Republicans have said constantly over the past few years that by virtue of having become president, George W. Bush deserves a modicum of respect from us, that the title of president itself demands loyalty, faith, and trust. But sadly, no human is perfect, and when imperfections shine with the radiance of a midnight bomb over Baghdad, it is impossible not to notice them. It is impossible to overlook the tribulations and tragedies that have saturated the last eight years.
As he leaves office, George Bush has embarked once again on a propaganda crusade. His last and most necessary one, in order to convince us that his was not a failed presidency, not even a flawed presidency. The Legacy Project, as it has been properly labeled, is yet another media blitzkrieg by an administration mired with them. But this time the objective is not to start an illegal war, not to justify illegal invasions of privacy, not to pardon the illegal acts of traitors in his office, not to congratulate the incompetency of his cronies, not to rationalize a failed economic policy, not even to excuse torture, but to exonerate himself from the culmination of all of these and to whitewash his entire presidency.
With the audacity and magnanimity of an Abu Ghraib prison guard he stands before us and asks us to focus on his kindness and compassion. But we must deny him, for a kind buffoon is still a buffoon, and a compassionate criminal is still a criminal. And to those who wish to chastise us for it, those who have forgotten or never learned the principles this great country was founded upon, those who wish to grant him a trophy just for participating, we must remind them that the presidency of the United States of America is not little league baseball. We must remind them that a successful, humble leader does not need a legacy project, that in these United States no man is above the law, and that there is no A for effort, there is only an F for failure.
cross-posted from Progressive Junction