I've been spending the day obsessing over horserace coverage, probably
I've heard a lot discussion of Obama, Edwards, Clinton, Biden, Dodd, Richardson, Kucinich, the politics of change-- a message that even seemed to be echoed by Romney, a sign that the Republicans are beginning to desert a sinking party. I've heard endless cud-chewing about McCain/Leiberman vs Thompson, Huckabee vs Giulianni, Chris Dodd vs Harry Reid.
It occurs to me that there's name I've not heard tonight from anyone but myself:
George W. Bush
All night long-- hours of commentary and coverage, and nobody seems to give a damn what the President of the United States has to say, how it impacts him and his policies or how they reflect on the desire for change. N His name didn't even come up-- not once, not a single time. It was as though he'd vanished from the stage of American political life.
I remember back when he first took office, and there were months where he was still overshadowed by Clinton. Can it be that in his lame-duck year, with his abysmal approval, his stature has finally diminished to what it had been before he became The Commander In Chief?
Even recognizing that the major task of the next eight years must be repairing the damage the Bush administration has wrought-- it is comforting to think that Bush has already ceased to be the focus of our national political dialog.
It can't happen soon enough.