Big, Bad, Presidents

Today, Bush had what has been dubbed his last Press Conference. Clearly, it was going to be another unapologetic gabfest and Bush did not disappoint. It is interesting that the only part that really stood out for me was the use of the word "misunderestimate." What? Headache. That's not a word. Little did I know that last week, it was voted the #1 "Bushism" of all time by a little known group of language monitors based in Texas.

Bush stomped through his Presidency with swaggering decidedness and nicknames and whatever suited him and his co-commander Cheney, so it is interesting to watch his retreat; he has, in total, stepped back to allow the new President-elect to take the reins. Is this the true acknowledgment of his failure? He will never say although it was cited that he used the word 'disappointment' over a dozen times during the Press Conference.

And, in true fashion, as if to underscore the message of who was truly in charge, big bad President Obama had Bush issue one last entreaty; ask Congress to release the remaining $350,000,000,000 in TARP funds. This way Bush will take the heat if Congress balks and Obama does not have to get his hands too dirty in his first month out by having a political battle with his own Democratically-led Congress. Aye yi yi. Is it true what they say, "the more things change, the more they stay the same?" And it seems that things may very well stay the same considering the number of Clintonites nominated for the cabinet. What will happen when they all close ranks and undermine Obama when it comes to Hillary's travails in the middle east, for example?

Whatever the case, I am still excited about the inauguration; I am still excited about Obama. At least he tells us on a regular basis that things are not going to be good economically and acknowledges that if better ideas surface about how to help the economy, he is glad to hear them. He understands that the economists are baffled right now about what to do; this is a global economy we are dealing with now - there is no historical precedent. Bush would decide his position and stick with it regardless of the outcome. Oh, that is how he ran his Presidency and look what happened. And to make matters worse, he didn't even bother to learn English along the way.