IdeaGems's Blog

I simply don’t understand it. I pay no attention to the political scene (not for a long time). I don’t read the papers (too depressing). I don’t watch the news (Discovery and SciFi channels only). Then why, oh, why is President Bush in my brain?

Last night I had a dream where I was visiting friends in Maryland. They had a luxurious home and were expecting many visitors. I was sitting on the lush green lawn when suddenly a black limo pulls up to the curb and out steps GW.

I was in total shock and dismay. One, I never expected HIM to show up. Two, I didn’t want anything to do with HIM. And three, I was afraid HE would embarrass me in front of my left-of-center friends. But there HE was and he was becoming pretty friendly.

 

GW casually sidled up to me and struck up a conversation.  First, he asked me what I did and other small-talk generating questions. Slowly, he gained my confidence. Then came the true confessions (on his part) about how he had been sorely misrepresented by the media and the administration. He didn’t really believe in all the inane policies and actions that had transpired during his tenure in office. He was actually against the war and rumors of WMDs. 9-11 would be his great shame for not responding in the way he really wanted. He felt totally manipulated, blackmailed even, into doing and saying the outrageous things he had done.

 

I sat there listening as my friends’ guests began to arrive. Seeing me sitting with the reviled Prez, they all gave me peculiar looks. I feared social ostracizing and smiled nervously. Bush wanted to be introduced. Uh-oh….

 

We went inside the house where he proceeded to glad hand and back slap as if he were among old acquaintances. People grinned and politely scuttled away. He commented on how quaint the homes were in this high-end district of Metro DC. Of course, his homes were all palatial by comparison. I asked myself, “Does he even have a clue?”

 

Then it dawned on me. He didn’t have a clue about the people, the economy, world politics or anything else. He was merely a child a man’s body. He had never been allowed to grow up! Was I actually feeling sorry for him? How was that possible? He was a man, and a powerful one. He had cost thousands their lives and thousands of others their livelihood. He was a lousy leader and an embarrassing example of American authority. Why was I softening toward him then?

 

The cynic inside reader her critical-thinking head. “Don’t believe him. He wants to convince you he’s not the evil BLEEP you and everyone else knows him to be. He’s merely courting favor.”

 

“But why?” I ask. “It can’t be for the want of re-election. He’s filled his quota of terms. Could it be…? Did they actually nix the 22nd Amendment then without us knowing? Oh, my God! WE ARE DOOMED!”

Mr. Bush took his leave and left me and my friends to inhale the fumes of his totalitarian presence. My friends turned on me, grilled me, wanting to know how I could ever entertain the notion that GW wasn’t such a bad dude after all. I tried to reason with them that he simply didn’t know better, but they wouldn’t buy it.

 

The next thing I know, I’m back in Maine on my way to work when I get a mysterious phone call on my cell. A man with a deep, alluring voice asks me how my encounter with the President went. I told him fine. Then he starts asking my about a certain friend who had been in Maryland when I was there. He wanted to know where he was. Odd – one of the last things my friend told me was that he was going underground for a while. It didn’t quite click what that meant. Now, I knew. I asked the voice why he wanted to know. Voice told me that my friend was in grave danger to which I probed, “Are you the FBI or CIA or something equally nefarious?” The phone went dead.

 

Let me remind you (and myself) that this was all a very vivid dream that I had early in the morning of Nov. 15, 2007. The last disturbing dream I had like this was election night 2004. I saw the world explode in a white inferno. I didn’t realize until 11:30 a.m. the next day that hopeful November that Bush had won his second term.

 

Since then, I’ve had more than one dream about GW (and even Laura) and what a great guy he is. I have never in my life dreamed about a president. Why now, during this administration do I suffer these delusions? Has the CIA surreptitiously planted a chip in my brain? It’s bad enough Bush has taken over my country and my politic, but must he invade my head too? Is he trying to liberate me from the truth?   Something’s going on here that rubs entirely contrary to my natural grain! Am I the only one? I’m sure I’ll never know, but I will always harbor my suspicions.