B Y CHAD SKILES
After a rather colorful and controversial eight years of hanging around the White House, hardly anyone, who hasn’t lived under a cave lately, is at a loss for words regarding President Bush. He was a dream for pundits and commentators. From his now-famous “Bush-isms,” to his more costly goofs as a legislator, he achieved the loathsome goal of the President with the lowest approval rating of all time. So, while you all have the chance, what do you want to say to him on his way out?
“Is our children finally learning?” I am tempted to ask. Now that I think more on it, anything suggesting a reply may not be as effective. A statement—a true farewell—would be ideal, I think. Getting back to the point, everyone must have something to say. “Thanks for nothing,” if you used to live in New Orleans, maybe. Perhaps a “Conservative? Really?” if you’ve paid any taxes lately. Some of us might be able to say, “Thanks for landing me an important job in the cabinet or Supreme Court,” if we happen to be any of Mr. Bush’s friends. So—haven’t we anything to say?
Just in case you don’t, here’s a list of initiatives Bush hopes to accomplish in his last days: cutting Medicaid, allowing abortion denials for moral or religious objections, permitting mining near the Grand Canyon, discounting global warming when assessing species risks, allowing more emissions from power plants, opening protected land to energy development, making it harder to take time off, allowing truckers to work fourteen-hour days, permitting guns in National Parks, and moving political appointees to permanent posts. I suppose the man wants to go out with a bang, and who can blame him? Just when you thought he had forgotten about us—and about politics—he decides to do more in the last month than in the past eight years. Since Mr. Bush felt prompted to remind us he hasn’t forgotten about us and our values, why don’t we return the favor by showing that we haven’t forgotten about him?
I encourage everyone to express some parting words for our President as he closes in on his legacy. “Can’t wait to see how they try to apologize for you in history books.” In all fairness and sincerity—we all know—even a bad guest deserves a goodbye.
