By R.J. Godlewski
© April 29, 2009, All Rights Reserved
(Right Truth Exclusive)
Often, when someone finally breaks the bonds of a horrible relationship, they soon find themselves trapped within an even more brutal partnership. That is, for example, a wife who divorces her alcoholic spouse might very well end up with a new partner who is even more abusive – perhaps physically – than her ex ever was. Sadly, the new relationship is far shorter, far more destructive than the original situation. I have witnessed this too many times to dismiss the theory as mere coincidence.
A strange facet of the new relationship often centers upon greater tolerance for abuse and hope that “it will be different this time around”. Perhaps the victim is simply experiencing denial. That, somehow, the more abusive spouse – being new – might be tamed into civility. Frequently, the victim imagines their previous marriage as the root cause of their life’s difficulties and this transcends into excuse for the horrible behavior of the new partner. That as long as he or she believes that the past was far worse than the present, then tomorrow could only be better.
In the dozens of cases that I have personally witnessed, the victim quickly found out that they were simply fooling themselves on several accounts. They discovered that their previous spouse was quite tame in comparison with subsequent partners but that as they grew older they had simply capitulated to the fear of not having anyone available and so launched into the new relationship without much forethought. They quickly forfeited security – and sanity – solely because they “thought” that life had been unbearable. Only when they discovered their ultimate breaking point did they come to realize how quickly they had jumped the gun in the past.
Today, our nation is experiencing a similar period of denial and blame. For eight long years we’ve conditioned ourselves to blame the previous president for all our society’s ills and, hoping for the better, we have turned towards a dashing and handsome new partner who promised to offer a brighter and more hopeful future. Unfortunately, in doing so, we have simply allowed ourselves to fall into the trap that “anyone” would be better than what we had in the past.
In just one hundred days of the Obama Presidency, we have seen our national security physically tank, our proud heritage verbally abused, and our hard earned money siphoned away on excessive pleasures. While we remain at home diligently working to improve our life’s lot, President Obama has been jet setting around the world engaging in photo ops with the strangest sort of people imaginable. Instead of taking your children and grandchildren into consideration, he has spread your savings around to his friends. Far more egregious, however, he has convinced you that it was President Bush, your presidential ex, who was the far more abusive partner.
Without stepping back to consider our options beforehand, we have thrust our future into the arms of the very first body we came across. We cared less about his psychological profile, his ability to handle money, even his employment history than the fact that he was not our ex. His associations make us cringe, he’s rarely home to tend to domestic responsibilities, cannot ever speak in public without being prompted, and apparently never pays much attention to gift registries. So why are we so infatuated with the “new guy”?
Did we fall for his Ivy-league credentials over real world experience? Did he look more pleasing to the eye than the one we first chose? Is he simply more “hip” and makes us feel younger and more attractive? You tell me – I’ve never been involved within a bad relationship. Troublesome, yes. Chaotic, definitely. Bad? Never. Sara and I worked through our problems until we solved them to the benefit of all concerned. In return, I had become a rather good judge of character.
At some point in the future, the vast majority of Americans are going to discover that life under President Bush was not all that bad. Sure, he did some things that drove us mad, but nothing like what we’re going to see during the next four years. Yes, the world hated President Bush, but they also feared him and it was this fear that kept us safe for seven years. President Obama is too fixated upon “image” to safeguard us. Perhaps it behooves us to remember that two of our most “unprepossessing” presidents – Washington and Lincoln – were also two of our greatest.
Culture and education are piss poor qualities to possess during a period of war. Neither Generals Grant, Sherman, nor Patton would have been desired company within a formal gathering, yet they secured our freedoms admirably. They replaced people who were well versed in academics and management, but could not make decisions when decisions were all that stood between our country and slavery. Whatever your political views, our nation is now married to an administration that just might make us reflect upon the good ol’ Bush Doctrine. Unfortunately, divorce is getting harder and more expensive by the minute.
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