Katrina Was Just One of Many 'Tipping Points' for Bush

Editorials, commentaries, and articles are appearing during the final days of the Bush Administration that Katrina was the tipping point that signaled the public's loss of trust in the administration. The main source of the theory comes from writer, Todd Purdum's ""oral history" of the Bush administration included in the February issue of Vanity Fair magazine." Mr Purdum is a fine writer whose diligent research has provided gainful insights into the inner workings of the Bush Administration. James Oliphant writes in the Chicago Tribune that it was "(t)hree years ago, (when)Hurricane Katrina and its chaotic aftermath produced a collage of indelible images. Among those was a photo of President George W. Bush, viewing the devastation below from the comfort of Air Force One as it jetted to Washington. Now, some of Bush's closest advisers say his administration's response to the disaster marked a turning point in what has become the most unpopular presidency in modern history. After Katrina (Bush's) tenure entered a downward spiral from which he never recovered." The problem with this analysis is that Bush only held significant popular support from the World Trade Center attack of September 11th, 2001 to the declaration of "Mission Accomplished" on May1st, 2003 . Before and after that short period of time Bush struggled to achieve popular consensus. He was not significantly popular during the elections of 2000 or 2004; barely eking out highly contested and controversial victories. The public never fully embraced Bush; they were deceived into supporting his administration through the strategic use of misinformation, outright lies and unchallenged deceit, the maintenance of fear of imminent terrorist attacks, the outright rejection of constitutional rights, the politicization of the Justice Department, the abrogation of international law and treaties, cronyism in the awarding of government monies, contracts and lands; the list goes on. Bush built his presidency on deception from the very beginning of his stay in office. Purdum's analysis suggests that Bush had a decent streak that somehow turned unresponsive to the needs of the American people. Bush never cared about the sanctity of the Office of the President, the Constitution or the American people. Purdum's contention that a 'tipping point' existed proves too gentle a manner to analyze Bush. Bush took office filled with a taint of corruption and a brazenness that Bush fully took advantage of as he operated the levers of American power to suit his deceitful needs.

Bush Just Never Gave a Damn About His Responsibilities as President of the united States

BOB HERBERT asks in his commentary: "Does anyone know where George W. Bush is? You don’t hear much from him anymore. The last image most of us remember is of the president ducking a pair of size 10s that were hurled at him in Baghdad. We’re still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Israel is thrashing the Palestinians in Gaza. And the U.S. economy is about as vibrant as the 0-16 Detroit Lions. But hardly a peep have we heard from George, the 43rd." Herbert suggests that when Bush leaves office: "There should be a great hue and cry — a loud, collective angry howl, demonstrations with signs and bullhorns and fiery speeches — over the damage he’s done to this country." Herbert suggests that Bush's legacy amounts to nothing but eight years of "deceit." Herbert concludes his assessment of Bush: "The catalog of his transgressions against the nation’s interests — sins of commission and omission — would keep Mr. Bush in a confessional for the rest of his life. Don’t hold your breath. He’s hardly the contrite sort. He told ABC’s Charlie Gibson: “I don’t spend a lot of time really worrying about short-term history. I guess I don’t worry about long-term history, either, since I’m not going to be around to read it.” Herbert points out Bush's incredible lack of remorse for all he has done to bring ruin to the United States: "The president chuckled, thinking — as he did when he made his jokes about the missing weapons of mass destruction — that there was something funny going on." This writer believes that somehow, someway, someday Bush fully deserves to be held accountable for his complete failure to abide by his oath to the Constitution. Let Bush be remembered for all time as the deceitful scoundrel that he has proved himself to be.