A Bush Postmortem
Columnist Ron Hart runs through some reasons why George W. Bush failed so spectacularly as president.
Bush operated in an obstinate, faith-based manner which he felt guided him on all decisions. And is there a better way to combat irrational Islamic extremism than for Bush to look to his God for all answers? It is like a poker game of "I see your Mohammed and raise you a Jesus." Faith-based governing is much like faith-based cliff diving: for long-term survival, it really matters that your facts and calculations are correct.
"W" made government bigger to reflect his personal religious views. Silly side shows like the Terry Shiavo intervention, stem-cell research opposition, the gay marriage ban, a non-competitive Medicare prescription drug entitlement, the No Child Left Behind debacle and wiretaps sent many of us who value freedom and a non-intrusive government packing.
And the war of choice in Iraq is nothing short of a religious war. Any rudimentary understanding of history would have told his hawkish, neocon advisors that religious wars or wars of choice never turn out well.