Mort Sahl said:
The reason people still remember [John F. Kennedy] is because he’s a metaphor for what they were capable of. And the reason they hate Nixon is he’s the metaphor for what they became.
Makes you wonder what Sahl would say Bush is a metaphor for.
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His name is Sahl. No 't'. Harrumph.
Bush is a metaphor for what happens if you let your kids enjoy drug and alcohol abuse for forty-odd years while sitting on your hands smiling like there's nothing wrong.
Bush is a metaphor for the danger of letting the wrong people be parents.
I think that this is a good answer to your question....
George W. Bush is a metaphor for what nanny-staters would like us to be; clueless, ineffectual, disorganized, dependent, indecisive, obstinant, and compliant.
Bush is a metaphor for John Fitzgerald Nixon. Here was a young, handsome President who had the highest poll ratings in history and (after 9/11) a firm message of support from every country in the world except Afghanistan. Such an opportunity for positive global action had never been presented to any President in history. It seemed to be the "American moment" when the US could take steps to make the world a safer place. Call that the John Fitzgerald part.
Now we have the Nixon era. An arrogant, wilful President hiding in his bunker, afraid of the contempt that is his lot from public and press. A wasted, corrupt Presidency winding to an ignominious end. A figure of fun, a thing of shreds and patches that might still do some damage.
Where did it all go wrong? There is something in the "spoiled brat" theory, the stupid arrogance that thinks daddy's wealth and daddy's friends would always bail you out. Therefore you could indulge yourself in wars and campaigns, missions accompished, "dead or alive" braggadoccio and favours showered on old pals. No need for the hard graft of building and maintaining alliances, making deals and keeping them, looking at the long term, learning political savvy. I'm President of a superpower, right, so let me play with my toys. Let daddy's friends keep telling you what a Great President you were, and assuring you that your Great place in history was secure.
But even daddy's friends are not forever, and after a while you might begin to suspect that some of them, like your sinister Vice President, see themselves as your puppermasters. Where do you turn to, then?
[sorry, my english isn't very good]
I guess, bush ist a metaphor for election fraud and the war and unorganized reconstruction in iraq (I hope, the american people don't forget this for their next election)
Bush is a metaphor for what happens when you combine gross incompetence with a Nixonian attitude. Just about everything his administration has done has been the fall out of those two things.