The Curmudgeon Chronicle -#199

THE CURMUDGEON CHRONICLE ©

AN IRREVERENT VIEW


Time Line: January 7, 2007
Date Line: Flemington New Jersey

No civilized country requires that its leader be balanced; intelligent; literate; resourceful; or indeed anything other than a man with a slogan and a gift of gab that can put it across. In consequence the world has seen more than a sprinkling of Hitlers, Mussolinis, Khomenis, Attilas, and so on during its history.

This country, noble democracy though it may be, has suffered through its share of Presidential dullards and worse. Despite our constitutional rights and privileges we have not seen fit to demand that the leader who controls the red key that can blow up the world be sane and balanced.

I find it amazing that the requirements to become a letter carrier for the US Postal Service are more stringent than those to be President of the United States. Except for the requirements that he be born here and have attained a certain age, there are no other tests a Presidential candidate must pass.

While we have survived for more than 200 years by hook or by crook, through such geniuses as Coolidge, Van Buren, and Hoover, we are faced with the latest of the lot; George W. Bush. It has been said that the last time a Nation listened to a Bush it had to wander in the desert for 40 years.

I don’t know how you feel about Mr. Bush. I don’t think he is suited for the job and I don’t think he views the country as a Nation made up of many people, all of whom must be protected, cared for and nurtured. I believe that the recent elections demonstrated most folks in the electorate feel the same way about him and believe his ideology has harmed our nation at home and around the world.

How can a country rid itself of an Ideologue who does not represent the national will? How does it escape from someone who: might not pass a sanity hearing; may be unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, and who has little (if any) understanding of the social and economic responsibilities that go with the office? \How do we assure that the next guy in the office is better suited for the most important job in the country?

We must start by understanding that the Vice-Presidency is not a toy to be chosen by a Presidential candidate interested in sectional votes and campaign contributions. It is a position that merits the same dignity and voter’s choice as does the Presidency. If s heartbeat is the difference between a President completing his term of office or seeing it pass to the Vice President, then vote for the Vice- President as though he were going to be your President.

If the current Vice-President were not Mr. Cheney, perhaps impeachment would have\been considered seriously by Congressional Democrats and Republicans alike. It has always seemed to me to be the ideal way to apologize to the world for the invasion of Iraq.

So what do we do? Why not require that a candidate’s personal qualifications and mental stability be treated with the same degree of care and scrutiny as his personal financial statements. Why not adopt mechanics for removal from office if the country loses confidence in its leader. There is precedent for that procedure in The UK and other Western Democracies.

The no-confidence vote worked in California and is the law of several States in our own country. Had it been applied to the Presidency perhaps Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney would have been gone before we hit the 500 billion mark in treasure wasted in Iraq and before 3,000 of our troops died and 20,000 of our young people were maimed for no good reason.

If he had been impeached, by now Mr. Bush could have been replaced by my letter carrier; a person who has passed tests for intelligence, sobriety, sanity and freedom from substance abuse. That is more than you can say about any of our prior Presidents, including George Washington.

H. S.