As wonderful as that will be, clearly it won’t be so easy to erase the grim effect that his policies have had on the world…. For the families and friends of the 4,443+ coalition soldiers slaughtered (so far) in Iraq, the 908+ coalition soldiers murdered in Afghanistan, the 30,000+ Americans who’ve been seriously injured in battle, or the 25-30,000+ sick from disease, non-combat injuries, or mental illness, I expect that forgetting George W. ever existed will be much more problematic. For the families and friends of all the dead, injured, diseased, and deranged Afghanis and Iraqis (estimates range broadly, from 100,000 to more than 1,000,000 dead) or for the 5,000,000 Iraqi and the 3,000,000 Afghani refugees (over half of the estimated total number of refugees worldwide), forgetting the smug, cruel smirk of George Jr. will likely take several lifetimes. The karma of violence has that effect… so does smugness.
     In any case, November 4, 2008 marks the day when people all over the planet will herald the election of a new president and an official beginning to the end of the Bush regime. The world is watching to see which way America swings and the country itself is locked in an epic struggle for power, path, and purpose the likes of which both country and world have never known. America’s collective mortal soul lay in the balance and the mortal soul of much of the world, by default, lay in that same balance…. All of us asking the three trillion dollar question: Is America still truly a global force for righteousness or is it now just another global farce to be reckoned with?
     The jury is still undecided. The jury will reconvene on November 5.
      If Obama wins the White House I expect the entire world to spontaneously erupt into song and dance, and a knock down drag out party of such grand proportions that drug and alcohol prices will shoot through the roof in imitation of Exxon profits. If McCain wins it will also be a big day for sales of drugs and alcohol but I’m guessing that will be more about self-medication than celebration….
     For whoever “wins” the election and with it the keys to that shiny white allegory for the American dream, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the next big date to remember is January 20, 2009 when the new President is sworn in and the Bush boys have to have their shit out of the house.
     Imagine suddenly finding yourself the newly elected leader of one the most powerful and fucked-up nations in the history of human civilization, stepping into the post-Bush White House on January 20 after W’s shit has been packed up and hauled away by the movers… or with any luck by the Justice Department. Imagine walking around and taking in the vibe of the place. It gives me the willies just thinking about it…. Oh sure, it’s big and shiny, it’s in a decent enough neighborhood, close to schools and groceries and yes, it comes with a helipad and its own snipers (to keep the neighbor’s dogs from pooping on the helipad) but that’s all just superficial gloss. Look a little closer and you’ll begin to see just how deep the psychic termites and spiritual rot have spread in just eight years. From the Middle East to the Midwest to the middle of the 9th Ward in New Orleans, the Bush administration has left America — and the world it depends upon — in a state of significant disrepair.