It's Now or Never

07.01.2006
It's Now or Never
Justin Frank
Huffington Post

George W Bush is like the cork floating on the ocean, bobbing with the waves but ultimately never really affected by them. Paradoxically he is the most powerful man on earth, the self-proclaimed “decider” who acts like a fraternity boy. But I don’t think he’s acting. Rather, Bush seems stuck in a time warp.


For Bush at Yale (1964-68) the Vietnam War was background noise easily drowned out by heavy drinking, partying, and branding pledges with hot coat hangers. While many of his classmates were arguing about the war or protesting in the streets, Bush bragged about how he kept his focus on what was most important.
Fast forward to June 30, 2006 and we see that the only thing different about George Bush now is that he is standing up, not lying drunk on a fraternity house floor. Pledge-master no more, he is our President whose hands-on branding of pledges has given way to outsourced torture of people he doesn’t like. But the party continues, this time in Graceland. And Bush and his Elvis wannabe friend from Japan were eagerly followed by an enabling press – over 300 strong – which is always looking for a good time.

This time there is no war in Vietnam; it is in Iraq and is presided over by this self-same party animal. To keep things parallel Bush had to start a war – it makes partying that much more fun. Luckily for outgoing (in more than one sense) Prime Minister Koizumi, the people Bush is bombing are brown and not yellow. And flag-draped body bags are being carried back to America once more.