The 2000 US Presidential election ended in controversy. A recount in Florida was denied by a GOP governor Jeb Bush and a partisan Supreme Court ruled any further legal proceedings a waste of time.

After his inauguration GW Bush plodded along like a C-student surprised to find himself president of the high school senior class. Nothing was supposed to happen and accordingly Crawford, Texas became the summer capitol of the USA for August 2001. No tax debates, no questions about his ability. BBQs, cutting wood for photo-ops, and discreetly huffing a little blow in the closet. His only thoughts were 4 years and out.

9/11 changed that perfect world.
9/12 brought GW’s approval ratings soared to stratospheric heights in 9/12 and he was publicly canonized after the defeat of the Taliban and the ouster of Saddam.

Mission Accomplished, except the Taliban had only retreated to prevent the near-biblical starvation of the Afghanistan people and Saddam’s fall was a quagmire in the making.

Still GW beat the Gigolo from Massachusetts in the 2004 election.

Since then the war and a failed economy has taken its toll on his allies. This week Tony Blair the UK Prime Minister announced his resignation. I was speaking with Jamie Parker at the Janet Bar. “Pretty soon, GW will have no one around him. No one who will be caught holding the bag.”

“Don’t be so sure of that.” Jamie had snorted coke with GW in the early-80s for a CIA drug smuggling operation. “GW may be a C student. But he was a C student at Yale. He has connections.”

“Yeah.” My sister -in-law had worked for his father at the CIA, yet even her undying loyalty had an expiration date. “He will last to the end of his term.”

“And maybe beyond.” Jamie squinted like he was focusing on a point in the future. “What’s to stop him from serving a third term?”

“One, it’s against the law.”

“So is torture, kidnapping, illegal wiretaps, and incarceration in total disregard of habeus corpus.”

“Not to the American people.” Jamie was forced to leave the USA after his theory about global warming due to the Earth passing through clouds of the Creation fell out of favor with the religious right.

“He has a 34% approval rate.” And those that disapproved verged on fanaticism. As a C student I was more forgiving.

“Doesn’t matter. Who’s to stop him. Hillary’s wasn’t smart enough to figure out her husband was two-stepping on her with a pizza girl intern. John McCain could get 90% off on the subway, he’s so old. Guiliani is basically a Mormon. John Edwards does spent too much on his hair. Obama is black.”

“So?”

“So you know what America is like. Cheers Tiger Woods and jeer at Malcolm X.”

“How do you see GW getting elected?”

“I never said anything about his getting elected. He’s going to seize power to the good of the country during a time of crisis.”

“A coup d’etat?” 

“Happens all the time, only the revolution is never televised, unless it’s on pay-for-view.”

My head was hurting from his prediction. “So you’re saying 6 more years of GW Bush?”

“No, I’m saying GW for life.”

“And this is a hunch?”

“No, an informed guess.” Jamie shrugged as if he had heard this information from a reliable source and to be truthful he did travel through many corridors.

“God save America if it happens.” I needed beer and a lot of it.

“I didn’t think you believed in God.” Jamie was also a practicing Beermason.

“I don’t, but America does, so I’m asking for them.” I looked around the bar. No one had bothered to listen to our drivel and the tin floor cut off any NSA surveillance. The Thai bargirls could care less about anything outside of their country. Thai men liked GW Bush. The benefit of Thaksin propaganda and a good Texas smile.

“And don’t count on anyone assassinating GW.” Jamie wasn’t a fan of violence. he ahd endured too much of it during his years on the street. “No one wants Dick Cheney to be president.”

“Except Dick Cheney.” The VP was probably the most powerful second-in-command in American History. He was no Al Gore.

“Which is why the president never goes hunting with him,” Jamie said in reference to the VP’s two incidents of friendly fire on hunting trips.

“So we’re stuck with GW four more years?” This prospect was gloomy even this way away from America. I could

“Depends on the roll of the dice. Fate.”

“More like the manipulation of destiny.”

“That too. Feel like another beer?”

Beer was for happy moods. “A gin-tonic.”

Jamie ordered two.

We were Americans. Four more years of Bush would ask a lot of country. An ocean separated us from the madness and the glory. 17 hours direct flight. The smell of burning flesh on a BBQ and family. Apple pie and the Squantum Spit. Statue of Liberty and Fanelli’s Bar. It was my land from coast to coast. No matter how many years GW was in office.

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