Thank You, George W. Bush

After my first wife and I split up in 1995 after six years of marriage, I began a nearly three-year journey trying to heal and discover who I was as a man. Along the way, I spent a weekend in April 1996 at a Masonic Temple in Pasadena with about 200 other men, all of us wounded in some way, at the beginning of the same healing journey. During those 48+ hours, I came to face the collection of deep resentments I'd formed over the years against my father.


That wasn't the revelation for me; I'd known about them for some time. What did wake me up, however, was that in order for me to move on, to become the man I'd always wanted to be, I had to "clear" those resentments with my dad. And in this big ballroom, surrounded by men I came to trust and feeling very safe, I figured out that instead of blaming my dad for all the shitty things I believed he'd done to me or said to me as I was growing up, I needed actually to thank him. I had an amazing opportunity to turn those painful events in my memory into practical life lessons -- for after all, what is a father's job other than to prepare his children for life? And isn't every father given whatever tools he has from his father? After I'd done that, I could come to love him on his terms. I was ready to stand with my father as a man, instead of merely a big boy.


Today, I will use that tool again to clear with George W. Bush, who "fathered" 300+ million of us for the last eight years. We all know what he did; the list is unbelievably long. And yet, let's face the fact that he was a product of his own father and his upbringing. He was taught to be incurious, to be ideologically rigid, to be spiritually shallow, to be sinister, to be a thief of elections, to squander goodwill, and to be an ultimate failure.


So thank you, Mr. President, for stealing the 2000 election from Al Gore, because it taught us to be more vigilant, more mindful, and more protective of our precious right to vote.


Thank you, Mr. President, for withdrawing the USA from international arms treaties, because it taught us, in this world of such different nations, how fragile we are, and how beautiful peace is.


Thank you, Mr. President, for choosing Dick Cheney as your Vice President, because it taught us that true leaders never delegate the hardest jobs to subordinates with nothing to lose.


Thank you, Mr. President, for turning an abundance of international goodwill in the aftermath of 9/11 into a healthy dose of international scorn and derision, because it taught us that we are not too big to accept help or too powerful to be humble.


Thank you, Mr. President, for lying to us about weapons of mass destruction and exposing our susceptibility to deception when we are afraid, because it taught us that no matter how terrifying a situation is, we must always keep our wits about us to avoid serious judgment errors.


Thank you, Mr. President, for prohibiting embryonic stem cell research, because it taught us the immeasurable value of science and its promise for future generations.


Thank you, Mr. President, for completely bungling the invasion of Iraq, because it taught us that presidents need to consult with real experts with real ground-level experience in warfare, instead of just using our gut.


Thank you, Mr. President, for the "Mission Accomplished" banner, because it taught us that the hardest work often comes after we think we're done.

Thank you, Mr. President, for letting New Orleans and its inhabitants die, because it taught us that, whether we are black or white or whatever, we are Americans and we deserve respect from our leaders.


Thank you, Mr. President, for Abu Ghraib and black sites and extraordinary rendition and waterboarding, because it taught us that even countries like ours, which claim to stand for humanity, can betray humanity if the people don't pay attention.


Thank you, Mr. President, for spying on us illegally, because it taught us that liberty is more important than a transitory need for information.

Thank you, Mr. President, for signing statements, because it taught us that no one is above the law -- no one.

Thank you, Mr. President, for being so ideologically rigid and spiritually shallow, because it taught us to be open to all ideas and tolerant of all belief systems.

Thank you, Mr. President, for trying to form a permanent Republican majority, because it taught us to fight with all we've got to preserve the progressive ideals that work best for the most Americans.

And finally, Thank you, Mr. President, for letting John McCain hug you and vote with you so often, because it taught us that the idea of living another day with all the things you've done was so unbearable that we needed a huge change, that we needed Barack Obama.

Really, Mr. President, thank you so very much. We love you. You did a great job.