Is Bush Burning?

The First 'With Foot In Mouth' Award.

By Forrest Barriger

Reprinted with permission

Forrest Barriger, Editor of www.withfootinmouth.com, regrets having voted for President Bush

No one came even close to the winner of our first With Foot In Mouth award when it came to deserving it. Or having it coming. What nailed it down for him were two quotes. One, as a presidential candidate, was, "Some people have too much freedom," which should have told us something.

The other was, "When I was coming up, it was a dangerous world and you knew exactly who they were. It was us versus them and it was clear who them was. Today we are not so sure who the they are, but we know they're there." Which told us hardly anything, but Jim Jeffords now has a better idea of who "us and them" is. Are?

Our honoree, if you can call it that (and I certainly don't) is, of course, President George W. Bush. Not only has Mr. Bush reversed positions on many of his campaign promises but he has alienated members of his own party, which is why Senator Jeffords came to announce his switch from Republican to Independent. This eliminates most of the Cheney tie-breaking votes and leaves Mr. Bush with an uphill fight to get any programs passed. (Senate count now Democrats 50, Republicans 49 ). And one or more others could follow.

The President has also alienated others, including environmentalists, not only in this country but internationally, on a variety of issues. His decisions have seemed too little, too late, and too often in the wrong direction. (It's hard to lead with a foot in your mouth. Or talk legibly, much less intelligently.)

Of late, despite Mr. Bush's claimed advocacy of campaign reform, he and Mr. Cheney are making moves consistent with garnering all the campaign funds they can before the bill passes. And there are other signs that 'money talks.' If, that is, one expects to be heard.

I disagreed with the Bush campaign positions on a number of matters, and the only ones on which I did agree, he reversed. I admit I voted for Mr. Bush, but only because I thought he was the better of the two choices offered. Maybe I was wrong, hard as that is to believe.