November 30
Bush and Lincoln
I read a piece the other day that quoted George Bush Sr. saying that George is facing problems that are as tough as the ones Lincoln faced. It was quite a comparison, George W. and Abe Lincoln, and you can't blame George Senior for making it. What proud parent isn't inclined to see his or her child as God's gift to the world. But for those of us outside the family the comparison is a bit of a stretch.Lincoln and FDR are comparable in that both men came to office at times of dire crisis for the nation, severe disasters which threatened the continuation of the republic. Both were great leaders at times when most of the country was helplessly caught up in the momentum of events that were spinning out of anyone's control.
George W., on the other hand, took charge of the country when the country had been economically prosperous, protected and relatively peaceful for several years. The peace and prosperity reached back to the previous Bush administration, which was enmired in economic sludge and military action. George W. Bush took charge and in a few months put the country into economic deficits, alienated most of the nations of the world, and then failed to protect the country against the worst attack it had ever received.
Besides a myriad of steep character differences between George W. and those leaders who led the nation through crises, the most fundamental difference is that George W. led us into disaster, and has yet to come up with any notions of how we are going to get out of it, except to further the agendas of oil companies, defense contractors and other major donors.
No Poppy, sorry. That boy is no Abraham Lincoln. Uh uh. Not even close. Nice try.