Eddy Sheldon hates George W. Bush so much, he's throwing the president a party. He figures it's the best way to celebrate the conclusion of one of the nation's most unpopular presidencies, or as Bush critics are calling it, the "end of an error." Full Story »
Posted by Marsha Iverson
Peppered with vivid examples of local celebrations planned around Inauguration Day in the San Jose area, Hull's article captures sentiments of just-plain-folks who will be happy to usher out the old administration and welcome the new.
As Bush’s eight years come to a close, critics are creatively venting. So how do liberals in the Bay Area and beyond hate Bush? Let us count the ways. "Goodnight, Bush,‘’ a parody of the children’s classic "Goodnight, Moon,‘’ has been a best-seller for weeks. There are Bush piñatas, dog biscuits and toilet paper for sale. A Vermont entrepreneur has made a small fortune selling "01.20.09’’ bumper stickers, T-shirts and other items celebrating Bush’s last day. You can while away the hours with Bush countdown clocks, which are sold as key chains or can be downloaded from the Internet.
On Jan. 19, San Francisco will witness the first ever "Potrero Hill Shoe Throwing Carnival,‘’ a nod to Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, who famously hurled his loafers at Bush last month. Participants are invited to throw old shoes at an effigy of Bush and "cleanse your soul from 8 years of carnage and stupidity.’’
… "We have a right to be joyful that Bush is finally departing,‘’ said David Walls, a longtime chronicler of peace and social justice movements and retired sociology professor at Sonoma State. "But the best revenge is going to be changing his policies. People are gearing up for the work ahead. We need to get programs like universal health care enacted, we need to end the Iraq war, and we need to green the economy.’’
It's easy to be gleeful at these creative expressions of distaste, but my overall sense is one of profound sorrow for the lasting damage done, and the overwhelming work ahead. It is also tempting to blame President Bush for all the problems caused during his administration. He is an easy target, but his record would not be so dismal if the tripartite government of checks and balances had functioned as intended, with the Legislative and Judicial branches stepping up to hold the Executive in check. Or the voters who failed to hold their own elected officials accountable to their oaths to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Bashing Bush may be fun, but there's plenty of blame to go around, and the work of repairing the damage is just beginning.