The Madness of ‘King George’: “The most

damaging charge against Bush is that he seems to want a

coronation, not a campaign. It provides a single explanation

for so many of Bush’s perceived shortcomings: his

unpreparedness on issues, hence the need for scripting; his

lament in January—January!—about being tired and wanting

to sleep in his own bed; his preference for formal speeches

over town meetings; his inaccessibility to the media. The

coronation metaphor can even be expanded to his earlier life,

lending credibility to the criticism that everything he has

achieved has been the result of his name and connections:

getting into Yale, getting into the National Guard, the

sweetheart sale of his oil company, his participation in the

purchase of the Texas Rangers ball club, the governorship of

Texas, and, finally, the Republican nomination. Character

ought to be Bush’s strength. His personal qualities are beyond

reproach and so is his record of running the government

without a whiff of scandal or favoritism. He is the son of

parents we admire as people. And yet, just as his other

strengths—money, endorsements, family—have been turned

against him, so has character.”