Foray into Politics

Many of my DC based readers want more Political based commentary, especially since this is an election year.  I may wade into the Barack-John fight, but for now, wanted to focus on W / 43. 

[Note, Yes MSG seeks to have readers in Blue and Red states, so the politics expressed here are not necessarily the position of Management and are meant to foster discussion, debate, and laughter.  In other words, for goodness sake, don't skip my NCAA postings just because you don't think you like my politics.

Oh, and I am for lower taxes!]

Happened to be at home this morning watching his press conference.  Funny, he did not seem to butcher the English language as much as usual.

W spent a lot of time talking about the mortgage crisis.  Which got me thinking.  It is so unfair for us to expect that the President be an expert on all subjects.  Sure, he needs to surround himself with good people, but after that, he is basically a PR spokesperson.  However, fortunately, W and his siblings have lots of direct experience that is directly transferrable to the Office of the Presidency.

Example One: Oil

W was a very successful oil man.  He started numerous companies that were evenutally bought by his daddy’s friends.  And while W sold lots of stock at convenient times, that is just hte luck of the Bush family.  Anyway, W put his expertise into our energy policy — off shore drilling, conservation, improved fuel economy standards, alternative energy, which has really impacted the price of gas.  Just think, if it were not for these policies, we might be facing $6 a gallon.

Example Two: Military

With W protecting Alabama during Viet Nam, he gained lots of insight into successful military campaigns.  This has obviously translated directly to our defeat of Al Qaeda, Insurgents and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Iraq.

(Brief side note: Adam Carolla of Radio and Man Show fame, said he wanted to date a woman named “Iraq” so that he could tell people that ‘his unit was in Iraq.”)

Example Three: The Mortgage Crisis

Here is where I get worried as W would not be able to call on any personal experience to guide us through this crisis.  Fortunately, the extended Bush clan does have an expert — Younger Brother Neil.  He was a director of Silverado Savings when he was only in his 30s.  What a superstar.  So I imagine that W can call on his brother much like JFK called on RFK regarding Cuban Missile Crisis and Civil Rights.  Here is a brief synopsis of what N(eil) brings to the table:

Neil Bush was a member of the board of directors of Denver-based Silverado Savings and Loan during the 1980s’ larger Savings and Loan crisis. As his father was Vice President of the United States, his role in Silverado’s failure was a focal point of publicity. According to a piece in Salon, Silverado’s collapse cost taxpayers $1 billion.^[2]

The US Office of Thrift Supervision investigated Silverado’s failure and determined that Bush had engaged in numerous “breaches of his fiduciary duties involving multiple conflicts of interest.” Although Bush was not indicted on criminal charges, a civil action was brought against him and the other Silverado directors by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; it was eventually settled out of court, with Bush paying $50,000 as part of the settlement, as reported in the Style section of the Washington Post ^[3].

A Republican fundraiser set up a fund to help defer costs Neil incurred in his S&L dealings. ^[4].

Once the Mortgage crisis has been solved, perhaps W and N can move on to other issues that concern them, like the sanctity of Marriage.

Bush and his former wife of 23 years, Sharon Smith, are the parents of three children; Lauren, Pierce, and Ashley. The couple divorced in April 2003.

Bush’s divorce deposition gained public attention when he admitted to several sexual encounters with high-priced escorts in Thailand and Hong Kong.^{[25] [26][27][28]} Among other divorce testimony aired in the press, Bush’s friend John Spalding announced that Sharon had extracted hair samples from her estranged husband in order to place a voodoo curse on him. Sharon Bush later confirmed the forcible hair removal, but she stated that she took the hair to be tested for evidence of drug use.^[29] At various times, she publicly spoke of her fear of retribution by Bush, or by the Bush family.

Bush remarried in Houston, Texas, on March 6, 2004, to Maria Andrews. Andrews spent time volunteering with charitable organizations with Bush’s mother, Barbara. Robert Andrews, Andrews’ ex-husband, sued Sharon Bush in September 2003 for defamation after she alleged that her ex-husband was the father of Andrews’ two-year-old son.^[29]

^{Feedback welcome!}