End of a presidency, but not of an era

Scott Horton points out that another George, centuries ago, retired from the presidency with a degree of humility that is simply unthinkable to the current George.  Washington believed he had "contributed towards the organization and administration of the government the best exertions of which a very fallible judgment was capable."  But that's not all.  He had some advice for us about politics that we'd do well to listen to.

Political parties, he granted, have their uses.  But they grow to subvert our best interests.

... They are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people, and to usurp for themselves the reins of government; destroying afterwards the very engines, which have lifted them to unjust dominion.

It took a military president, Dwight Eisenhower, to pinpoint the dangers in the modern era.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes.

George W. Bush, the product and chosen candidate of that enormous economic and political power, has -- in his unbending partisanship --been a serious destroyer, not a uniter.   He achieved the presidency without an open and clear election process and now leaves without apology.  His numbers are so low -- even among his earlier supporters -- as to be unprecedented, according to the latest New York Times/CBS poll. 

When asked about Mr. Bush’s performance over the last eight years, 22 percent of respondents said they approved. That matched Mr. Bush’s job-approval rating for much of last fall, the lowest of his presidency. In the current poll, 73 percent disapproved of his performance over the course of his two terms.  Disapproval cut across party lines, with Democrats, independents and even 34 percent of Republicans critical of Mr. Bush’s performance.

He's gone, but the "potent engine" that powered his presidency still chugs along.