you see, I don't see Bush as an evil man. I really do think he's trying to do his best for the country. His ideological beliefs really do lead him to believe that full freedom and carte blanche for the business community is the best way to unleash productivity and wealth, and that enough of that wealth will trickle down to the people to make it worthwhile. But I also believe he is in a bit over his head, intellectually, and he has had bad advisors who ARE evil men and have led him astray by appealing to that side of his philosophy for their own personal gain and for the promotion of their own agendas. I think he understands that now, and I think he feels betrayed by those men. I can see it in his face, he has been deeply hurt by those he trusted and I do feel sorry for him. Betrayal can be as unforgiving as defeat. Bush is a flawed man, but not a scoundrel. I feel sympathy for him. I think I'd enjoy teaching him how to sail, and I'd enjoy him teaching me how to ride.

But I'm starting to get philosophical about this, if it hadn't of been Mr Bush, it would have been someone like him. He's what the country wanted after the turn of the millennium, and he's what the country got. The pendulum is getting set to swing the other way now and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it swung back too far. We don't always get these natural cycles to coincide with truly extraordinary people very often. Good or bad leaders cannot be predicted, because they are not really tested until they face the crucible of power. Men of great intelligence, like Carter and Clinton, can be either helped or hurt by history, one was a failure, the other a success. Other, more modest intellects, like Reagan and Bush II, can be successes or failures as they were, depending on the cards dealt to them by their Presidencies. Other times, very capable men like Bush I or Richard Nixon emerge from the same test as either heroes, or villains, as they did respectively. Still others, like LBJ, transcend their baser natures with great deeds, yet are viewed as failures because of sheer bad luck.

It's all in the throw of the dice. But as they say in Vegas...it's the only game in town.