collected writings

Bill Vs. Bush

NOTE: Originally published in 2000.

What will George W. Bush's first major scandal be?

I have reason to believe that, in a society where everyone (the media and press) is watching everyone else (Bush) very closely, that a scandal will eventually turn up. It is simply a matter of time and guesswork as to what kind of scandal it will be.

We, the American citizens, learned through Clinton's presidency that even the most personal moments of a public official's life will be broadcast on the 10 o'clock news, so I think that we can expect the same microscopic scrutiny to be aimed at Bush during his Presidential term. Bush himself must be aware of this heightened sense of inspection that the Presidential office has inherited from Clinton, and I'm am sure he will plan accordingly, but let's face it; it's simply a matter of time until Bush gets caught doing something wrong. After all, nobody's perfect, certainly not a Republican (ha ha).

A study of the media nitpicking of the presidential candidates and the elected President himself since the Kennedy era shows us that the number of scandals that each President has been a part of has increased dramatically, sometimes exponentially. While this certainly does not mean that before widespread and instantaneous media coverage of the presidential office Presidents never engaged in scandalous behavior; it means that they got caught much less often.

Given W. Bush's alleged use of drugs in the past, among numerous other "stories," I return to my previous statement and say that it is only a matter of time until he gets caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.

It does not matter if the eventual allegations are true or false. The important thing is that they will come. When they do, in what shape will they be? Your guess is as good as mine.

In the event of a serious energy crisis, where we seem to be headed now, I could conceivably see a scandal in the future involving W. Bush and his fellow Texas oil Good Ol' Boys.

I can also see several scandals once other "imprudent actions" that Bush engaged in when he was younger are brought to light, but nothing earthshaking. The bottom line is, I don't know exactly what this country will face, and there is a portion of me that does not want to know.

In the near future, a year or two at the very most, I think that we will miss Bill Clinton and his good old-fashioned scandals. At least with him we knew what to expect, and I am sure that a great many of us were secretly rooting for Slick Willy, just as we pull for Wily E. Coyote as he chases the Road Runner, even as he falls off the cliff or gets blown up by his own invention.

To use another analogy from popular culture, Clinton was the Energizer Bunny of Presidents. We may not like him, his political affiliations or personal lifestyle, just as we may be annoyed by, or simply hate, the Energizer Bunny commercials.

However, regardless of whether or not we like or respect Clinton or the pink bunny, we know that they both will keep on going, and we respect them for that determination. There was an attitude shared by many during Clinton's second term that whatever happened, whatever scandal Bill was faced with, he could beat. And most of us, at least to a certain degree, admired the man for that. I know I did. I do not have as much optimistic faith in Bush being able to squirm and weasel his way out of something as easily as Clinton could.

We are use to having the president fight off adversity. Back in the day, this adversity came in the shape of Southern secession or Nazi belligerence (I do not in any form equate the two), but now adversity comes in different forms, like the House Committees on Ethical Behavior and the prying eyes of the media.

Great presidents will remain those who can face adverse conditions and above all, come out the clear winner, regardless of where or what these conditions actually are. Abraham Lincoln is considered a great president because he "saved" the country during the Civil War.

Will Clinton be considered a great president because he was able to save his own butt, time and time again? Will Bush be able to beat his eventual scandals as competently as Clinton could?

History will tell.