“My Government”

It has been 6 ½ years of George Bush as president but there is no change in approach and no sense of his learning from experience. For anyone confused about the Bush vision of the presidency, you just had to listen to his defense of the Attorney General. He is of course, as with everything he does, steadfastly staying with a decision despite the evidence that it is a disaster. In ignoring the Congressional distaste toward the continued employment of Alberto Gonzales (both Democratic and Republican, although the latter can only talk about it off the record) and defending his insistence on having him continue in office, Bush said:

They can try to have their votes of no confidence, but it's not going to determine -- make the determination who serves in my government.

My government? Where did I get this idea that the government is of the people, by the people, and for the people? Its George Bush’s administration: it’s our government.

Bush has never seen it that way. From the start he has considered his election to be the capture of the United States government for the benefit of the Republican base and for those who contribute large amounts of money to the party. He has acted as the President of the Republican Party, not as the protector of this country and its laws.

The Constitution has been abused; torture has become our policy; people are held indefinitely without counsel or trial; and independent prosecutors charged with upholding the law are being replaced with Republican hacks.

And the future Republican candidate in 2008 will probably be more of the same. Fred Thompson is waiting in the wings for Giuliani to falter over his abortion stand, Romney to fail because he is the wrong religion, and McCain to be rejected because he has worked with Senator Kennedy. Thompson, an undistinguished Senator and lately a TV actor is playing to the base and will appeal as being in the same mold as Bush – eminently unqualified based on experience or intelligence to lead the country.