Thumb Twiddling in the Oval Office

The economists know it. The failed financial institutions and mortgage lenders know it. The hundreds of thousands of US citizens who have lost their jobs know it. The businesses who cannot get cash flow lines of credit to support continued operation know it. The multitude of merchants wringing their hands over the flat or declining levels of sales during what is supposed to be the highest selling period during the year know it. The Nation’s economy is IN RECESSION.The National Bureau of Economic Research officially declared that the US economy entered recession in December 2007.

Yet despite the multitude of facts and the multitude of dollars already committed to try to rescue the economy from total collapse, the Bush Administration cannot even acknowledge the truth. In a carefully worded and plainly disingenuous press statement, the White House noted that the NBER determines the beginning and end of business cycles and avoided even mentioning the word “RECESSION.”

Is it any wonder, therefore, that the Bush Administration has been so slow and so ineffectual in responding to the economic crisis? The President apparently still does not believe that the crisis is real. It is axiomatic that an alcoholic cannot begin the road to recovery until he or she first admits to the existence of a problem. Perhaps the pain or fear of acknowledging how badly his administration has failed by removing regulations and then ignoring clear warning signals regarding the practices arising from such deregulation is too much. Never one to face facts or listen to sage advice, Bush once again seeks refuge in denial.

News flash to President Bush: The weakness comes not in publicly admitting you were wrong and have failed. The actual weakness lies in the incompetence and stubborn adherence to ideology over reality that created the failure in the first place. Acceptance of the failure is simply the first step in the process of correcting the mistakes and trying to restore the damage caused by your incompetence. If you cannot grasp this principle, then perhaps an old military cliché will suffice. LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY!

Unfortunately, there is no Constitutional provision that allows for the sitting President to vacate office early. The current inhabitant of the White house has not only failed the country in leadership and stewardship, he is paralyzed by the magnitude of his failure and unable to act with any expertise or conviction to move the remedial process forward. The President-Elect cannot take the reins of power and exercise effective leadership while Bush is still technically in office. Thus, the country will have to limp along for another month and one half until the inauguration before it can hope for leadership and serious efforts to rectify the disaster left by the Bush Administration.

For all the bluster of a President who strapped on his cowboy boots and claimed that he was the “decider” and protector of national security, the US is now more weakened and more vulnerable than it has been in more than seven decades. And George W. Bush is still denying reality in hopes of salvaging his “legacy.” How utterly laughable, how tragic.