A Newspaper Article I wrote for the George Street Observer that came out this week at the College of Charleston.
George W. Bush in a recent CNN interview showed regret for some of the things he said during his time in office. The biggest regret was not from his mouth, but in a form of a sign hung on U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln on May 1, 2003.
Bush landed on the carrier which had a sign that said “Mission Accomplished,” which clearly gave oppositions something to really work with. “To some, it said, well, ‘Bush thinks the war in Iraq is over,’ when I didn’t think that,” Bush told CNN.
Bush leaves office having presided over two highly unpopular wars and the beginning of a recession that is already being compared to the Great Depression for one reason or another. Bush is the same president who can’t pronounce the word nuclear properly and coined the word “strategery,” which I fully intend to use in my vocabulary in the future when looking for laughs. The good news is that Bush can spell the word potato unlike another politician you may remember (Poor Dan Quayle).
The actions of George W. Bush have put the GOP in a situation where the party is treading in the ocean with nothing nearby that could qualify as safety. Dead in the water and to make makes things worse, the greed of the party's is what did this. The last eight years started with Bush working with a GOP dominated Congress who stood as yes men for Bush. The Democrats are now in a similar position and it is their chance to either succeed or allow the GOP back in. With both House and Senate majorities, the Democrats can pass almost any bill, especially considering the help they will have above from President-Elect Barack Obama.
Democrats hopefully learned from the mistakes of the GOP and chose wisely not to abuse the power mandated by the voters. Just because the legislative branch is dominated by the Democrats doesn’t mean there is an all-out mandate to follow the party line, especially given the increasing number of moderate voters that don’t strictly follow all the beliefs of one party.
As Democrats, watch and ensure that there are no big “Mission Accomplished” signs that prove to be blunders. Think every single decision through, because these next four years need to prove to America that Democrats will make a difference and ensure the stability of our nations. The people have mandated for change; Americans just have to hope that the change they voted for is the same Obama and the Democratic majority can provide.
