"Any jackass can kick down a barn..."

I have wondered about the very low satisfaction and job approval rating our president is receiving. One source said it was the lowest of any president in the post war years. The only exception being Richard Nixon at the height of the Watergate scandal.

To me, America got what it voted for or was mislead into thinking it wanted. The low poll ratings suggest the thinness of “spin” and the lack of substantive even adequate ability and leadership from the White House. The failure of the Bush Presidency is the consequence of presidential advisors such as the likes of Karl Rove. Spin does not substitute for leadership and ability and we still have two more years. The tires are flat and the tank is empty. I think the truth of the statement of Abraham Lincoln has never been more apparent than now: “You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”

Bush and his handlers are living proof of that dictum from one whom sadly we will not likely see again. The spin has carried the Bush administration into its second term. The failing policy of Iraq, high energy prices and even higher profits of American oil companies, a deficit that our grand children will have to pay and Osama still sipping his Sprites and Perrier Water somewhere in Pakistan leave me empty.

For an interesting comparison in the thoughts and statements of several of our presidents I have collected a few memorable and less so quotations. Beginning with Bush 41:

"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." —George W. Bush, Greece, N.Y. May 24, 2005

"As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself — not here at the hospital, but in combat with a cedar. I eventually won. The cedar gave me a little scratch. As a matter of fact, the Colonel asked if I needed first aid when she first saw me. I was able to avoid any major surgical operations here, but thanks for your compassion, Colonel." —George W. Bush, after visiting with wounded veterans from the Amputee Care Center of Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas, Jan. 1, 2006

“The ultimate determinant in the struggle now going on for the world will not be bombs and rockets but a test of wills and ideas - a trial of spiritual resolve: the values we hold, the beliefs we cherish and the ideals to which we are dedicated.” Ronald Reagan

“Did you ever think that making a speech on economics is a lot like pissing down your leg? It seems hot to you, but it never does to anyone else.” Lyndon Johnson

“Any jackass can kick down a barn but it takes a good carpenter to build one.” Lyndon Johnson

“A nation which has forgotten the quality of courage which in the past has been brought to public life is not as likely to insist upon or regard that quality in its chosen leaders today - and in fact we have forgotten.” John F. Kennedy