Vindication

As if I have ever cared whether other people agree with me or not, it is good to see that even the right wing pundits; those mouthpieces of the administration are finally starting to see just how dangerous and cavalier this administration has been for the last five years!

Doug McIntyre, of KABC radio in Los Angeles has issued an apology to the American people for his support of Bush. It is a little late, but better late than never. On his show, he described Bush as the worst two term president, perhaps the worst president period that the US has ever elected. In of my favorite lines in the piece is when he describes Bush in the following passage:

"After five years of carefully watching George W. Bush I’ve reached the conclusion he’s either grossly incompetent, or a hand puppet for a gaggle of detached theorists with their own private view of how the world works. Or both."

It is reassuring to note that even those who supported the president in every ill-conceived action he has taken are starting to regret it. Unfortunately, the damage has been done. Having lived abroad for much of the last year has given me a far better perspective on how Americans are perceived. The comment I most frequently have gotten ("Your president is a wanker!") has the unspoken, underlying implication: "...and so are you for electing and following him."

The truth is, I didn't! Neither did a majority of the population of the US. This president was elected because of rampant apathy amongst the electorate that allowed the neo-conservative right to hijack the electoral process. People wake up! Get active! VOTE! Until you do it will get worse not better! You who do not take an action (or rather choose to disenfranchise yourselves) are not just hurting yourself! You deserve Bush as your president! But would you please quit pissing in the punch bowl for the rest of us?

Which is not to say that the alternative in either of the last two elections were that great either! I'd have rather gnawed on concertina wire than to have either Kerry or Bush as the president right now, but as there was none handy and there was such low turn-out, the one who was better at mobilizing their core won.

Unfortunately, Douglas Adams was correct when he postulated (in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) that:

"People are the problem. Anyone who is capable of getting themselves elected to public office should, under no circumstances be allowed to actually hold that office. Anybody who wants to be president is by definition unfit to be president."

I know that there are those of you who may stumble across this who do not know me and who will think when reading this: "Hey! He is abroad, he should not be bad-mouthing his country, his president, and his government while abroad and during a time of war!"

To those of you who do hold this opinion, I can only say, that little thing that the Bush administration would have you believe does not apply any longer; you know, The Constitution; is still alive and in play. The first amendment there of states that I have the right to criticize whomever I want, whenever I want, wherever I want. It is therefore my right, no! It is my duty to agree that the president is, indeed, as has been observed, a wanker. A world class wanker! A reckless, dangerous, deceitful wanker.

There are just 859 days until this president leaves office. Unless...

I hope that wherever you are today, you have something to look forward to!

Don Bergquist - 14 September 2006 - Thames Ditton, Surrey, UK