The Decider To The Rescue

We've become so accustomed to the absence of our president that it comes as something of a shock when he actually appears. The nation has been on the verge of financial collapse for weeks and this guy has never once gone on television to reassure the country or outline a plan. Until this morning. With the grownups at his side -- Bernanke and Paulsen -- he toddled into the Rose Garden to say, among other things, that "This is a pivotal moment for the American economy" and "Now is the time to solve it."

Actually, the time to solve it would have been months ago. YEARS ago. You know, through regulation of the banking and finance industry. For this do-nothing president to come along now and call for stronger regulatory measures, after being a lifelong cheerleader for the Gordon Gekko (greed is good!) team, takes a galling combination of cynicism and cojones.

The blank look on his face and the flat affect of his voice as he read the statement others had written for him reminded me of the time, on 9-11, when Andrew Card interrupted the president's reading of "The Pet Goat" to schoolchildren to whisper in his ear that the country had just been attacked. As you may recall, our President did not leap into action. He sat there for what seemed an eternity before excusing himself to deal with the crisis.

The Pet Goat has morphed into Get Your Goat, the financial fairytale of a voracious beast on the loose. And our vacation-happy president has added one more disaster to his legacy of recklessness and cluelessness. I suppose it is almost quaint to raise the question of "Where has he been?" since the economic policy debate is now taking place between the two candidates who are actually vying for the chance to inherit this mess. But the guy is president, for goat's sake, until January. One expects him to put in a token appearance now and then in an effort to at least appear that he is on the job.

On the other hand, given the wreckage he is capable of when he IS on the job, perhaps we should hope he leaves bad enough alone. Perhaps Mr. Bush could just spend the rest of his term clearing brush on the ranch in Crawford. Goats are great at that.

Comments

[Itchybiscuit]

Are you trying to tell me that a guy called George Walker Bush is the President of the USA?

I thought it was Dick Cheney!

[proudem]

I can't even speak anymore...­I am so damn angry.Yet I just read an article, "Poll: Racial views steer some white Dems away from Obama" that demonstrates how 1/3 of democrats will not vote for a black candidate because of the color of his skin. What is wrong with people? We would rather have a stupid age demented corpse of a white man with his fluffy granddaughter than a Harvard educated intelligent African american that has the ability to lead. I'm moving to Costa Rica.

http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-obama-race

[jdbid1]

I was watching Jim Lehrer's News Hour on PBS last night and could not believe my ears. David Brooks actually had the gall to praise the President for his handling this situation and his performance over the past 3 years, including the success of the surge in Iraq. Are these people living in the same world?

[SpoxLogic]

What's so funny is that the Republicans want to paint Obama as a liberal socialist. While it end up that it's Bush who is the socialist.
Well, it would be funny if the sh** wasn't so serious.
I just find it ironic, is all. Do you think the GO Pwill still try to labe Obama as a liberal socialist?

[tompoe]

$1 trillion dollars for financial sector delivered as promised by Bush, the decider. He can now leave office with a legacy that says I lived up to my promises to rape and pillage Americans, including $1 trillion in bad debts from my cronies on Wall Street. Nice pickins, eh?

[CompetenceMatters]

That's why we have the McSpain and his lovely assistant act going on. They don't really want the White House any more, there's nothing left.

[wanked]

george bush = the new Howard Hughes

[JerseyBob]

Ah yes, the Decider:

Walter Mitty Daydreams That He Is A Hardcore Republican Supplicant

Oh magnificent Decider
i prostate myself before thee
All I am or ever will be
Is yours
Gush

You have my money
Merely emphemera
Take my red blood
-What other color!
Take my or someone else's
Flag swaddled first born
For your war
I am not worthy
Gush

[JerseyBob]

Please excuse misspelling on recent post here. It's ephemera of course.

[Clavis]

Worst. President. Ever.

Until President Palin, that is...


(What's the difference between George W. Bush and Sarah Palin?

Lipstick!)

[ChiMan1]

Wealth Sucks! . . which Overpass will you be Living Under??? sleep tight!