Ican almost smell the slow decay of the Bush Administration. With the end nearing, I look forward to more people looking back and closely examining this presidency. I think many people will see all of his major accomplishments, the main one being self-preservation above all.

This preemptive reflection takes me back to 2000 when co-workers and family members were gung-ho about Bush because he promised to bring morality back to the White House after all those degenerate Clinton years. So how’d that work out for you? I’m not an “I told you so” kind of guy, but hey, I told you so. A 15-year-old with limited knowledge of politics should have been able to see the impending disaster presidency. Not only is Bush not an intellectual, he’s an anti-intellectual who pandered to the most primitive aspects of the American mind.

He presented himself as a cowboy tough guy who people wanted to share a beer with, and he’s a born-again Christian. He was the candidate designed for Middle America. Then Toto yanked the curtain back revealing a guy who, according to former Mexican President Vicente Fox, is scared of horses, a guy who, according to David Kuo, the former Deputy Director of the Office of Faith and Community Based Initiatives, exploited religious supporters for political gain. The great Wizard of Oz turned out to be a short-sighted embarrassment who can’t share a beer with you because he’s a recovering alcoholic.

If you go to whitehouse.gov you can actually view what they call George W. Bush’s “Record of Achievement.” They crank off the “Record of Achievement” by stating that Bush’s first term was one of the most successful in modern times. His achievements include liberating 50-million people, spreading democracy, creating one of the fastest growing economies of the last 20-years, and boosting homeownership rates.

Toward the end it states that Bush has restored dignity to the office he holds. And Jesus wept.

I guess it was opposite day when that was written. Most people now know, or at least should know, about all the questionable things this administration has done. We know about tax breaks for the rich, our president setting up his unqualified friends in major government positions, Guantanimo, politicizing the justice department, and generally making us look like idiots.

I hear many people say that Bush inherited many of the problems he’s faced. If that were the case it wouldn’t change the fact that he still lacks the knowledge and foresight to even attempt to dig us out of some of the problems we’re facing. He was ill equipped to handle the job from day one, and it was obvious.

I look forward to a brand new American mentality. I look forward to a mentality equipped to run the world of 2008 instead of trying to pull us back to a cold war past that some see as nostalgia. If anyone ever doubts the importance of this election then just imagine the world four years from now. The idea of John McCain winning this election brings back memories, not fond memories, but memories of dread from back in 2000.