And Sweden is to blame

Well, my theory is blown to crap....

I apologize in advance for a maudlin post. I rarely discuss things that don't have a humorous edge to them but really nothing seems funny today.

I am just shocked that Americans would "re-elect" Bush. I understand the fundamental differences between Republicans and Democrats. I have friends that lie all over the gamut in political philosophy and I respect where they are coming from most of the time. However, no matter how you look at it Bush has done a horrible job in his tenure. The economy is crap, Iraq is an abominable mess, The country is in pain and his administration is directly responsible.

No incumbent president in history has ever entered an election with and approval rating as low as Bush's and been re-elected.

So Why?

Well, I of course have a theory. The American public has been reeling ever since 9/11. People have been scared and instead of making anyone feel safe, the administration has done all it can to prolong that fear and then say the fear is real and the only one who can protect them is the Bush administration.

It is just like "Stockholm Syndrome". This is the phenomenon of when hostages end up feeling an affinity for their captors. They often end up refusing to testify against their captors and may even help them escape in the end. In essence, realize it or not, America has been held hostage by the Bush administration with misinformation, trumped up reports, and the mantra of a safer America with Bush. And our electorate has fallen for it.

It is the only scenario that makes sense that a traditionally unforgiving public forgive the mismanagement that has been rampant over the last few years. Sure, there will always be devout conservatives who are more concerned with the abortion debate or making sure that the wealthiest among us pay less in taxes. But this war is so unpopular among so many people, re-election doesn't make sense until you look at the Stockholm phenomena.

So four more years...and a lame duck status and control of the House, Senate, and perhaps more of the Supreme Court. There is absolutely nothing holding him back. I am afraid for the college aged people I work with. I hope that a military draft stays out of the picture, but for the first time I am pretty nervous that it will surface. I am concerned that more lives will be committed to securing oil rich states in the name of fighting terrorism. But mostly I am concerned that this is now our undoing as a nation. Prior to this election, I felt the American public was not to blame for the loose cannon antics by an administration not genuinely elected into office. But now, we all own this. And this election has divided us and it will get worse. I know we will all be paying the price for generations to come.