Between the Chicks and the Boss, how far we have fallen

Back in the day, I made a lot of fun of George W. Bush. I didn’t think America could do much worse than electing him. Did we elect him, though? There was the whole Florida hanging-chad voting machine debacle, to which Al Gore graciously conceded.

Later, when Bush claimed that he was “the decider” a lot of Americans knew that that was a spurious claim. Vice President Dick Cheyney was often the puppeteer, and “W” was the puppet. If the president said it, it was less a measure of his being a decider and more of being a town crier for his vice president’s will.

On Sept. 11, 2001, Bush was in Florida listening to children read in an elementary classroom. He already knew that a plane had flown into one of the Twin Towers, but at that point, no one knew that it was a commercial jet.

The president’s appearance in Florida was good PR for promoting No Child Left Behind and a good photo op. When a second plane hit the second tower, and it was clear this was no accident, the cameras caught Andrew Card whispering into “W’s” ear, and all of America could see the president momentarily freeze and then turn back to the children.

That inaction infuriated many. I uncharitably thought that, without his buddy Dick nearby, perhaps “W” didn’t know how to respond. There may be some truth to that, but the president said later that interrupting a classroom and stirring up a frenzy would cause unnecessary havoc.

I’m not the first writer to say this but lately I sort of miss George W. Yes, he claimed that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction and then sent our young men into Afghanistan. Failing to find Osama bin Laden there, he continued sending more and more young men into the fray.

This is ancient news. Why bring it up now?

People forget how 9/11 changed how we viewed ourselves, how vulnerable we suddenly felt and how it lit a match for super-patriotic fervor. So, two years later, and days before troops were set to be sent to Iraq, the Dixie Chicks (now known as the Chicks) were in London. Lead singer, Natalie Maines said, “Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas.”

Her statement was widely reviled in America. One could accurately say that it was a moment from which the group has never fully recovered. Fans turned on the three women, destroying their CDs and merch with bulldozers and other means. Radio stations stopped playing their music. They became pariahs among their fans and sales plummeted. They even received death threats.

What did George W. Bush, the President of the United States do in response to all of this?

He issued this statement: “The Dixie Chicks are free to speak their mind.”

Imagine a president so untroubled by criticism that he can turn his attention away from a cultural dust-up and attend to matters of international importance.

That’s why I miss George W. He was a grown-up and not a thin-skinned man-baby who must always and forever be adored.

Contrast this behavior with the current resident of the White House who, after Bruce Springsteen made a speech against some of the president’s hateful actions, is hell-bent on vengeance.

One of the things “The Boss” spoke against was this administration’s quashing of free speech. “In my home, they’re persecuting people for their right to free speech and voicing their dissent. That’s happening now,” Springsteen said. 

The president, in turn, said that Springsteen “ought to KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT until he gets back into the Country, that’s just ‘standard fare.’ Then we’ll all see how it goes for him!”

There’s no “rising above” with 45/47, and there’s no respect for freedom of speech. We know all of this about him, sure, but to finish the statement with a threat, well, that’s not surprising, either, sadly.

George W. Bush was not a bright man, but he had manners, and he respected the office which he served.

How quaint it all seems, as though it were another era entirely.

Joan Zwagerman is thankful for the fundamental right of free speech and wishes the president felt the same.