Nixon Redux

President Bush has compared himself to Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Several members of the media have explored the similarities between Bush's economic policies and those of President Hoover.While I agree that Bush was profligate in spending his political capital on the war in Iraq and trying to privatize Social Security, it is still too soon to have a clear idea of how Bush's policies affected the latest financial crisis. After all those people who couldn’t afford mortgages didn’t approve their own loans. I think the brokers on Wall Street started to think to themselves, “that money isn’t going to steal itself.” (Maybe some of the Enron employees changed coasts.)

Bush is definitely nothing like Roosevelt (either one) or Abraham Lincoln. The connection to President Hoover is there, but who Bush really reminds me of is Nixon (minus the intelligence, smarmy though it was.) Perhaps it’s because there’s a small growl that escapes from my throat when I say either of their names. Maybe, it’s because both presidents’ laissez faire stances led to stagflation and their opaque administrations inspired distrust rather than respect. Although, I have no proof, I also highly suspect that both men kept those poor secret service guys busy with insominia-induced games. I’m guessing Nixon probably wanted to play card games. Bush? I’m pretty sure it was hide-and-go-seek. In the dark.

For everyone who hated Nixon, there were others who adored him, and so it was with President Bush. Many people spoke of wanting to sit down and have a beer with the newly saved, recovering alcoholic. Personally, whether or not the candidate would make a good drinking buddy is not a priority. I'm more into the candidate's qualifications, intelligence, moderate temperament, and what not. Which, in the Rovian "alternate reality" is, I guess, elitist. I don't want just any John, Dick, or George to be president. Poor George cannot compete with Nixon’s jowls though. Thank God for McCain. Full circle, people. Full fucking circle.