In the
July 3rd issue of Time, there is a "viewpoint" column by Karl Rove in which
he points to all the things that made Teddy Roosevelt a great President,
and by contrast illustrate why the Bush Presidency is a failure.
Here are the points that Rove points out make Teddy Roosevelt a GREAT President while simultaneously illustrating why the Bush Presidency is a complete failure.
1. It is every American's responsibility to be active in our civic life.
Bush wasn't active in anything other than partying until he was well
into his 40's. He was certainly not a "responsible" participant in civic
life.
2. Politics should be animated by large, important ideas.
Bush has not proposed an "large, important ideas". He has merely
read off the scripts of Cheney, Rumsfeld, and the neocons at PNAC. Oh,
and the scripts of big business like the Oil companies and the Carlyle Group.
3. The United States, while not flawless, is a profound force for good in the
world.
We were until Bush came into office and completely destroyed all the
trust and respect that had been built by his predecessors.
4. Leadership matters.
Leadership does matter -- but Bush has not exhibited any. He has
only shown that he is a follower of his father's advisors. He is running
the country for the sole reason of trying to live up to his Father's
expectations. Sadly, we are the victims of his pathology.
5. A spirited clash of ideas is not only inevitable in politics, but helpful.
T.R. didn't just love ideas, he loved to debate them as long as it was fair and
straight.
Bush does not "love ideas". He has been widely criticized as the
least intellectually curious President in history. There is simply no
such thing as an "intellectual" who doesn't read.
Bush does not love to "debate". He surrounds himself with "yes" men who
simply tell him what he wants to hear.
6. There can be great joy in politics.
I don't know why Rove added this point. Perhaps he ran out of
things to say. He was probably trying to get to 10 points but
could only come up with 6 so he threw this one in to fill up space.
7. Character matters.
Character does matter -- and Bush may be a character, but he does not
exhibit an honorable or respectable character. He lies, cheats, and
steals. He is not a man of honor or integrity.
It is clear that Bush does not share any of these characteristics with TR
that Rove is praising.
And, although he didn't state it as a "point" like the others above, Rove
goes on to say "Roosevelt's fellow citizens loved him...." Well, it is
quite clear that the American public does not "love" Bush. Don't the polls
show that most dislike him and think he is incompetent to boot.
Bush is a failed President and even his top political advisor recognizes it
(at least on some level -- even if he won't admit it).
P.S.
There does appear to be a typo at the end of the article. It reads
"Karl Rove, a history buff, is assistant to the President, deputy chief of staff
and senior adviser." I think they meant to say "buffoon" rather than
just "buff".