George W. Bush is in the Middle East, predicting that Israel and the Palestinians will sign a peace treaty before the end of his term, even though he has done very little until now to help them do that.
It's so typical of Bush to pay absolutely no attention to something crucial (warnings of terrorist attacks prior to 9/11, warnings prior to Katrina, destruction of New Orleans after Katrina, global warming, and civil war in Iraq are a few things that come to mind) and then at the 11th hour to play the superhero and come along to rescue everything with a new policy or a new pronouncement. He lets things get as bad as they can and then he puts on his cape and swoops in, complete with Klieg lights and pretty words.
The words have always been good (even if the pronunciation isn't). It's the actions that are lacking. This episode is no different. Bush's speeches in the Holy Land are right on. He tells the Palestinians they must stop supporting terrorists, and advises the Israelis to dismantle the settlements and give the Palestinians undivided land of their own. But this prescription is nothing new.
It is the prediction, though, that tells us much about Bush. While Bush's actions will not actually accomplish anything of diplomatic value, it is the prediction that is important. It will do what he and his advisors want – rescue his legacy by making him look like a serious negotiator who couldn't quite get the job done because the players wouldn't cooperate before his time ran out. What it will not do is achieve peace in the Middle East. Wishing does not make things so, as most children eventually learn.
And herein lies the problem. Psychologically, Bush is still a child, still deluded by childish ideas: 1) if he thinks he is doing the right thing (if his father in heaven guides him, for example) then things will turn out all right; 2) wishing can make it so; 3) he will succeed because he has magical powers that his predecessors didn't have.
This Middle East charade is just one more example of why in this election we need to choose a grown-up, someone who has all the things Bush lacks: intelligence, wisdom, good judgment, and psychological maturity.
