While the president was swaggering about in white tie and tails and winking at the Queen of England and generally making a complete ass of himself, people are dying in their hundreds every day in Iraq. What is it going to take for this country to rebel?
When the president said the Queen "gave him a look like a mother," I think it's more likely she was thinking. "Who is this frightful person?"
Only the most powerful man in the world, Your Majesty. Just a man who has never made a success of any job he's been given or had bought for him. He's never seen a bloody battlefield or suffered the stress and trauma of war. Instead, he's been showered with privilege and opportunity all his life, and in return has shown himself totally impervious to the needs and the will of the people he is supposed to serve.
We may think the British monarchy is archaic. It may indeed be tottering on its last legs (though, as a Brit, I hope not). Certainly the glories—and yes, the disgraces—of the British Empire are a fading memory. Nevertheless, Mr. Bush could learn a lot from that diminutive woman who wears the crown of England with such dignity and integrity. We saw her bend to the will of her people over the death of Princess Diana. We watch her trying valiantly to adapt to a modern world she often finds incomprehensible. If we could look into her heart, we'd find a woman who has dedicated her entire life to fulfilling the difficult role that was thrust upon her as a young girl. I believe we'd also find compassion, a lifetime of accumulated wisdom and common sense, a wide knowledge of history and geography and diplomacy. We'd find a good and honest and well-intentioned person.
What would we find if we could look into George Bush's heart?
Diana Fassino
Ketchum.
