I was laboring under a misconception of vast proportions, of which I have lately been soundly and painfully disabused. I believed that George W. Bush — through the politically nefarious connivance of the Courts — stole the 2000 election, pretended to his office, deceived Congress into granting him authority to wage an illegal and unprovoked war, turned his back on the civilized world community, then deceived the American people to send their sons and daughters to die for nothing in particular.

I believed that, through ongoing deceit and for inscrutable personal and political reasons, our troops have remained – quagmired – in an escalating occupation of counter-insurgency, now against the will of Congress and the American people.

I believed that the corrupt impetus of all this sad bloodshed – not to mention unfathomable domestic incompetence – had come to light, so that the people could see that, whatever it is, it was never so righteous and essential as Bush claimed it to be.I believed that we were the good guys, that once it was shown that we attacked a country that was no real threat to us, killed many of its children, and secreted its citizens in camps – without human rights or due process of law – Americans would rise up – at least as a majority of reasonable people – and hurl this man and his minions from power.

The election of George W. Bush, to serve now as legitimate president, is nothing less than a resounding ratification of his fascist, protectionist policies. He is not, as I supposed, a radical leader dragging an unwilling and ultimately benign society into a turmoil of misguided violence, isolation, and divisive chaos. While there are certainly many among us who recoil at the antisocial, self-righteous, sometimes cruel acceleration of our Orwellian national juggernaut, there are far more who approve. It turns out that Americans would rather follow a straight-talking idiot than an intellectual statesman. The Nascar Dads, NRA misfits, and homophobes must have their good old boy, come what may. Thus, it is not a rogue presidency that we see stampeding into the new century, but a rogue nation.

Perhaps its just as well that Kerry didn’t win. He’s too much a statesman to heave aloft The Lord of the Flies on its spike for the cheering crowd. As for me, we still have the First Amendment, for now. I hope there will always be dissenters, tapping out futile calls for reserve and moderation, from the ruins of a city on a hill.