I was prepared to write a nasty column about President Bush today. I was going to dig in and compile a list of every horrible thing he's done since he became president. This would have been a lengthy venture to say the least. Bush hasn't done well in his five years, and there haven't been many signs of improvement.
However, last night was different. Bush gave his big New Orleans tragedy speech, and sure, it seemed to be "too little, too late", and 95% of it was the same tired grandstanding and news recaps that he's filled all his other speeches with, but the 5% he got right was very good. For the first time in five years, I can finally say I'm happy with something Bush said:
Americans have every right to expect a more effective response in a time of emergency. When the federal government fails to meet such an obligation, I, as President, am responsible for the problem, and for the solution.
Was it perfect? Definitely not. He didn't apologize for spending two days on vacation after New Orleans was evacuated, or for appointing a completely unqualified man as the head of FEMA. He didn't chastise other politicians for using the tragedy to pat themselves on the back, and he didn't yell at the media for presenting black victims in such negative ways. But those things are a little much to ask out of any politician, let alone the president. The important thing is Bush repeated that he was taking the blame for the slow response. When I first heard him admit to it a few days ago, I was floored. It was more than I had ever expected from him, and though I'm still angry at his failures, I appreciated his honesty.
And you know what? Suddenly, I'm not so inclined to list every horrible thing he's ever done. I'm not eagerly awaiting my next chance to point out his failures. I doubt I'm the only person, even among liberals, to feel this way. It's amazing what one good deed can do to drain the bitterness and angst from a normally outspoken critic like myself.
If only Bush had learned this years ago: if you apologize when you're wrong or when you do poorly, the criticism isn't as harsh. Bush has been shunned by liberals more than any Republican president in recent history. He's probably getting more scorn than Reagan did, though I'm not old enough to have been political in those years, so I don't know for sure. Either way, I hope Bush realizes it's been his own dishonesty fueling the scorn all these years.
When Bush interrupted our television shows for his speech last night, my roommates and I mocked him, but it wasn't because he was making things worse, like usual. It was because he was boring the living crap out of us by repeating information we already knew. It may not sound like a improvement, but with my friends and I, it truly is. That's the first time I can remember the mockery of Bush being even remotely challenging. Our actions were a big unspoken compliment to him.
Well, okay. So we were also mocking him because the place he gave his speech kind of looked like the castle at Disneyland. We said something about how his hair looked disheveled, and how he probably just got off the tilt-o-whirl or tea cups ride.
Also, I think we mentioned that the horse statue in the background, to his right, appeared to be attacking him. But other than that, we had no reason to mock him. With sarcastic people like my friends and I, that's a victory. I just hope such victories continue, not for Bush's sake, but for our country's sake. The truth is a powerful thing.
