From the beginning to the end we have been led into a canyon of false dreams.

Where was the courage of the press corps to call George Bush a “liar," to his face, during any of his press conferences? Was the press corps imperially sprayed with everlasting confusion powder from the beginning? Is it still lost inside the veils of idiocy? The President lies to our face, and nothing is done--by anyone.

Trace the history of other empires and see their destruction repeated in our times. We have all lost the strength, courage and wisdom of our founding fathers. And we have been betrayed by those that should know better.

Why should we expect anything better?

Bohdan Yuri

Kennebunk, ME

A good review of the situation. However, I believe the EU may be heading down the tubes too. I was watching BBC World News the other night, and they had a piece where Airbus is forcing some of their sub-contractors to outsource some of their production overseas, similar to Boeing's operation. This means that European-based companies are seeking to drive down wages and benefits in the EU. No high wages and benefits, no market, because no one can afford to buy anything. This is a particularly dumb move, as most of these businesses are located in Toulouse near their plant. Use more oil and transportation costs go through the roof. This is particularly ironic, because Boeing had trouble getting parts from overseas to get their new Dream Liner off the ground. This may have been one of the reasons that the Air Force went with Air Bus instead of Boeing for their new tankers. However, if they operate like Boeing, they will screw up like Boeing. The main reason for Alexander Hamilton's tariff policy was to create an industrial base: "to render the United States independent of foreign nations for military and other essential supplies." How the mighty have fallen!

Pervis J. Casey

Riverside, CA

Fear not, Robert Scheer! Bush's legacy is only apparently in good shape. He leaves the White House totally frustrated and the public will never forgive him his sins. He has destroyed our budgetary future, killed thousands of American service personnel needlessly and presided over our decline economically, financially, ethically and morally. Even McCain will, when he is able to act freely, end the Iraq fiasco, as Eisenhower ended the Korean one. Bush is loathed by his opponents and barely tolerated by his supporters. Never in US history has such a failure been seen in a President, not even in the latter half of the nineteenth century, when most Presidents were mediocrities. Let us hope we learn that a nonentity and ignorant man or woman should not be voted into this high office. Had the Democratic voters in the nominating process focused on ability rather than gender or race, they would have given some attention to people like Joe Biden or Chris Dodd instead of the female stand-in for Bill Clinton and the talented black stand-in for Jeremiah Wright. Lord help us!

Norman Ravitch

Savannah, GA

The idiot's grin is well earned. G.W. Bush may be a failure by our lights, and in history's view, but not in thesatisfied eyes of his wealthy backers and colleagues whom his Administration has made vastly wealthier, while beggaring the rest of us.

Mission accomplished.

As Cheney has just said, when asked about the two-thirds of Americans who think the Iraq war a mistake: "So?"

The smirk is fully justified. Elected once, elected twice.

Scammed, we'll pay the price for decades to come.

R.H. Weber

Geneva, Switzerland