Tony Auth’s cartoons have been gracing our Philadelphia Inquirer for many years, and George W. Bush’s tenure has provided him with a target-rich environment. This recent Auth image has been sticking with me, because it sadly and so deftly sums up W’s legacy.

Okay, maybe you’re one who prefers facts and statistics, rather than a satirist’s snapshot.
Take a look at this chart from the staff of the House Democratic Caucus, comparing our national health when Mr. Bush entered the White House to conditions as he prepares to exit. (Click chart at left for detailed view and sad comparison.)
And the next occupant of the White House? What an inheritance. With the looming Bush legacy and the current President’s approval ratings scraping bottom, most of the candidates of both parties have taken pains during the primary season to distance themselves from the President’s program, …except for one steely character whose relationship to the President is captured in this recent video from the Democratic National Committee. …Sure, Valentine’s Day has passed, but the kiss lingers.
At 9:01 pm - one minute after the polls closed in Wisconsin, both CNN and MSNBC projected Barack Obama the winner. CNN’s announcement was accompanied by a musical “election fanfare” to heighten the excitement. Though not a single vote had yet been tallied, Hillary was toast, based solely on exit polling.
Aside from feeling deep disappointment, I was angry, even disgusted at what I viewed as another shameless attempt by cable news to manipulate the outcome of this presidential campaign. For one thing, the polls were still open in Hawaii where voters could easily be influenced by the “instant” reporting in Wisconsin. For another, all voters, including Hawaiians, were witnessing hours of “Obamaphilia” presented as election analysis by so-called experts.
It was all about Obama’s charisma, his momentum, his style. And it was no surprise to anyone in the newsroom that Obama was cleaning up in Wisconsin. Clips of his speeches were shown as the returns actually came in. Adoring crowds were featured.
Meanwhile, Hillary was reported to be losing by double digits, she was off-message, not connecting with voters, not running her own campaign, negatively affected by Bill’s campaign remarks, losing ground to Obama with white men, white woman, people over 50, Latinos and low-income voters. “Unless he stumbles, she won’t be able to close the gap.” “The Clinton campaign is on crutches.” “It’s in disarray.” “She’ll have to go negative, but then that will probably not help her..” “And did you notice that she didn’t even congratulate Obama on his big win tonight? Now that’s a mistake.” “No, she needs to admit she lost and ask voters for their help.” “She needs to connect emotionally"…Bla bla bla.
We all know that a lot is at stake in the upcoming presidential election, and we all have our key reasons why - the economy, foreign policy, health care, global climate change, to name a few. But I’d like to talk about one that is very important to me - hope for our future. Many of us in Tredyffrin have children, and we want them to grow up in a world that is peaceful, safe, and harmonious. As this hilarious spoof of Barak Obama’s YouTube video posted on Talking Point Memo illustrates (BTW - if TPM is not on your home page, it should be!), this is NOT John McCain’s vision for our future.
He and his reactionary ilk clearly see the future as a fight to the death between “us” and “them,” one which we must “win.” For the sake of the world, we must put this unrealistic and outmoded doctrine in the ashbin of history.