The Curse of Dubya

I am beginning to grow concerned about the Obama Administration. Namely, in its ability to handle the very large nightmares it inherited from its predecessor, the Iraq/Afghan War and a bad economy which only seems to be worsening. Sure, the circumstances under which Obama is taking over are historically awful. So bad that were John McCain in the White House right now, I can't see our current headaches being much different.

Yet now that Obama (and the rest of us) are suffering under the plague that Bush & Pals helped to create, I wonder how much better the nation will be off in 2012 - a question which may grant Republicans a badly-needed foothold to perhaps retake the White House.

Three big factors are on Obama's side, however:

a) Time. Although the '10 mid-term elections are approaching fast, Obama has three years to right the nation's overall financial ship, and remove the albatross that is GM from its neck. Plus, by most all accounts, the recession has hit bottom which is good news. The only question now is whether it will continue to resemble the letter "L" (flat), or the letter "V" (a sharp drop followed by a steady climb). If the answer is the former, Obama may join Bush The First and Jimmy Carter as a one-term president no matter what he can (or cannot) do to improve the economy first-hand.

b) The Republicans Themselves. With or without Sarah Palin on their ballot, the GOP is a complete disaster. And the party's early slate for '12 shows little promise for salvation (e.g. Huckabee, Romney, Gingrich). Further, the GOP seemingly has no other response to Obama's economic policies other than to attack, and offer few alternatives other than the same, old tired drums they've beaten forever (e.g. tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts).

c) Wild Cards. No one can tell the future between now and November '12. And how Obama approaches these conditions will determine if voters reward him with re-election, or bring in someone new.

But all told, considering the inheritance Obama has taken on from George W. Bush, could it be that Bush will again prevail despite his own stupidity? That is to say, by helping to create the economic storm we are in now, will the cost it takes to right ourselves be paid by Obama himself by having to wrestle the worst of it, and then allow Bush's GOP brethren to take credit for Obama's labor to deny him a second term?

I don't think this scenario is impossible in the slightest.