Jack & Jill Politics

The current one is being remembered for the mess he’s leaving behind – the incoming one is being looked to for the leadership and action he has already started to provide prior to his inauguration.

Pictures say a thousand words.  Joe Klein says a little bit more:

The flight-suit image is one of the two defining moments of the Bush failure.

Or, this:

The other is the photo of Bush staring out the window of Air Force One, helplessly viewing the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina.

Klein nails it with this paragraph:

In the end, though, it will not be the creative paralysis that defines Bush. It will be his intellectual laziness, at home and abroad. Bush never understood, or cared about, the delicate balance between freedom and regulation that was necessary to make markets work. He never understood, or cared about, the delicate balance between freedom and equity that was necessary to maintain the strong middle class required for both prosperity and democracy. He never considered the complexities of the cultures he was invading. He never understood that faith, unaccompanied by rigorous skepticism, is a recipe for myopia and foolishness. He is less than President now, and that is appropriate. He was never very much of one.

The thought of a new President is something to really be thankful for.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving.