Bush successor will inherit tremendous global disarray

Well, we're entering the home stretch in one of the most obvious political failures of government the United States has ever experienced.

I would like to hear the administration's satraps and blind supporters explain away the political and economic mess the country and, by extension, the world are in.

Thousands of Iraqis and Americans have died, and millions more Iraqis have been turned into refugees in and outside their country. The world is worse off for meeting George W. Bush.
For those who don't give a hoot about the world, let's look at the United States. Aside from the abridgement of American freedoms, along with a slew of lies and useless posturing, this administration has hit Americans in their pocketbooks and jobs.

The cost of living has increased to a level that makes shopping for food a seriously expensive endeavor. A huge number of Americans can't make ends meet because inflation has eaten away at their earnings. Health care is beyond most people, some who foolishly chance to either not sign up or, to save money, choose plans that provide them with catastrophic care only.

And don't let the unemployment figures fool you: One can be employed but remain poor.

Oil prices have hit the $80 mark and will continue to increase, because little has been done by the administration to stymie the increase. Most important, little money has been allocated for alternate fuel research and almost no increases in fuel efficiency have been mandated. Since oil executives had their meeting with Vice President Dick Cheney a few years ago, the price of a barrel of oil has increased by $35.

But perhaps most serious is the increase in the national debt, which jumped by $3.6 trillion in less than six years.

No use crying over spilled milk, but what will the next leader inherit? I feel sorry for Bush's successor, for there is little that he or she can do to fix this mess and the United States can't afford to remain in a mess. When a hegemony is in disarray, the whole system follows.

The global economic system is currently supported and maintained by the United States. Irrespective of the strength of the euro or any other currency, no country can provide the liquidity for the global economy to function or provide a market the size of the American market.

Maybe in 40 or 50 years, China will emerge as an economic powerhouse to rival the United States, but for that to happen, Chinese quality of life and income need to drastically improve.
Hegemonic weakness can also lead to flare-ups in the system. It is the job of the hegemony to ensure stability and set up parameters to contain any conflict that might emerge.

In short, it is not easy being a leader of the most powerful country in the world because one needs the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job and the strength of Samson.

Making policy for America is, in the final analysis, making policy for the world. I don't need to go into detail or elaborate on the impact of the United States on the world. Suffice it to say that Americans have a huge burden on their shoulders, for when they pick a leader, they define the future of the globe.

Small wonder, then, that so many people in the world are angry at Bush. We can, of course, dismiss them and tell them to mind their own business since America is free to do what it wants.

But can we really? The answer is no, for whether we like it or not, our actions have a direct consequence on every life in the planet. The United States set up this system of interdependence after World War II, and until the next hegemony comes along, we can't arbitrarily change the rules of the game. So, Americans, choose wisely.