RepTIDE

Having heard part one of this on NPR‘s All Thing Considered and now having listened to it again and the recently found part two I couldn’t help but pass it on.

Part 1

Part 2

It really points to something that I think I always knew in the back of my mind but never admitted publicly.  Bush was a puppet, for at least half of his presidency.  Cheney called the shots.  It is clear that at least some of the time Bush was unaware of what was going on until the final moments of certain events taking place.

For Cheney’s part, I think NPR correctly points out that because of his age and his well documented heart issues there were no presidential aspirations beyond Bush’s two terms.  He was free of the baggage of political “future” and could “get down to work” doing what he thought necessary.

I do take exception to the fact that the story, and many other people, believe Cheney was doing what he thought was best for the American people.  I think Cheney detested the American public.  I think they were a “necessary nuisance” needed to get elected but once he was there the public was no longer wanted.  He did what he thought was best for himself, for Bush, and for the Executive Office.  That derision of the public, the public’s sentiment, and purposeful ignorance of the fact that all branches of government serve the people is, at least to me, made woefully clear by this snippet of an interview (from the NPR story) between Cheney and ABC‘s Martha Raddatz regarding the Iraq war:

Raddatz: “Two-thirds of Americans say it’s not worth fighting.”

Cheney: “So?”

Raddatz: “So you don’t care what the American people think?”

Cheney: “No, I think you cannot be blown off course by the fluctuations in the public opinion polls.”

Image by ClintJCL via Flickr

“So?”…  Let that sink in a minute.  The public, the ones who elected you, the ones who you are supposed to serve, the ones whom you represent on the world stage don’t like what you are doing and your response is “So?”  Not a defense of your reasoning.  Not any pacification as to why this is in America’s best interests.  Just…well…”So?”

So, while I still have no love for Bush, I do in a way feel sorry for him.  He was, in my eye, a monster but a puppet monster at best.  Cheney was the brains and the brawn behind that train wreck.  Cheney is the one to be blamed for many, if not most, of the early mis-steps, Cheney is the one to be blamed for most of what I, and many other people, hated about the Bush presidency.  While the president certainly can’t wash his hands of the mess attributed to him (the buck has to stop somewhere) I think it is unfair to attribute as much of the “Bush Presidency Problems” on him and him alone as we have done.  Sometimes #2 turns out to be #1.

Related posts:

1. Capitalism’s Place In America We live in a time where it seems that corporations...
2. I’m busy, too busy to do my civic duty… …but just like the National Guard thing, you understand right?...