Less Than Zero

About the only thing that made watching yesterday's press conference slightly less nauseating was the realization that Bush is truly in freefall...the guy's deflating faster than the Hindenburg, and with much the same result: crash and burn.

Sure, there were a few things that even the incredible shrinking mandate couldn't adjust--at times, Dub flashed his innate arrogance, his answer to a question about how the GOP could appeal to minority voters was, to put it diplomatically, patronizing--and, as usual, he either drifted around questions like a paddleless canoe, or knit his brow in poolhall concentration before forcing out three point responses, depending on what I can only guess was his mood of the moment. However, something's missing.

The press dutifully went through their motions--genuflecting, displaying deference to the dauphin, laughing at his lame jokes, but I think all but the most delusional realize that not only will history's judgement of Bush rank him down at the bottom, near Harding, Buchanan, and Pierce...so will contemporary accounts. Like an old television set, Shrubelroy is in the state between the time you hit the off button but before the image leaves the screen--fading and shrinking before turning into a singularity...then, finally, poof: it's gone.

Aside: It was ironic that the only clear statement Shrubusto made yesterday was a stirring defense of "executive privilege," that is, the same thing Nixon banked on during his own Hindenburg impersonation some thirty years or so ago. Listening to this reminded me of a line I recall reading somewhere in one of Hunter Thompson's books--probably The Great Shark Hunt--that summed up "executive privilege" as really nothing more than a modern version of the divine right of kings. Yep.

Despite Bush's famous claims that he really doesn't care about history, the fact that he will be known as a failure must be galling, particularly when you consider that his own father's reputation has been heightened...as has Bill Clinton's (and lord only knows what Son-of-Bush thinks about the relationship between 41 and 42). When all is said and done, Dubya's reign will be an afterthought--albeit one with an ugly aftertaste in the forms of John Roberts and Harriet Miers.

Finally, there's the upcoming fall season of indictments, which should make for interesting times...don't know about y'all, but I vaguely remember when Nixonair made its own forced, hard-landing. This one is beginning to look about the same.