Really, Mr. President?
Tonight, I watched George W. Bush’s first major interview since he left the White House nearly two years ago. In the interview, Matt Lauer asks him about a passage in his book where he refers to the “worst moment of his presidency.” Can you guess which event he was referring to?
In case you’re having trouble remembering the Bush years, here’s a list of things that happened while “Dubya” was Commander-in-Chief:
- September 11, 2001
- War in Afghanistan
- War in Iraq
- Iraq “Mission Accomplished” Photo-op precedes hundreds more American lives lost
- Abu Ghraib torture photo leak tarnishes US Goodwill
- There are no WMDs in Iraq
- It is learned that the CIA holds terror suspects in secret prisons
- The federal deficit reaches a record high
- While on vacation, Hurricane Katrina ravages gulf coast and New Orleans — governmental response is lackluster (to say the least)
- Kanye West says “George Bush doesn’t care about black people”
- Waterboarding debate tarnishes US image even further
- Guantanamo Bay and military tribunals put our justice system’s principals on the back burner.
- Lehman Brothers declares bankruptcy, putting the entire US economy on the brink of a depression.
Man, that’s a depressing list and it’d sure be hard to pick a worst. Hey, wait a minute - why is Kanye West on the list? That couldn’t possibly be the moment he considered to be the worst of his presidency… could it?
LAUER: You say you told Laura at the time it was the worst moment of your Presidency?
BUSH: Yes.
LAUER: I wonder if some people are gonna read that, now that you’ve written it, and they might give you some heat for that. And the reason is this—
BUSH: Don’t care.
Oh. My. God.
The last two years haven’t been all sunshine and lollipops, but I suddenly remember why there were ridicuously giant parties on election night 2008.
Update: Brian Leli took all of the feelings I was experiencing after watching the Bush interview and put them into words. I could spend the next two weeks writing about how that left me feeling and not come up with a piece this nice:
When the beast that was the Bush administration ran out of steam, its effects were so atrocious that they inspired a majority of Americans to act. I do not think it’s a stretch to say that we were inspired by our outrage for what was, and by our hope for what could be. We demanded progress and change. All together. And one by one.
There was a natural high that came over people. I saw it in the eyes and attitudes of the thousands walking through Chicago’s Grant Park, waiting to hear from our newly elected President Barack Obama.
Seriously, go read it.
