At our Meetup in Oakland last night, we were fortunate to have Prof. George Lakoff attend as a surprise guest. One of Lakoff's excellent suggestions was to frame Bush's choices as weakness, while framing progressive alternatives to Bush's actions as strong and responsible. Here's one approach, written as an open letter to George.
George,
You are a weak, lazy, irresponsible man.
You are too weak to stay the course on tough policies. You want the quick fix, no matter how costly or bloody. There is no quick fix, you idiot. Quick doesn't fix a damn thing! Do your homework. Build your case. Grind your enemy to dust with relentless economic and political pressure, like we did with the Soviet Union, or co-opt them with the promise of prosperity, like we did with China.
You are too weak restrain yourself once justice has been served. A cop who makes an arrest, then beats up everyone who reminds him of the suspect, is a lunatic and a criminal. It takes strength to serve justice. It is weak to bully. How many people have to die, George? If this is a war, who are the enemies and why? How long is the list? Have you noticed that the list got longer once you invaded Iraq? Who in Iraq hated America enough to kill themselves before we invaded? How many hate us that much now? Do. Your. Homework.
You are too weak to resist the lure of corporate donations when making policy. Pure lust for money and power has blinded you to the wisdom of preserving our nation's resources and protecting our people's health through safe and clean food, medicine, air, and water. You are a weak, greedy, irresponsible, and careless man to squander our nation's family fortune this way.
You are too weak to save and invest for the future. You borrow like a madman and spend like a drunkard. You're trying to seize our retirement assets, our future, and gamble it with your Wall Street buddies. Where is your discipline?
You are too weak and too lazy to do your homework. You never know the precise facts, nor can you explain the logical reasons, for what you do. If you were my kid, George, I'd make you sit in a corner and read your books. I'd make you write out your answers longhand, with citations. The slipshod, lazy way you run your administration is a disgrace. Show some dignity, some work ethic, some respect for your damn office!
My advice to you, George, is to grow the hell up. Lead like a man, not like a spoiled child.