United States of Nobody Freaking Cares About How Much You Hate George W Bush

Although I was born in the United States and carry an American passport (and not a Canadian one, funny enough), I grew up in Canada, and therefore carry a Canadian perspective on most things. However, regardless of with which national heritage I choose to identify, I think we can all agree that being a mensch is something that transcends passports. And it's a department in which most Anti-Bush thinking and thinkers are seriously lacking.

Having heard complaints for a good six years at least, I'm ready to say it out loud:

I'm $%&*ing sick and tired of hearing about how much you hate George W. Bush

"Blah blah blah, he's power hungry"
As much as talkshows joke about it, American policy does not work as if it's something the President is chatting with his drinking buddies one day and gets really trashed on a couple of mojitos and is all, "hey, let's go shoot us some Ay-rabs, y'all! And ban abortions! And oppress minorities!" And Boom! It's the law. It takes due process, and a vote, in either the House or the Senate, I don't know which because I don't care. The outcome of this is that the fate of the country is not just determined by one man; it just so happens that the one man is the figurehead that you elected to office.

"Blah blah blah, he's such a right-winged Christian"
America is a country founded by Christians on Christian principles, which only influence the country in that it's countrymen only elect white, middle aged Christian men to office. At which point it has just become your own damn faults. If you don't like it, move. Or, use your constitutional right to protest. I don't care which one. Just stop blaming the system, get off your soapboxes (read:laz-e-boy-recliners) and do something about it.

"Blah blah blah, I hate the Republicans"
In a bipartisan system, it's a fifty-fifty toss up between Democrats and Republicans, so better luck next time.

"Blah blah blah, get out of Iraq/Israeli affairs/Afghanistan"
Unless you are a political science major who also holds advanced degrees in middle eastern studies/politics/history with a minor in American foreign policy, shut the hell up. Your uneducated analyses/dissertations without merit on the Middle Eastern conflict serve to make the general population dumber than it already is.

"Blah blah blah, he's stupid"
In this day and age, and in fact since the beginning of the American governmental system, the President has had people to write his speeches for him. And I have to say, GWBush's speeches are nothing less than awesome. Whether you agree with the content of the speeches is an election issue; you can't deny that unless you have massive education, you wouldn't be able to come up with a presidential address if you tried. But the fact is that to attack the President's character by calling him stupid is kind of like a whole pile of pots with a kettle for a leader. And also, it's just plain rude.
(The reference, if you missed it, is "Sounds like the pot calling the kettle black". But if you were too stupid to catch that, then you sure as hell better watch your tongue next time you make fun of your president...)

As I see it:The only onewho can hate the American President by virtue of his character/education/religion is his dog, if any of the aforementioned cause him to not be taken out for a walk.

This is not the first, but rather the second time that your country has elected this president to office. So he's got that going for him.

In a democratic system, the leader needs to win by the majority of the vote. Which means that if you are of the minority who did not vote for the current president, you are guaranteed to disagree with his policies assuming that is the reason you did not vote for him in the first place. So stop beating your dead horses and cross your fingers for the next time around.

That is all.

-J

*Disclaimer: You will note that I did not take any sides in the Bush Rocks!/Bush Sucks! debate. This is because I choose to get an education about the issue before taking any sort of stance. Which unfortunately, a good chunk of current debate goes without.