Our President

Timesman Ira Berkow has recently published a book of memoirs, called Full Swing. Here are a few of his words about George W. Bush, former owner of the Texas Rangers.

When he came to meetings, he'd sit with his cowboy boots on a table and his face hidden as he read USA TODAY...Othertimes, he threw spitballs. His level of concentration did not seem high. Years later, I asked a fellow baseball owner, "Did you ever think, at those meetings, that Bush would become president?"...The fellow owner looked around to see if anyone else was listening...bent over and whisperered in my ear, "Never!"

Back when he was a candidate in 2000, people noted Bush's lack of intelligence, lifelong record of duplicity, and the underwhelming work habits described above by Mr. Berkow. But the media quickly passed over these glaring defects, prefering instead to ridicule Al Gore's suits and to laud Bush for being a guy with whom you could sit down and have beer. The pattern repeated itself in 2004 with the press focusing on personalities and trivia instead of the relative abilities of the candidates.

As a result, we've ended-up with a President who may be great to have a beer with (though it seems most people no longer wish even to do that) but who is too lazy and too stupid to face more urgent challenges.