W.

I like George W. I know, in some circles that isn’t a very popular position, but it’s true.

Over the years W. has been accused of being an intellectual lightweight, and a jackbooted thug trying to get even with Iraq for the sins he perceived were committed against his father.

His foreign policies have been characterized as ill conceived and poorly thought out. His domestic (particularly economic) policies are said by some to be hogwash and doomed to failure.

Is George a stupid man? Setting aside the fact that he graduated from one of the most prestigious schools in the country, I contend that no man attains the office of the President of the United States of America if he is inept. While it’s true that the man can’t correctly pronounce the word “nuclear”, it’s just as true that men like John Kerry must believe that there is an “r” in the word “wash”. It’s just not important enough to matter. (Although, I personally wish both would take the time to learn the correct pronunciations of the words).

Is the President getting even with Sadam for transgressions against his father (including an assassination plot)? I don’t think so. I do think that the dictator of Iraq was pulling the chain of the U.N. by not adhering to the conditions they set forth at the end of the Gulf War. The U.N. is so ineffectual (or corrupt), that Sadam misjudged the likelihood of any reprisals for his brinksmanship. Evidently he didn’t count on the resolve of W. As for the WMD; I’ll comment on that another time. For now suffice it to say, the World believed Iraq had these weapons, not just the president.

Regarding his economic policies; I believe his tax cut helped the average citizen, and aided the economy of the United States as a whole. Unemployment is moving down. Slowly to be sure, but at a little over 5% it's the lowest it’s been since 2001. Our GNP is stable and in the fast changing climate of the global economy, that’s no small task. These two indicators alone reflect a basically sound economy. There are problems, but an economy can be compared to a super tanker. From the time the bridge orders "full speed ahead", or "hard to starboard", there's a considerable passage of time before the result of the order is perceived.

At this moment, George’s biggest drive is for reform of the Social Security System. The intricacies of this issue are far too complex for me to understand. However, it makes sense that the 70 year old program was conceived during and for a different era in American history. S.S. has been described as a political “hot potato”. At least our president has the courage to raise the question and propose a revision.

Why do I like George W.? I believe he is essentially an honest man, and that’s more than we can hope for from the wonderful world of politics. Is he a great president? Only the passage of time will determine that; I have a gut feeling that history books will speak well of him.

As a last thought; I believe most Americans think basically as I do. That’s why W. won the last election. Furthermore, I believe his opponents still don’t get it.