I'm beginning to think George W. Bush is one of the very worst presidents this country has ever endured.
The man seems to have no moral center, no fundamental governing principles.
I was disgusted by Bill Clinton for so many reasons. One of them was his insistence on governing by polls. Yet, Bush has me wondering if he pays any attention to polls. I suspect he doesn't. And now I am wondering if this is not an even worse trait for an elected leader – the arrogance of not caring what the people think.
The latest issue that brings all this to mind is the president's decision yesterday to approve over-the-counter status for an abortion-causing, morning-after pill called Plan B.
At a White House press conference, Bush was asked about his new Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Andrew von Eschenbach.
"Mr. President, some pro-life groups are worried that your choice of FDA commissioner will approve over-the-counter sales of Plan B, a pill that, they say, essentially can cause early-term abortions," said reporter Bill Sammon. "Do you stand by this choice, and how do you feel about Plan B in general?"
"I believe that Plan B ought to be – ought to require a prescription for minors, is what I believe," said Bush. "And I support Andy's decision."
That's pretty unequivocal.
The man who vetoed only one piece of legislation in his two terms in office, that being for funding of embryonic stem-cell research, now thinks abortifacients should be sold to the public without a doctor's prescription.
Now, I have to tell you, as someone who thinks Bush was right on embryonic stem cells, that this kind of inconsistency, this kind of irrationality, this kind of unpredictability is becoming, well, embarrassing.
The Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, put it this way: "President Bush's implied support for the abortion-causing drug Plan B is completely inconsistent with his recent veto of the embryonic stem-cell research funding bill. What the president apparently fails to realize is that Plan B kills the same innocent unborn children that the ESCR process does."
Aside from the illogic, there's also the fact that this Plan B is a very serious drug. Far less toxic substances require a prescription than this human pesticide. In addition to killing unborn babies, it is known to cause blood clots and strokes in the reluctant mothers who administer it to themselves.
There's only one way to interpret this. Bush's pro-life claims were phony from the beginning. No one can seriously argue against embryonic stem-cell research while approving over-the-counter abortifacients. It just plain makes no sense.
Why is it wrong to kill embryos in a lab for medical research purposes but OK to kill them in your womb for any reason or no reason at all?
Why is it wrong to sell drugs with side effects without a doctor's prescription, but OK if one of those drugs also kills innocent unborn babies?
Why does Bush keep appointing people like von Eschenbach to key positions in his administration?
Why, why, why, why, why?
Unfortunately, I think I know the answer.
I think I have figured it out after all this time.
Bush doesn't believe in much of anything – other than his own empowerment.
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