I believe in America, but during Bush’s presidency, especially during the last few years, that belief has waned. I’m 22 years old now, and I was fourteen when Bush took office.
I think it’s fair to say that my formative years were very much affected by President Number 43.
I remember watching his presidency peak, when he threw out the first pitch of Game 3 of the 2001 World Series. He threw it for a strike, and for a brief, shining moment, I really did think America was going to be alright.
It wasn’t, of course, and I spent my adolescence against a backdrop of oppression, war and abuse of executive power that I couldn’t really relate to. There is no appropriate frame of reference for the debacle that is the Bush presidency, and that almost says it all.
The only comparison that fits, I think, is that being a citizen under Bush is somewhat akin to being a person pinned under a burning couch; your only hope is that someone comes to rescue you.
America has been pinned under that couch for so long now, I don’t know if it can be rescued. Burns heal very slowly… I think that Number 44 can do it. Or maybe, I just hope he can.