So what if Bush is delusional?

For those of a certain age, think back to a few movies- Doctor Strangelove and Failsafe and Seven Days in May - meant to scare the hell out of us about the dangers of nuclear war. Seem quaint now, don't they? Seriously quaint. No way that anyone could just get us into a war that would never end. No one really had that kind of power.

Until we got George W.. Now we got a president who makes Merkin Muffley look like an intellectual heavyweight who keeps claiming as much power as he can get for the "War on Terrorism". However, if you want to blame anyone for this then do not blame him.

The blame lies in us. The Constitution says that Congress has the only power to declare war. I taught a class this past Fall where more than one student - and these were people past the age of being able to vote - did not know that we were not at war. Yet, do we hold Congress responsible for this mess? No.

Not that we Democrats are blameless for allowing the Presidency for expanding its powers. The problem goes back to Korea and moves forward to Vietnam. We bought into the hysteria that the Commies were coming for us right now. Nixon and McCarthy thumped that drum long and hard. We let ourselves be scared like little children and went running from anyone those with the serious demeanor and the grave voices called weak on Communism.

We were lucky. Lucky that we had the presidents from Truman to Clinton. Yes, we were even lucky to have LBJ and Nixon. Nixon used Vietnam for his own purposes, but remember he served in the Navy. He had some idea of what war was really like. LBJ was to canny to want a war with dead piling up like logs. Compare all of George W's predecessors from Truman onto Clinton and he fails in comparison with their intelligence - whether from experience or education or both.

But we still let ourselves get frightened by tales of al Quaeda under the bed. Instead of goblins, the terrorist at gits you Ef you Don't Watch Out!" So we let those with serious demeanors and grave voices decry their critics as cowards and unpatriotic just as we had done the past fifty years.

So President Bonehead led us with shock and awe into Iraq while the terrorists ranged about Afghanistan. We got ourselves shocked by the awful execution of our power. Grumblings and outright criticism were met by cries of they do not support the troops! Shades of Vietnam! They hate America! I think that was the only Vietnam analogy that the Republicans liked. They certainly did not like the quagmire analogy.

Yet, the poster boys for not serving in Vietnam failed to recognize one thing we learned from Vietnam. We understand the difference between the military and the policy makers. Score one for the American educational system. So we got stampeded for a bit but not long enough for Bush and company to escape our scrutiny. And what did we see?

A bunch holding onto a specious claim of moral superiority grasping for all the political power that they could grab while doling out preferments to their friends and allies at the expense of the public. I suspect they were gravely shocked - if not annoyed - that their repeated claims of Democratic cowardice did not impress the people. The Republicans went so far as to enlist bin Laden in their campaign. It did not help. Remember this when next you hear a criticism of our educational system. The people knew they were being fooled and they acted accordingly.

Now what we must make sure that we understand that Congress has the power to declare war and keep the pressure on Congress to sensibly exercise their power. We cannot afford another George W.. Just think if he had the delusions and the wits to exercise his power in pursuit of his delusions. Our national reputation suffers enough as it is, but a more effective of Bushism would have ruined our reputation, our finances and the lives of even more of our citizens.