The President "Wants to do Right — But Not Right Now"

A song sung by Gillian Welch tells about "Miss Ohio", who "runs around with her ragtop down". And the singer says that "Miss Ohio" says she "wants to do right, but not right now." Miss Ohio is a party girl, and she wants to party now and do right later.

President George W. Bush is a party boy. His whole life has been an extended party of excess, exploitation and political extremism. No amount of profit for industry is too great for Bush. No amount of disparity between rich and poor is too great for Mr. Bush. No amount of environmental damage is harmful enough to give President Bush pause to reconsider his policies and programs.

Apparently, President Bush wants to do right in a different lifetime. Right now he wants to party and accumulate wealth for himself and his political base. Recall the scene in Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 911 in which Bush addresses a crowd of obviously wealthy partying patrons in which he tells them to their delight that they are his political base — nothing more and nothing less.

Doing right by endangered species is not part of the Bush Agenda. Doing right by the underclass of American citizens is not part of the Bush Agenda. Doing right by the poor and disenfranchised citizens of the world who are victimized by Bush’ international partners in Big Oil is not part of the Bush Agenda. Nor will it ever be — in this lifetime.

Who can blame Bush for this attitude? Despite the bluster of arrogant ineptitude, Bush has defied the laws of gravity his whole life, constantly falling upward and upward in wealth, status and power. No one can deny that being born into certain family groups in this world provides literally everything it takes to "succeed" in the conventional power arrangements and "success" portfolios of modern society.

But, heritage and lineage have no role in "doing right", except that they give plenty of excuses and motivations to avoid it. Right now, Bush has better things to do than to do right. He wants to ride around with his ragtop down. He wants to feel the love of the faithful from Kansas who forgot what was in their own best interests, but who lavish praise and power on El Presidente Arbusto.

Doing right — that can happen some other time, in some other life. But not right now.