To Our Very Dear President George W. Bush:
Mr. President:
You have been maligned and criticized for far too long, and for all the wrong reasons. Here is why:
1. You unwittingly have turned out to be the most honest president since our first George- George Washington. Just as George Washington could not tell a lie, (“I was the one who chopped down the cherry tree, Dad! ”) neither can you. Oh, you might try to lie, since that’s what politicians do- but it is so clear that your heart is not in lying. You, more than any president, have finally revealed to the American people that in war we kill and die for a lie. In the past, presidents have lied and gotten away with it: Lyndon Johnson told the American people that a U.S. ship was blown up in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. Although President Johnson knew this wasn’t true, over 57,000 American soldiers and over a million Vietnamese died in the Vietnam War.
(There must be a mantra engraved in the floor in the White House: To go to war-- sink ship off shore. This also worked for the Spanish-American War, when President McKinley blamed Spain for the sinking of the Maine. And off we went to conquer the Philippines).
But you, George W. Bush, did not want to use such an easy way to get us into war. No. You claimed Iraq had W.M.D.'s. And all the world now sees that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq—except us. You could only have lied so poorly because you really want to tell the truth. You must feel compelled to teach us that presidents lie in order to lead us to war. With your help, all America now knows: Truth is the first casualty of war.
2. You have given torture a bad name.
The world was shocked by pictures, taken by our soldiers, of their torture of Iraqi prisoners. But the United States government supported Sadaam Hussein in Iraq, the Shah in Iran, Pinochet in Chile, Somoza in Nicaragua and too many other torturers to name. Most Americans didn’t know we supported torturers until the pictures your soldiers took revealed the torturous side of American imperialism. You even had the courage to say that torture is not the American way. Thank you for saying that. With your help, one day soon, we will no longer torture the peoples of the world.
3. You have inspired us to fight for our rights.
Bleeding hearts might complain that you are holding prisoners in Guantanamo without charges or trial. But most Americans don’t mind-- if it makes us feel safer. So-- you even imprisoned two Americans without trial or charges. Americans now know we could all be imprisoned without charges or trials. With your help, we can now see that if any one of us is unjustly imprisoned, we are all in danger.
4. You have made clear that it is health care or wealth care.
Did we care that before you were president, 40 million Americans were without heath care? Did we care that we are the only Western industrialized nation without health care for all its citizens? We did not care until you gave our government surplus to the rich in tax cuts. Before this tax cut to the very wealthy, most Americans didn’t know that we clearly had the money to pay for everyone’s health care. Now, with your help, we see that it is either wealth care or health care.
5. You have made it clear how America creates enemies.
Presidents have created enemies in the past. The Germans were vilified as “Huns” in World War I. Vietnamese were called “Gooks.” It’s easier to kill a “Hun” or a “Gook” than a real person. When our nation began, one slogan we repeated was “the only good Indian is a dead Indian.” But never before your presidency have we seen so clearly how the Untied States manufactures enemies. By bombing, imprisoning, torturing and killing innocent Iraqis, Americans now know why more and more Muslims hate us. You have been better at the recruitment of enemies to America than Osama Bin Laden. But since you show us how we make enemies, you’ve also revealed to us that—if we want to—we can choose to make friends.
6. You have made it clear how governments create fear in order to justify bigger defense budgets or to divert attention to its weaknesses.
You don’t want Americans to only fear the enemy across the ocean. You have made it clear how our government creates fear that we can actually experience here at, or in our homes. You want to get rid of the ban on assault rifles, and at the same time decrease the number of policemen on our streets. And once we see- thanks to you- how our government easily creates fear every time the other side comes up with a zinger. Now we can understand how a powerful government can just as easily create hope- and even jobs.
7. You have shown us how every vote counts.
Fifty percent of Americans did not vote when you first ran for President. Because you did not let us recount the votes in Florida, we now see how every vote counts. If we had counted those destroyed votes, you would not be president. No war, no dead American soldiers, no threat to our civil liberties, no destruction of the environment. Who more than you could move every American to vote, and make sure our vote is counted? By creating electronic touch-voting machines without a paper trail ballot, you have alerted all of us that elections can be stolen, and if it works once- why not do it again? With your help, more Americans than ever, for the first time in our history, will vote- and demand assurances that their vote is counted.
8. You have taught us the heart of all religions.
America and the rest of the world were totally united after Sept 11th. Now we are divided. Many Americans hate and fear you. But by alienating so many, you have made it clear that the only way for our country to be truly strong is to live as your favorite political philosopher, Jesus, commanded: “love our neighbor as ourselves.”
You have also succeeded in alienating our allies. We wouldn’t have won the American Revolution without help from France. They have been our ally ever since this country began. Germany has been our ally since the end of World War II. Without their help America is now weaker. Thanks to you, we can now see how important our neighbors are—even when they live across the sea. You are the most religious president we have ever had, Mr. President. You have revealed to us—whether at home or abroad—that we have to love one another or die.
So, dear George W. Bush, it is abundantly clear that you really are a uniter- and not a divider. You have united the nations and the peoples of the world against us. And you have even succeeded in moving the millions of liberals in this country- all with differing agendas- to work together to defeat you. Only someone as dedicated as you, Mr. President, could have moved this diverse group to unite in one political action. There was nothing left of the left when you took office. With your help, the liberals of this nation and of the world are now working night and day to defeat you.
And if you get elected this time, President Bush, it simply means that we haven’t learned what you have to teach us: that we all should devote our lives so that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from this earth.
May you succeed beyond your wildest dreams Mr. President,
Will B. Free,*
Founder of Liberals for Bush
*Ted Orenstein
Squeeze and drop, and 1,2 3.. 
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