Bush Sure Is An Arrogant SOB

Does George W. Bush even have a remote knowledge of the concepts of negotiation and compromise? He is like a spoiled little brat who has to have everything his way. The perfect president in the time of spoiled brats like Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

He never thinks conversation is a good thing. He is willing to talk as long as he doesn’t have to listen to anyone else. The C student thinks he is so smart that he knows everything. He has such fear and loathing of the “other” that he is afraid of even talking to them. He is also afraid of Barack Obama talking to them.

We all know that Bush would rather just bomb the crap out of people he doesn’t like. Just imagine if your next door neighbor acted like George W. Bush. With a smirk on his face he would always be telling you what to do, would come into your yard, shoot your family, and start digging up your yard looking for “his” oil. He would cut your electric lines and blow up parts of your house. And he would build a house on your property and promise to stay for at least 100 years. What would be your reaction to this? Flowers and open arms? If you decide to fight back, he will call you evil, and either send you to prison or kill you.

Yesterday, Bush had the audacity to say this about Barack Obama who is suggesting talks with our so-called “enemies”:

It will send the wrong message. ... It will give great status to those who have suppressed human rights and human dignity.

Talk to the victims of Hurricane Katrina about “human rights and human dignity” and see what they think our our illustrious “leader.” Talk to the victims of our huge industrial prison complex and see what they think of Bush. Talk to the victims of Bush’s “free speech zones” (especially the ones shot with plastic bullets), and see what they have to say about Dubya. This man is about as compassionate as Ghengis Khan. He has joked about weapons of mass destruction and he has joked about people who were on death row being executed. He literally has the blood of thousands of people on his hands. And he thinks he has the right to tell Barack Obama that it’s wrong to talk to people?

Obama repeatedly has advocated meeting without preconditions with leaders of such hostile nations as Cuba and Iran, saying current U.S. policy is not working and it is time for a fresh look at ways to improve relations.

Isn’t this the way we all try to fix problems, whether they be at home or at the workplace? Do we not teach our children to “use your words” and to not hit other children? I can’t help but wonder what Bush’s parents taught him. Probably, “Speak loudly and hit with a big stick.” I wonder how many parents point to Bush and tell their children, “I want you to be like him.” What kind of example does Bush set for the youth of America? It is one of arrogance, violence and getting your own way. Is this how we want to treat other people? Is this how we want to be treated by other people? Then why do we tolerate it in our president?

Do we really want to be fighting someone, somewhere, forever?

Obama said:

The next president has a job to do to repair our image and to send a signal ... that a new era is being ushered in and that we are not afraid to talk to anybody, including those who we have grave problems with.

This sound like a very good idea to me. Not to Bush, though. What the hell is wrong with him? If he was just an average Joe he probably would have been arrested a long time ago. Oh, wait a minute, he already has been.

It seems that the American people are finally becoming fed up with the abomination that is our president:

"The American people aren't looking for tough talk about fighting for 100 years in Iraq, because they know we need to end this war, finish the job in Afghanistan, and take the fight to al Qaeda," he said.

Obama's rejection of what he calls conventional thinking in Washington has put him in the driver's seat to seize the Democratic nomination from Clinton, long considered the inevitable nominee.

Talking is a very effective way to fix things, whether it be problems in a marriage, problems with your children, problems at work, or problems with other nations. You also just might learn something along the way, like what the cause of the problem was in the first place. Talking doesn’t work all of the time, but it sure beats sticking your head in the sand, and it sure beats shooting people. If we followed Bush’s logic we would still be fighting World War II. Peace treaties would have never been signed because we could not talk to our enemies in order to negotiate peace.

Again, I’ll ask the question: Do we really want to be fighting someone, somewhere, forever?

In his book Race Manners Bruce A. Jacobs writes:

Like it or not, you and I face our own moral and practical choice right now, in the years after 9/11, as to who we intend to be in this world. This is the way history happens: with invisible, unheralded decisions by people like you and me concerning how we will think and act. Right now, at this very moment, you are part of the future, and you will be so judged by those who later look back upon our time. You might not like bearing the burden of choice. But it is yours regardless, and whether by action or inaction, your decision will shape the outcome.

So what’s it going to be? A positive, adult course of action that regards others as fully human and strives for solutions through relationships in the world? Or a fearful, simplistic course that once again stigmatizes the villainous avenger while avoiding the issues that would actually solve the problem?

Barack Obama falls squarely into the first camp, President Bush falls into the latter camp. Which camp do you want to be in?

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