I'm not a fan of George Dubya Bush. I still can't believe he squeaked by Al "The Bore" Gore in 2000. His politics drive me crazy. As Governor of Texas, he presided over more executions than took place in the other 49 states combined during the same time period. I'm fundamentally opposed to capital punishment. Bush is allied with the bigoted extreme right who want to deny equal rights to homosexuals. I believe in equal rights for all humans, regardless of sexual preference. He refuses to sign the Kyoto Protocol agreement on global warming. Canada and 177 other countries did. Bush's record with the environment is abysmal. When Bill Clinton left office, there was a surplus of $235 billion. Since Bush took over, the surplus has been depleted and his administration's 2003 budget reflects a $400 billion federal deficit. Bush has no respect for the United Nations. I'm a fan of the UN. It's a democratic forum through which governments can debate issues, resolve crises and work our their problems. When Bush couldn't secure the necessary votes on the Security Council, he subverted the process and invaded Iraq regardless. There are hundreds of reasons why I dislike America's current President. I simply don't have time to document them all, but you get the picture.
In a recent interview with Fox TV anchor Brit Hume, Bush was asked how he gets his news. His answer frightens me. George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, gets his news from chief of staff Andrew Card and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice. He doesn't watch the news on television, read newspapers or read the news online. Bush's exact quote was "the best way to get the news is from objective sources. And the most objective sources I have are people on my staff who tell me what's happening in the world."
Yikes. Does he really think his staff will be objective? Sure, the media is biased, so that's why it's important he get his news from several different sources. Card and Rice are two sources with a vested interest in telling the President exactly what he wants to hear. For all we know, Bush is under the impression the war in Iraq is very popular. Maybe he thinks his popularity is peaking and that Americans are happy with his performance.
It's vital that the American President be aware of world news. It's integral that this news be unbiased and unfiltered. True objectivity will never come from one's staff. Dubya is either naive or stupid. I suspect he's both.
