Farewell GWB

      A prankish fate put George W. Bush in the oval office to keep America stupid. The nation was far from ready to see where it was going in the 21st century, and he was just the figure to keep it that way, with his void of curiosity, his allergy to reading, and his panderings to wealth-worshipping, Ponzi-loving, science-hating Jesus cultists. He goes out of office broadly regarded as an object of horror and loathing while the nation, now facing wholesale bankruptcy, struggles to imagine a plausible future, like someone who has just awakened from a cheap red wine drunk into the grip of a vicious hangover.
     GWB was reputed to be an appealing personality off-camera, relaxed among his cohorts, full of fun, warmth, jokes, and nicknames. He was not quite as bad on-stage as his critics complained -- his natural obtuseness sometimes came off as candor -- but he was programmed by handlers with a range of poor locutions that eventually amounted to a world-view. For instance, the idiotic "war on terror," which served mainly to portray our adversaries as abstractions. His insistence on the term "victory" when speaking of our situation in Iraq actually fooled even his worst critics into thinking we were engaged in a "war," when for years it has been more accurately an awkward and lethal occupation.
       I never believed that GWB actually tricked the nation on the "weapons of mass destruction" rationale for invading Iraq. Rather, the nation fooled itself into thinking that the war, in the first place, was anything but an act of vengeance for the gross injury of 9/11. After a couple of years, the public adopted the stupid narrative that they were "lied to," rather than recognizing the difficult truth that 9/11 had to be answered with lethal force, that international hostilities are far from wholly rational, and that Saddam Hussein got whacked because he was the Arab head-of-state who was the best candidate for getting whacked. A nation in thrall to psychotherapy, and self-esteem building programs, and the "win-win" bullshit of business Babbitry, couldn't imagine a tragic dilemma when one was staring them in the face.
      GWB won reelection in 2004 -- running against the weak John Kerry, "a haircut in search of a brain," as Kevin Phillips put it so memorably, who was not smart enough to pander successfully (though he tried) to the dominant, Jesus-soaked Nascar fans who inhabit the Moron Crescent that runs from West Virginia south through Dixie and then west into Idaho. GWB was still riding pretty high when Hurricane Katrina slammed into the swamps and beaches east of Lake Ponchartrain, and the president failed to direct anybody to so much as air-drop bottled drinking water for survivors dying on rooftops and highway overpasses in New Orleans. The Left, once again, adopted an idiotic narrative to explain the event -- that Bush acted to punish African-Americans -- when plain incompetence combined with grandiose expectations for a televised happy ending to instead produce tragedy.
    The fiasco in New Orleans was matched by the apparent failure to police Iraq back to stability, making the whole project appear feckless and futile, and GWB began his long swoon into discredit. But two other conditions were intensifying in the background, one the consequence of the other: peak oil and peak credit. As the primary resource of industrial capitalism reached its all-time production peak in 2005, the managers of the US economy allowed borrowing-from-the-future to replace productive activity as the basis for everyday life.
      GWB barely acknowledged this compound problem. He asserted that America was addicted to oil, but he failed to take the idea a step further and say that our vaunted "way-of-life" could no longer be taken for granted. If anything, he endorsed the popular idea that a suburban lifestyle and WalMart consumerism was a Jesus-driven entitlement, and his circle in governance did everything possible to replace the industrial economy with an economy based on suburban land development and credit card spending -- which was enabled by fantastic experiments in finance that proved to be nothing more than an impenetrable web of swindles.
     Those swindles began to unwind in 2007 and they now threaten to sink the USA as a viable enterprise. Their exact extent and nature still remain obscure, like the algorithms used to engineer the "alphabet soup" of fraudulent securities and recondite derivatives. In this stupendous failure, GWB is joined by his cohorts and minions in Republican polity, whose flamboyant misfeasance continues to make the credit blow-up worse by the minute. He leaves his successor, Mr. Obama, a predicament so dismal that the secession crisis of 1860 begins to look like a mere procedural quarrel in comparison. And despite the temporary crash of oil prices, the peak oil problem still looms very large in the background and has barely begun to work its hoodoo on what's left of the US economy
      The same prankish fate that elevated GWB may end up excusing or papering over his current ill-standing. Decades from now he might be remembered as the last national leader who presided over an orderly transition of power in a cohering federal system. The fickle public that longs for the last symbolic photo op, when Mr. Obama waves at the helicopter bearing GWB into the Texas gloaming, may soon turn on the new president for failing to return them to the Blue Light Special nirvana of days gone by.
     To me, GWB will remain the perfect representative of his time, place, and culture. During his years in Washington, America became a nation of clowns posturing in cowboy hats, bethinking ourselves righteous agents of Jesus in a Las Vegas of the spirit, where wishing was enough to get something for nothing, where "mistakes were made," but everybody was excused from the consequences of bad choices. The break from that mentality will be very severe, and we may look back in twelve months and wonder how we ever fell for the whole package. The answering of that question will occupy historians for ages to come.
____________________________________
My 2008 novel of the post-oil future, World Made By Hand, is available in paperback  at all booksellers. 

Comments

[Jynx]

The GWB years were such a tragic waste of an opportunity to start addressing the big problems -- the energy situation, climate change, financial insolvency -- yet it was all pissed away. However, it can't be blamed all on Bush -- the American public shares the blame for going along with the bushshit.

[umass82]

Obama will try to use fiscal measures to right the economy but GWB's wastefull spending will so straight jacket the next administration and many in the future so much that after the first wave of spending and tax cuts proferred there will be little fiscal elasticity left.

So little in fact that when it comes to monetary policy it will not matter who is in power, spending will be so restricted that the US will not again be able to spend what even the most frugal of politicians would be willing to allocate. Politics will be less about what the government spends and more about civil liberties and human rights,

[Pxztwy]

Of course, as well, we have to say that the Democrats let this stuff happen if not encouraged it. Best wishes to all in the new year.

[umass82]

In a way 2000 was the last election that will really have mattered, if you think about it, GWB's action were the polar opposite of what Gore would have done, and as GWB so screwed the pooch, doing the exact opposite of what GWB did would have been the best plan of action. (Like the opposite Castanza in that Seinfeld episode, if only GWB saw that one)

To think that the downfall of the republic will be traced to the palm beach butterfly ballot, reminds me of that poem

For the loss of a nail a shoe was lost
for the loss of a shoe a rider was lost etc.

[shrapnel]

Jim, you are altogether too kind to the bastards.

[steve duncan]

We have Cheney arguing via the national Sunday gabfests (that somehow perversly constitute serious debate of the issues that matter) that by avoiding prosecution or sanctions for his actions Bush is absolved of all blame. Further, Bush was legally on firm ground in his torture and waging of undeclared wars due to inaction alleging otherwise. And Cheney is encouraging Obama to continue Bush's policies because of their supposedly sanctioned legality (and effectiveness!). I fear a return to sanity and restoration of various Constitutional amendments, the Geneva Accords and proper containment of the Executive branch is not to be forthcoming.

[mickey_mouse]

i feel sorry for my parents. they are so mature that they do not have the ability to see what is going on. i hope i don't go out as shamefully as they are. the world is changing so much from the Deep South monoculture that they developed from. i hope this is the end of everything that it represents.

[JLee]

Well not to worry! Dr Pangloss has arrived in the guise of St Obama. And he will bring the change we all want, which is to revive everything so that we can continue the same way we have for the last fifty years. Isn't life grand.

[LaughingAsRomeWasBurningDown]

Excellent post! Love that phrase "moron crescent".

So very true, spent half a day yesterday listening to Republicans complain about soon having a 'terrorist' for a president etc. I'm in the eastern tip of the crescent near the nascar mecca of Bristol TN, and yes, folks really do have Dale-shrines in their homes here.

[inquisitivemind22]

"...we may look back in twelve months and wonder how we ever fell for the whole package."

I can't speak for anyone else, but I didn't fall for any of it. I knew in 2000 what Bush was about, despite his lies of "compassionate conservatism" and other such false advertising. I knew he had some arrangement with the Diebold voting machines then, and in 2004, and its unbelievable to me that he got away with all of that. The Republicans lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want, and what they want is to get elected so they can make themselves rich. Not so they can "help" anyone or "solve" any problems. If other Americans, like the ones who voted for W, want to speak on how they fell for him or whatever, I would love to hear it.

[gstuffjoe]

You know, I read your column every week, and I agree with most of your opinions... But "Jesus cultists"? Come on Jim... I am a born-again christian: I know, call me stupid, "anti-science"... whatever. You are, afterall, entitled to your opinion. But, before you place yourself, and your readers on a pedestal, think about what you're REALLY saying. Do I think GWB was a failure?

Yes. I think anyone with a brain can come to that conclusion.

Are all people who have given their lives to Christ idiots? Absolutely not.

I do not watch NASCAR. I do not drive a gas-hogging SUV. I care about the environment (I do not worship it like some "new-agers")

I'm not a genius, but all your hate filled blabbered this week does is just fuels the fire. Why try and divide the country? Are you really that much smarter than, say, the entire city of Wichita, KA... Or Boise , Idaho? Or Dallas, Texas? Why assume that you and your followers are ALWAYS right?

Last I checked we were all human, and fallible.

Great, you have an opinion. Keep it up, ideas made this country great.

But, we have the freedom of religion.

So next time you bash "Jesus-Cultists" *barf*

Try having a cup of shut the fuck up.

You're acting like rush limbaugh...

[asoka]

pxztwy said: "Of course, as well, we have to say that the Democrats let this stuff happen if not encouraged it."

What? And miss an opportunity to blame it all on Ralph Nader?

[steve duncan]

gstuffjoe, your rant above ignores a very basic fact: religion is the root of all evil.

[gstuffjoe]

Religion is the root of all evil Steve? Says who? You?

*buzzer sounds*

You're right! Your fifteen word sentence has changed my life forever... Congratulations!

[steve duncan]

gstuffjoe, wonderful! See how liberating it is to be freed from superstition and illogical rules governing your every behavior? Congratulations on your newfound enlightenment!

[gstuffjoe]

I guess since we're both being sarcastic over an online message board, we might as well change the subject... I am obviously not changing your mind (not that I was in the first place), and you are obviously not changing mine. So let us all agree to disagree and not ransack the other like a pack of ravenous wolves.

[Loveandlight]

I guess I find myself less predisposed to be tough on GWB in these final days of his misbegotten administration than I have been in the past, and that's because I view him more as a symptom of a systemic problem. To explain that, I have to explain a metaphor I have come to favor of late.

The USA is what I call an imperial economy. An imperial economy is a deeply growth-dependent economy requiring vast inputs of far-flung resources to sustain this growth. This sort of economy is characteristic of the empires and economic hegemonies that rich and powerful nations become. Such economies can be compared to an apple growing on a tree-branch.

The first stage is the "nascent" stage in which the metaphoric apple is small and green but there is a lot of room for rapid and intensive growth. We were in this stage from (and I realize my dates will be very rough approximations) about 1791-1916.

The second stage is "maturity" where the apple is big, firm, red, and pretty and at the height of its capacity. We were in this phase from about 1916-1976.

The third stage is the "ripe" stage, which in my analogy is a bit more complex. Here the apple falls from the tree, but it stays edible for a brief period after that. We were in that phase between roughly 1976-2006. After that, the apple starts to become rotten. We are in that phase now. In fact, between 2000 and 2006, our metaphoric apple was technically edible but likely would have been discarded by a choosey apple-eater.

The reason I am less given to picking on GWB as I once was is because it is characteristic of the "ripe" phase of imperial economies that policies and trends will go into effect that hasten the speed towards decay and rot. The only thing that would have prevented the predations of GWB and his ilk would be the USA suddenly waking up one morning and deciding to begin a long, difficult transition-process from being an imperial economy to being a much smaller-scale sustainable economy.

And we all know that the likelihood of that is about the same as any one of us flapping their arms and flying to Pluto.

[Helen Highwater]

Personally I disagree with Jim that 9/11 "had to be answered with lethal force". After being sucked into two wars because of the "with us or against us" rhetoric that Tony Blair fell for, the UK seems to have learned that it is better to track down and prosecute the people who committed the acts of terrorism, than to declare war on entire countries (which may or may not even have been involved). Declaring "war on terror" is like declaring "war on drugs" and we all know how well that's working. Imagine what a different world it would be today if the United States had taken this route instead of declaring a war without end against an enemy that is unnameable. If we seek vengeance instead of justice, we will always be at war.

[Jynx]

Steve Duncan said "religion is the root of all evil." Try telling that to the Tibetans currently suffering under the occupation of the (atheistic) Chinese regime. Sorry, no religion required to be an oppressive asshole.

[Loveandlight]

I'm probably wasting key-strokes by saying this, but I really don't think that sniping at one another about religion is going to add anything worthwhile to this discussion. I'm reasonably certain that what JHK was criticizing was not religion or Christianity as such, just the delusional and self-serving reactionary Christian cultism of GWB's most unquestioning and unthinking camp-followers.

[Evelyn]

gstuffjoe-

It sounds like you are a good person despite your embrace of the jesus myth. As with any functioning alcoholic who uses his own ability to maintain the appearance of normalcy despite his drinking problem, it still doesn't make a strong case for the acceptability of alcoholism.

[Evelyn]

loveandlight -

There is already a strong precedent here for keystrokes that add nothing worthwhile to discussions. Who are you to judge what is worthwhile? I find it particularly edifying to read in discussion forums such as these that there are indeed other right-minded people who see the jesus myth for what it is. The human race has been wandering in a wilderness for centuries clutching a false map provided by bibile worshippers. Any evidence that the consensus is turning towards the realization the map is garbage is encouragement to me.

[Kris]

What happened to the "no more crybabies" declaration?

We know where we are...do we have to whine about who started it?
Let's get busy and fix it or find a way to survive it--and I'm pretty sure that DOES NOT include trashing huge swaths of geographically-bound American citizens.

Jim, Dude, people aren't as easily categorized as you may think.

Let's move forward to whatever that future may look like and try not to offend anyone in the process. You never know who you might need help from in the future.

Kris
Working hard at http://www.sccworlds.com

[Gryphon]

Jim,

RE: "I never believed that GWB actually tricked the nation on the "weapons of mass destruction" rationale for invading Iraq. Rather, the nation fooled itself into thinking that the war, in the first place, was anything but an act of vengeance for the gross injury of 9/11."

JHK, you're either dumber than I ever imagined or purposefully spreading misinformation on behalf of the government. Mike Ruppert has already laid it all out in his 'Crossing The Rubicon'. In the very least, what you are doing here is blaming the victim, namely the American people. We were goaded into fighting a so-called War on Terror by very powerful and elite interests, mainly to shore up a faltering economy, and with the secondary purpose of gaining hold of major oil reserves. Do you really think that we will not be manipulated again into fighting a "justifiable" war in light of our current economic clusterfuck!? If you do not, you are more naieve than I ever imagined. I'm disappointed in you, Jim.

[Hokey Pokey]

Great riff Jim.

The perfect homage to 'The Willful Ignorance of America the Beautiful' and the canon blasted ashes of Hunter Thompson.

The 'Nations of Clowns' salutes you!

Baby Bush was injected into the oval office to keep America stupid.

It Worked! Ta Da!

The Vicious Hangover that is coming like a sociopathic meth addict toward the 'Jesus-soaked Nascar Fans who inhabit the Moron Crescent' is in fact just beginning to produce Massive Wholesale Bankruptcy.

Surprise!

No more Cheeze Dooodles for you!

'Borrowing-from-the-Future to replace productive activity as the basis for everyday life' is America's Modus Operandus for it's 'Fantastic Experiments in Finance'

Everyone gets a Pony!

Money for Nothing and the Chicks are free!

Having built The Cathedral on the Hill for the "Las Vegas of the Spirit", GWB and his 'wealth-worshiping, Ponzi-loving, science-hating Jesus cultists of the GOP can all retire in comfort to their Green Zone Gated Fortress Communities while the rest of America descends into the Ninth Ring of Dante's Inferno.

Thanks for the Memories!

Now America will be able to spread the Gospel of Ponziocracy to all the other nations of the Late Great Planet Earth.

Say Hallelujah!

Our Lord Ponzi is kinda like Fonzi, ,but he leaves you broken and destitude (but laughing.)

America's future is gonna be like when Mork Meets The Fonz, Awkward to say the least.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHWXAJhmvyU&feature=PlayList&p=EA0628AF1EC13076&playnext=1&index=6