All In a Day's Work

From the AP: "President Bush worked nearly three hours at his Texas ranch on Thursday to design a new U.S. policy in Iraq, then emerged to say that he and his advisers need more time to craft the plan he'll announce in the new year."

Wow. Nearly three whole hours? Including bathroom breaks?

Seriously, the majority of the country has wanted a change in Iraq policy for months, and for many it's been years. It was seven weeks ago that the nation sent a strong message for change in the midterm election, and over three weeks ago the bipartisan Iraq Study Group did the same.

Speaking of responsiveness, after Bush's three hours of work at the ranch, he gave a two minute statement to the press. Upon finishing, he turned and walked away in the middle of a reporter's question.

Bushie, you're doing a heck of a job!

I know this sort of thing is nothing new, and it really shouldn't surprise me. But I can't help but be blown away by the thought that this is the most important position in what is heralded as the greatest democracy in the world.

And that notion is more than just rhetorical. While it may start off that way, it's an ideal that infuses and shapes our nation's policies, particularly foreign, which means, if used, it's an important belief to truly uphold. Either that or we should just drop it altogether.