CRAWFORD, Tex., April 10 -- President Bush was in an expansive mood on Aug. 7, 2001, when he ran into reporters while playing golf at the Ridgewood Country Club in Waco, Tex.The day before, the president had received an intelligence briefing warning "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US." But he seemed carefree as he spoke about the books he was reading, the work he was doing on his nearby ranch, his love of hot-weather jogging, his golf game and his 55th birthday.
"No mulligans, except on the first tee," he said to laughter. "That's just to loosen up. You see, most people get to hit practice balls, but as you know, I'm walking out here, I'm fixing to go hit. Tight back, older guy -- I hit the speed limit on July 6th."
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But if top officials were at battle stations, there was no sign of it on the surface. Bush spent most of August 2001 on his ranch here. His staff said at the time that by far the biggest issue on his agenda was his decision on federal funding of stem cell research, followed by education, immigration and the Social Security "lockbox."
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During that month, Bush's top aides were concentrating on the president's political standing: His approval rating had slipped, his relations with Congress were tense, and Democrats had regained control of the Senate. The only time Bush mentioned terrorism publicly that month was in the context of violence in Israel.
In public, Bush often engaged in playful banter. Reporters teased him about his golf game and whether he would take an afternoon nap. Bush teased them about their suffering in the Texas heat. "I know a lot of you wish you were in the East Coast, lounging on the beaches, sucking in the salt air, but when you're from Texas -- and love Texas -- this is where you come home," he said.
This is, unfortunately, what we get when we elect (or the Supreme Court selects) someone unqualified to be President.
Remember when concerns about Bush's experience were raised during the 2000 campaign? His response was to take pride in his "ability" to delegate -- i.e., he obviously didn't know what he was doing but would surround himself with people who did. A Newsmax story from early January 2001 explains it in a nutshell:
"I'm not afraid to surround myself with strong and competent people," Bush said Tuesday as he presented his final three choices for the 14 department secretaries who by law comprise the president's permanent Cabinet, one that appears destined to have a much bigger role than those of recent years.Bush's management style in governing Texas was to pick trusted managers, agree on goals and give them the authority to take action. He outlined a similar plan for his presidency. "A good executive is one that understands how to delegate," Bush said.
This man thought all was being taken care of -- just as it was for him throughout his life. There was only one problem -- which has been evident just about every day of this Administration -- the people who surrounded him -- to whom he delegated our national security -- have never been interested in what's best for America, but what's best for Bush and the interests or ideologies he represents.
Nevertheless, the narrow interests of ideologues like Rove, Rice, Rumsfeld, Cheney, and Wolfowitz aside, the buck must stop somewhere -- and it must stop with Bush. If there's one thing we hire a President for, it's to protect our national security. Instead, the man has spent 40 percent of his time as President on vacation.
When you're President and you receive a memo saying Bin Laden is determined to attack the U.S., saying there are operatives already within our country, and saying there are signs of hijacking preparations, you move into action -- you call the heads of all relevant agencies together, you start asking questions, you bang heads and start pulling all the info together -- but that's not Bush's style. In fact, it's not even within his abilities. Former treasury secretary Paul O'Neill has pointed out that Bush has an remarkably uninquisitive mind for a President -- when advisors explain policies or situations to him, he rarely asks questions. It's evident he doesn't know what questions to ask.
This man does not belong in the White House, or even at the helm of a company. The malfeasance displayed in August 2001 is criminal. It is, to put it mildly, a high crime. And we're going to be paying for his mistakes for a long, long, long time to come.
