whims are tax cuts for the wealthy and military might. He does not see that his tax cuts have helped only the wealthy, the destruction he has done to the environment, or the damage his conservative ideology has done to our place among nations.

Bush will always be the same, glad-handing people, smirking and giving them condescending nicknames. He will always be the rich boy bully, completely unaware and shielded from the consequences of his actions. It is just such a folly our electorate could elect such a man-child twice, who has no clue about government other than he wants to destroy it. If he started out to do as much destruction as he possibly could, he could not have been more successful.

[dennis181]

Beautifully articulated essay on what makes Bush's presidency a farce instead of a tragedy. Nice reading of what made Hoover and Nixon tragic figures, despite (or perhaps because) of their huge personal and political failings. Will Bush actually go to his death in such stunning denial of the reality of his presidency? Who knows?

[gerrylong]

Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, Wolfowitz, Pearle, etc. -- all clearly criminals.

But equally guilty is Nancy "impeachment is off the table" Pelosi for her failure to know her own constitutional responsibilites.

[Grizzletoast]

The author forgot about Bush/Cheney's one huge success: Covering up 9-11.

Doubters? Watch any video of WTC7 (the 47 story skyscraper that also fell on 9-11). Then, consider that Marvin Bush (brother) ran the company (Stratesec/Securacom) that controlled security for Dulles Airport, United Airlines, and the WTC Complex. Commissioned polls find that majority of NYers believe it was an inside job.

http://www.ae911truth.org/
(this is a good architect-focused website to start with)

Bush's one success! How nice.

[rabiddog6708]

You would hope that Dubya would have the good grace to at least appear contrite or regretful for all the pain and suffering his administration has wrought. But he lacks empathy or a conscience, so he is "joyous" over his two terms as POTUS. He has deluded himself into believing that history will vindicate him, so his current record-low approval ratings are just a temp annoyance.....as we will all see the light in the years to come....1/20/09.....day of deliverance.

[saintpeterii]

The Bush presidency was actually an astounding success, if one considers what it's real goals were. The only area where Bush has any grounds for regret is his failure to turn the Social Security over to the usual suspects, now seen at The Wall Street Welfare Office. His tenure was a complete success for his backers and himself. Just assess the financial worth of his primary supporters when The Oliy One took office and their worth now. Why should Bush be remorseful when he stood tall for all the low interests he represented from before day one. It is a total mistake to judge the Bush presidency in terms of what's good for the nation as that was never never his goal. Bush was a C student in schools where the only thing that is harder to get in is to get failed out, especially if you have big big bucks. As a businessman he was a failure until he lassoed the trust fund of The University Of Texas. As president he excelled and the fruits of that excellence were distributed to the limited partnership. For those who paid and continue to pay the price for The Oily One, but were unable to see all this because he wrapped himself in the flag and the peoples love of God, toughen up and pay more attention to the business of the nation. For a picture of Geo W swearing in Cox go to http;//www.saintpeterii.com

[schatsie]

I agree Bush has been the best Con Man this country has ever seen, he sure out did Reagan and his father, so he is really proud of this mess that he has left... See the GINI coefficient, we are now the equals in income inequality of Russia, Mexico and Brazil....

[LLisaLL]

Well thought out premise, moving from point to point with rational arguments until this:

"And, finally, some blame has to rest with the American people. Those who supported the war must bear responsibility for condoning a destructive and misguided course, while those who opposed it must take responsibility for not doing enough to stop the madness in its tracks."

There were very few Americans that were not duped by the one-two punch of deception from the Bush Administration. Even ones with reservations chose to trust the Bush Administration while the threat of more attacks was spoon-fed on a daily basis to a jittery population. The momentum of the Administration's propaganda machine was no match for ordinary American citizens who had no idea what was really going on and what to believe.

You want to place some blame with Americans then drop it at the feet of the 2004 voters who chose to re-elect Bush and extend the madness another 4 years.

[Jesster]

Actually, virtually everyone I know KNEW just instinctively that giving Bush & Co. "unfettered war powers" - not to mention the unconvincing / highly suspect arguments made to justify invading Iraq had disaster written all over it.

But I have to agree that those who voted for Bush/Cheney/Rove in 2004 have NO EXCUSE. (Though I'll be the first to admit that John Kerry ran a pathetic campaign and there does seem to be a growing body of evidence that the 2004 election was indeed stolen - at least in Ohio.)

Just an aside (I tend to think associatively): Is it not nauseously astonishing that two of the top contenders for head of the RNC are Ken Blackwell and Chip Saltsman?

[tequilamockingbirdJC]

I think that's largely true. I moved to Ireland on September 15, 2001, and watched the tragedy unfold from Europe. The American news channels I saw were constantly beating the wardrums; the European coverage was much more balanced.

[Nova16]

It was all predictable from the time he announced his candidacy. Bush was born into wealth, had the advantage of private school and university education, sponsorship into high positions proving that once an ignoramus, always an ignoramus. The legacy he leaves with the American people after eight terrible years is a failed government, a failed economy, a disastrous war, a divided nation hated around the world and a future for our children and grandchildren that will be as uncertain as any a generation has ever faced.

[majii]

I saw through the Bush drama in 2000 and 2004, but unfortunately, few would listen to what I had to say and why on the subject. They were so caught up in the Bush drama show.

[redstateleroy]

Here in Korea there's been a litany of failures, often little noticed in the U.S., which qualify for the rare perfecta of approaching Shakespearean proportions in seriousness while simultaneously coming close to qualifying as Three Stooges level stupidity.

Here you can see a discussion of several of the more recent ones: http://www.koreainfocus.com/2008/12/christopher-hill-staying-on.html.

[DasBoot]

Bush's reign appears to me more like a really, really dark fairy tale. There's the emperor with the new, non-existent clothes (Bush) who nobody wants to call out (the MSM), the witch who eats children (Cheney), Hansel and Gretel (the American people) left alone in the forest by their parents (Congressional Reps but also Dems) who finally find their way home (electing BO). An author would have to be really inventive to come up with a cast of characters so screwed up.

[sonoffestus]

Bush is a failed human being. The tragedy is what he wrought.

[PhilipTaylor]

Both but add in "COMPLETE FRAUD on multiple Levels!"

We should not be talking about a Bush Presidency as both elections relied on Connell to Rig the Final Tallies regardless of the votes in Florida and in Ohio!

We should all be breathing fresh clean air and drinking fresh clean water and enjoying our dominant position in the world in clean technology! We should be enjoying the revival of our manufacturing base with millions of new jobs and our leadership role in automated trading and Banking with only 10% of our economy dependent on Banking! The highest life expectancy and lowest expenditure on healthcare in the world.