George Walking

He's leaving a mess. No nightmare is not over. In almost every conceivable way, George W. Bush leaves the United States in weaker position by his Presidency than it was in before he assumed (stole?) office. I'd prattle off the various ways in which he's damaged my country, but I don't all damn day. Suffice it say, the hangover begins now.

So why does it feel like one of the Wile E. Coyote's 100 ton ACME anvils will be lifted from my chest in a few short days? Why can't I help but crack a smile?

The most obstinate and overconfident man ever to assume the executive reigns will soon retire to a life of avoiding horseshit on his morning jog. For the first time in eight years, we won't listen to a President's weekly radio address wondering how many complete sentences he can successfully string together. We'll have a leader who doesn't force us to hang our heads in shame every time he opens his mouth. An eloquent man. A disciplined man. A man of intellectual gravity. A statesman.

Our lives may be worse. The world may be worse. Many of us wake each day to fear of protracted unemployment, knowing that if we ever manage to get a job, we'll spend the rest of our lives paying down the debt of eight years of irresponsibility. But I know that next Wednesday, I'll feel something that I haven't felt since the Fall of 2000. Pride in my country.

And for that, I think I actually have to thank George. He's given me a perspective that I never would have otherwise had. I now know that, for the rest of my life, I'll never have to endure the kind of deflating national shame that W wrought upon us all.