THE Dubya principle . . .

By l.t. Dravis

BEIJING, CHINA – Monday, August 11, 2008 – Well, well, there he was – George W. Bush – leader of the free world having a great time, enjoying himself at the 2008 Olympics, ‘rootin’ our team on, bein’ interviewed by Bob Costas on an impromptu NBC sound stage in downtown Beijing.

Never saw him happier. Smiling, jovial, just about as carefree as anyone I’ve ever seen.

Why not? Life for the sonovapresident and soon-to-be former President is looking mighty good.

While the families of four thousand one hundred and thirty-eight brave American troops suffer the excruciating pain of loss Mr. Bush will never understand, while thousands upon thousands of American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines struggle to overcome the debilitating effects of war wounds, and while millions of Americans face an uncertain future of ‘who-knows-how-much’ fuel prices, worry about making mortgage payments and holding on to their jobs, while many lose sleep wondering how they’ll ever put their kids through college and save for retirement at the same time, George W. looks forward to standing ovations, collecting whatever he can on the lecture circuit, picking up nearly two hundred grand a year in a lifetime pension, plus another three quarters of a million or so in ‘office expenses’ . . . all paid for by you, me, and every other taxpayer in the country.

Many say that George W. Bush wouldn’t have made it around the first corner of the political road to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue if he’d been born into any other family. Others contend that Dubya would never have graduated from Yale or Harvard, much less been accepted in the first place if the luck of his conception had been different.

Yeah but, that’s just political claptrap. Should we pay any attention to people who speak out of both sides of their political mouths?

Let’s not.

Let’s look at the man not for what we think he is but for what he really is . . . let’s measure George W. Bush by a proven standard. As Dr. Laurence Peter said in his 1969 landmark book, ‘The Peter Principle’, when a person (or a President) rises above his level of incompetence, the organization they serve suffers. We can use the following ‘Peter Principle’ indicators to measure George W. Bush’s competence – or lack thereof:

• “Project estimates and schedules are routinely missed. The person doesn't just miss assignments every now and then, but consistently misses them. This is indicative of the person's ability to see projects through to successful completion or manage by objectives. If he cannot, he either lacks the proper skills and training to perform the work, or simply doesn't care about being late or over budget.” My Peter Principle Evaluation: George W. Bush’s initial and ongoing response to Hurricane Katrina speaks louder than I can . . . so, I’ll let Katrina, three years after the fact, speak for herself and I won’t even get into deficits and the national debt

• “The duties and responsibilities as defined in a job description are not being met. Again, this may be indicative of the lack of proper knowledge, skills and experience, or an attitude problem.” George W. Bush twice spoke the following words as he took the oath of office: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." My Peter Principle Evaluation: George W. Bush failed to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States in the following ways: First Amendment protections have been diluted by the Bush Administration’s issuing an executive order after 9/11 that freezes the assets of anyone who ‘associates’ with anyone the administration decides is a ‘terrorist’, with or without proof; Fourth Amendment protections have been rendered ineffective by the Bush Administration’s use of warrantless wiretapping and ‘National Security Letters’ which allow the FBI to demand personal information on anyone without any form of oversight; the Fifth Amendment right to due process has been effectively canceled by the Bush Administration’s use of secret prisons in foreign nations and at Guantanamo, Cuba as offshore ‘non-constitutional zones’ where ‘enemy combatants’ can be incarcerated indefinitely without charge, without representation, and without the benefit of trial

• “The person lacks the respect and confidence of the people working around him, not only his subordinates, but his superior and lateral relationships as well. Although this is difficult to quantify, it basically tells us, "Where there is smoke, there is fire." In other words, the person either has bad social skills, or his peers already know what he is capable and incapable of doing.” My Peter Principle Evaluation: George W. Bush has broken with aides, colleagues, and supporters by: Manipulating intelligence to suit preconceived notions about the Nation’s need to invade Iraq, a sovereign nation; Routine disregard for Congressional oversight of Executive Branch activities; Outing Valerie Plame for petty political purposes; Playing politics with U.S. attorneys; Pardoning Scooter Libby without legal cause; and by causing the deaths of thousands of American troops and Iraqi citizens in an unnecessary war

- Quotes attributed to ‘The Peter Principle’ by Dr. Laurence Peter

Political rhetoric and a Presidential Library notwithstanding, it's safe to assume that George W. Bush will be remembered as the worst President in the history of the United States of America.

For eight years, he failed to unify and lead the nation; he failed to mobilize the nation to effectively fight terrorism; he failed to preserve and protect our Constitution; he failed to thoughtfully promote America’s interests around the world; and he failed to effectively manage our economy and ecology.

George W. Bush has nothing to be proud of . . . he wasted eight years of America’s lives, time, energy, and resources . . . for nothing more than the fleeting gratitude he got from special interests, lobbyists, and political cronies.

He should walk away on January 20, 2009 with no applause, no cheers, and no waves.

Voters willing, we will never see the likes of him again.

But, wait a second . . . who’s at fault here? George W.?

Not hardly.

Voters – millions of them - put this man in office . . . twice.

Why?

Good question.

If those millions of voters had carefully evaluated George W. Bush’s resume (a mediocre student, a man with a history of DWI arrests, an admitted alcoholic, a reservist with a questionable military record, a failed businessman, a privileged son who used the family name to win a largely ceremonial governorship), would they have voted for him in 2000 because he was best qualified candidate?

Maybe there is something George W. Bush can be proud of after all. He taught us how serious the consequences can be if we fail to evaluate any candidate, every candidate, based on his or her qualifications . . . politics be damned.

Hope we’ve learned our lesson.

Dubya taught us an expensive one.

Copyright © 2008 by l.t. Dravis. All rights reserved.

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, Email me at LTDAssociates@msn.com (goes right to my desk) and since I personally answer every Email, I look forward to hearing from you soon.