Farewell to W

By Jeff Hackman

January 19, 2009

Today is the last full day of the George W. Bush administration. Even though there is still about 24 hours left, it is time to add up the damage.

The myth of redemptive violence has had a field day with Bush. The tragic loss of 3000 Americans on 911 has led to the deaths of over 1 million Iraqis, Afghans and Americans. Perhaps the biggest tragedy is the lack of imagination in the White House.

I recently had a tour of that storied residence, and what struck me most was how ordinary it was. These are real human beings struggling to make decisions. While that may lower our expectations, it shouldn’t. These folks are paid to lead! Just doing what comes naturally when attacked is not good enough. We needed people with vision, and we got a bunch of “C” students and cowboys (emphasis on the last part of that word).

Perhaps in the long term W will be known for dismantling the Constitution. While his disregard for the rule of law has not been felt by most Americans, the assertion of a “unitary executive” above the law is a dangerous precedent that must be pushed back.

Economically we are very bad off. Was it incompetence, or corruption? The answer is “yes”. A fundamental change has taken place because of W. The theories of Friedman—trickle down economics that have been in place for 30 years–have come up wanting.

Just as following your passions when attacked leads to predictable results, letting the rich (and I mean the top 1%) get incredibly richer has led to greed—imagine that! Obama will move toward a Keynesian stimulus role for the government. He has no choice. However, we will re-learn that government can’t solve all the problems either.

I’ve been struck with how the last 20 years has shown the failures of both socialism and capitalism. It is time for vision—not conventional wisdom.

Clearly Bush has none of that. I am praying that team Obama has just a bit more.