Tim Grieve over at Salon.com's War Room highlighted the story of a German interviewer who asked George W. Bush last Friday to name the "most awful" and the "most wonderful" moments of his presidency so far. The president responded:
Bush: The most awful moment was September the 11th, 2001.
Reporter: The famous picture when somebody gave you the information?
Bush: Yes, that. I think, like all of us, it took a while for the -- it was more than a moment. It was the event and the aftermath. On a situation like that, it takes a period to understand exactly what was going on. When somebody says, America is under attack, and -- you've got to fully understand what that meant. And the information coming was haphazard at best for a while. We weren't sure if the State Department got hit. I'd heard the White House had got attacked. Of course, I was worried that -- my family was here.
And so I would say the toughest moment of all was after the whole reality sunk in and I was trying to help the nation understand what was going on, and at the same time, be empathetic for those who had lost lives.
The best moment was -- you know, I've had a lot of great moments. I don't know, it's hard to characterize the great moments. They've all been busy moments, by the way. I would say the best moment was when I caught a seven-and-a-half pound large-mouth bass on my lake.
This news inspired a dialogue with my friend Shawn. I’ve adapted it into this short script in the vein of Greek drama:
Chorus: The president reveals too much in this, America. Would it be too much to ask of him to find the mental wherewithal to define any moment relevant to the nation or the world instead of some personal and highly irrelevant event that a majority of you give a rats-ass about?
Citizen: I guess we should give him a break on this, eh? I mean, what high points are there to list. Really?
Chorus: Listen to reason: You know a man by what he talks about, especially if approached to speak about defining moments. Don't you think he could have thought of just one policy that he cared about or that was even remotely successful or appreciated by his lapdog Republicans? Where were his emotional insights about climbing the rubble at Ground Zero? Where were his supposed strategic successes of his Homeland Security plan? Could he not even fall back on the good fortune of John Roberts becoming the newest Supreme Court Justice?
Indeed, what are we to think of a president whose thoughts and feelings seem disconnected from his responsibilities? He's the president of "away on vacation," "out to lunch," and "out of touch."
Citizen: Of course. Of course. He should have thought of something meaningful. And maybe it is something all together different: I have this nagging feeling that possibly he's too dense to take a minute to give a thoughtful answer. Maybe, he is too selfish, only interested in getting back to an inane activity. Maybe, for him, being president is about being the world's number-one "decider," not because it gives him the opportunity to do good things, but because it makes him the most powerful guy on the planet.
Chorus: Hard times require a president whose cognizance aspires to an ascent of man. Here is an example of one whose thinking is focused on its descent.
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