George Bush - He's No Harry Truman [View All]

[Dems2002]

Harry Truman is my favorite president of all-time and the attempts to compare Bush to Truman really drive me insane. So, here's Harry's answer to the mistakes question.


“The Buck Stops Anywhere But Here”

More than fifty years after a folksy, regular guy President named Harry Truman stated unequivocally that “The Buck Stops Here” we are confronted with a President who passes the Buck at every opportunity. This behavior was never more evident then in Friday night’s debate when President Bush was asked to name three mistakes he had made while President and what he had done to correct them - and failed to name a single one.

This was not some trick question out of left field. Anyone who has been interviewed for a job in corporate America has likely been met with something similar. Yet President Bush, the person who has happily avoided job interviews throughout his life, seemed completely flummoxed. His only response was to obliquely reference "mistakes" made by others. I assume these individuals to be the Paul’s of his world. Folks like Paul O’Neil and Paul Bremer, the people who have had the gall to... point out his mistakes.

I can’t help but imagine President Harry Truman answering the same question if the last few years had happened under his watch.

“I have to narrow it down to three?” He might ask first, in the manner of a humble man who acknowledges the infinite capacity for human error among us mere mortals.

He might continue, “Well then, I would say that the most profound mistake I made as President was in not preventing the terrorist attack of 9/11. The President’s job is to protect the nation, and I failed there. Since then I have hired inspectors to cover all of our nations incoming cargo ships, all cargo on planes, our border patrols have been tripled, and our nuclear power facilities have been nationalized and now have elite troops guarding them 24/7. But there’s work to be done and I worry every day that this isn’t enough.”

The gravity of the moment might cause him to pause, as he feels the full force of this failure.

“The next mistake I most regret is continuing to support a tax cut after this catastrophic event. My unfamiliarity with economic reality led me down this course as I listened to advisors who steered me in a direction that hindsight has shown was clearly not in our nation's best interest. Consequently, I am going to desist in requesting any further tax cuts and in fact seek to restore our tax system back to the levels we were at before my election.”

And here we have an even bigger pause before he leads to his final answer.

“And finally, the mistake that I most regret is running for President in the first place. Over the last three and a half years it has become abundantly clear that I lack the capabilities to be President. Having a group of experienced people around is all well and good, but eventually one needs someone at the top who understands the nuances of any given situation and can make good, sound judgment calls. The above instances, coupled with the breakdown in the War with Iraq, prove beyond much doubt that I am not that person."

"Therefore, I cannot, in good conscience, run for re-election.” He would then set down his microphone and exit the stage.

A humble man, who sees himself clearly and ultimately realizes that The Buck Stopped Here.

Alas - George Bush - He's definitely no Harry Truman.