George W. Bush is a douche. This may be best evidenced by his current approval rating of 31%. To put it another way, up to 69% of American citizens may consider him to be a douche. His douche rating actually may be higher if a significant number of that 31% also approve of douches.

For an alleged douche, why am I spending so much time talking about him? Well, for one thing, he continued to spread his iron-handed brand of foreign policy today by alluding that some people (no names were mentioned) wanted to talk to terrorists. The media jumped on this as a reference to Democratic presidential frontrunner Barack Obama. Obama followed along and fell for it — hook, line, and sinker, so to speak. Not only did Douche, errr, I mean Bush suggest that diplomacy was wrong, but he likened it to being a policy of “appeasement” as applied to Adolph Hitler. This was really the last straw in my book for Bush. I’m now one of the people counting the days until he leaves office gleefully. Now I’m also wondering what’s taken me so long.

I’m not sure where to start with this rant. Maybe I could start with the fact that war is a result of failure. Diplomacy is always the best starting point (and hopefully finishing point) in any type of conflict. Diplomacy is not appeasement. Appeasement is akin to surrender. By having an open line of communication with a nation such as Iran, the President can say something like: “We know you are backing insurgents in Iraq that are killing American soldiers. Here’s the proof. What do you intend to correct this problem?” At that point, Iran could blow the entire matter off. That’s when you send your diplomatic envoy back to Tehran to discuss the consequences of not addressing this issue. But who knows, maybe Iran will come clean. Diplomacy allows you to have a chance at creating a win-win situation (for the US, keeping your “enemies” closer and for Iran, not having your country totally destroyed). Diplomacy allows for you to draw a line in the sand. The cat-and-mouse, saber rattling media circus crap of the Bush administration (and the Iranian government) moves everyone closer to being in a lose-lose situation.

There is a huge sense of irony (or maybe Iran-y) in Bush’s condemnation of such Nazi-like tactics as diplomacy. The biggest of which is hinted at in the title of this post, is that George W. Bush’s grandfather, Prescott Bush, had extensive business dealings with the Nazis. I’m not sure if there’s any truth to this, but it is a very established rumor on the Internet. In addition, the location of Bush’s possible Obama criticism is quite curious — in front of the Knesset in Israel. Taking pot shots at Obama in such a setting seems a bit tacky. Almost like a country music group going to Europe and talking about how ashamed they are of coming from the same state as the President. All in all, this seemed more like a speech more appropriate for an ex-President to make. Go to Israel, say what your audience wants you to say, collect a big check for doing it.

To conclude, I’d like to deliver a big shout-out to Joe Biden for calling the President’s commentary exactly what it was: BULLSHIT!

Tonight I was flipping through the channels when I came across “The Doc Block” on MSNBC. Usually I don’t watch The Doc Block because it’s really lame. I mean — really, how many documentaries can you watch about horrific crimes? This time was a bit different though, since they were playing one one Charles Manson talking to someone from prison. Now, don’t get me wrong — I don’t agree with anything Manson did. But there’s something kind of interesting, kind of ultimate, kind of real about Manson and the expression of his type of evil. If you wanted to know what the Devil looked like in the flesh, look no further than Charles Manson. It’s really kind of funny that kids regard him in the almost mystical way that Che Guevarra is worshiped. I mean, both were murderers and human rights violators. I always thought that if Bush was a little cooler, maybe his face would blazon teen outcast’s shirts, bookbags, and CD jewel cases instead of Che’s.

My favorite part of Manson’s talk was about righteousness and judgment. He claimed that he never killed anyone. It was entrancing to the point that I started finding myself drawn along by his familiar down-home accent and excited speaking style. Why was it so familiar? Suddenly, it hit me, then I went to YouTube to see if anyone had the same idea that I had. Someone did, though, using Manson’s voice over a different set of video.

Today after a great deal of speculation, former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr declared he was running for the Libertarian Party’s nomination. While I was a bit leery hearing of the possibility that someone who’s perceived as being ultra-conservative is running for the fiscally conservative, yet socially liberal Libertarian Party, I’ve warmed up to the idea of having the opportunity to vote for him this November. While he supported some heinous pieces of legislation, since leaving Congress he’s (almost) done an about face by working for groups such as the Marijuana Policy Project and the American Civil Liberties Union. He’s an eloquent speaker who can communicate the party’s message well, exposing the ideas of liberty to the masses, raise lots of money, and hopefully get lots of votes. I’m not naive to the possibility of duplicity on his or his campaign’s part, but I do believe that people can truly change, especially after smoking marijuana. The following is an excerpt from a fundraising letter I received from the Barr ‘08 campaign on April 21, 2008 that illustrates what I’m talking about:

One man I admire answers also to the name, “Bob.” He was a person possessed of a gift that allowed him to speak to and lift the spirits of other men and women with his words and music.

When watching a film one evening, I was reminded of an event in his life and how he inspired so many with what would normally have been an easy decision.

In December 1976, this other Bob, along with his family and friends, were rehearsing for an upcoming concert when gunmen burst into his home and opened fire.

Bob was wounded, with a round entering his chest and passing though his arm. His wife, Rita, had been struck with a bullet in the head while fleeing with their five children.

Both survived and were rushed to the hospital, treated and released a day later.

The following evening, the concert went on but, out of fear of further violence, without many of the acts that had been scheduled to play. Despite a realization that the main performer and others would most likely not appear, a crowd of 85,000 people managed to gather for the concert.

Not to be discouraged, Bob raced to the concert at the last minute and rushed onto the stage.

Wounded and more than likely staring at his own gunman in the crowd, Bob Marley promised the joyous audience, “just one song.” He and his wife Rita, wrapped in bandages, took the stage for 90 minutes.

Later, Bob was asked why he would go through the effort to perform just two days after being attacked. He answered simply, “The people who are trying to make this world worse are not taking a day off. How can I? Light up the darkness.”

Now, I find it questionable that Bob Barr’s hero has always been Bob Marley. Maybe he always secretly loved Marley — I don’t know. The Bob Marley thing may have come after some herbal enhancement of Barr’s thought processes, which I would commend. If, on the other hand, the inspiration came from one of his senior advisor’s herbal usage, Barr may have a more difficult time swaying enough delegates to win the nomination. As I said, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt, although I won’t be one of the voting delegates he’ll need to convince.