A Ruler's Brains

      Machiavelli, in The Prince, advised that " the first impression that one gets of a ruler and of his brains is from seeing the men he has about him ". George W. Bush surrounded himself with religious fundamentalists, Cold War idealogues and " good ole boys" from Texas and the result has been disastrous for America.

     The religious fundamentalists, led by Ashcroft were more focused on winning the culture wars on such issues as prayer in school, no sex education, abstenince, no gay rights, no abortions and marriage as a union between a man and a woman. They expended a lot of energy, time and heated rhetoric, and little else was done.

     The Cold Warriors led by Cheney, Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, dragged The U.S.A. into two bloody and unending wars, that continues to bleed lives and billions of dollars. They were fixated on the idea of American military supremacy and were going to make an example of Saddam, as a lesson to the world. They acted unilaterally, broke intenational laws and in their treatments of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo stand accused of war crimes. Over 4,000 Americans and thousands of Iraqis have been killed, many tens of thousands wounded and millions displaced. They lied about weapons of mass destruction and the threat posed by Saddam, to justify their actions. This was the same Saddam, with whom they had co-operated and armed in his fight with Iran. The real reason to go to war, other than establishing American military supremacy, was of course Oil. The cost of the war as well as mishandling of the economy eg. allowing little or no restraint on the banks and trust companies, eventually drove the economy into a tailspin and recession.

     "The good ole boys", were there to offer good companionship and Texan bravado..."dead or alive"...."you are either with me or against me" etc . Led by Karl Rove who knew how to win an election and little else, they were a cheering section drowning out those who would offer alternative advice...they even named an oil tanker after Candoleeza Rice to make her feel at home with them.

     These three groups, had W's, EARS and BRAINS and it was an unmitigated disaster. Then came Katrina ( good job Brownie ), and Bush's America was exposed as racist and uncaring. America's moral standing, already damaged by the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, was now irretrievably harmed by the pictures coming out of New Orleans, re-enforcing the idea that if poor, bl;ack Americans can be treated so callously, then the accusations were true.

     Seven days to go, and another team is ready to take over. They seem to be more pragmatic and more experienced and more prepared , especially the Chicago Squad. They will be tested immediately. How they respond and how it is perceived will go a far way in determining the perception of Barak Obama. First impressions are very important. There is a lot of goodwill towards Obama, but it can disappear very quickly. It begins with his speech ( the day before Martin Luther King's birthday).