George W. Bush just got off the hook. Maureen Dowd has relieved him of the distinction of smashing the country more than any other president. She now says that honor must go to Donald Trump. In a probable bid for a total tweet war, the feisty journalist has produced a series of put-downs that nearly surpasses Trump in acidity. She concludes her letter to Trump with these words: "It took 'W' years to smash everything. You’re way ahead of schedule."
Bush bashing
Given the fact that Trump made campaign hay vilifying the Bush family, skewering Jeb and condemning the war in Iraq, Dowd's serial slur is bound to be noted by the tweet-prone president.
The fact that she is a favored opinion writer on the New York Times, where her attack appeared, will add fuel to the fire. The political charade we are in just got louder.
Did Trump get played by the GOP?
According to Dowd, the GOP saw Trump as a "delusional dupe" who was utterly ignorant regarding the health bill he was hawking. She describes him as sitting around in a bathrobe depending on whacked-out FOX News folk for information. Dowd contends that Trump was a gullible victim of the GOP and the business community who set him up to do what they wanted. Others might contend that Trump, for all of his faults, forced the GOP into some degree of compliance with his aims and that the healthcare fiasco was a perfect storm of incompetence involving both the GOP leadership and the Trump team.
Is Donald a sucker?
Dowd begins her column by saying Trump is a sucker and tool of the Washington establishment. She says he has substituted ham-handed management of a motley staff for Reagan's smiling professionalism. She faults him for his conspiracy theory predilections and for behaving like Steve Bannon whom she calls a Manichean anarchist.
Donald, This I Will Tell You https://t.co/vKyj0o4QAw
— Stephen C. Rose (@stephencrose) March 26, 2017
The health care context
The context of the Dowd column is health care and her obvious sense that the GOP effort was flawed. These points can be conceded and generally are by observers on all sides. What is more questionable is why a prime columnist for Trump's most formidable enemy would offer him such a golden opportunity to respond.
