"Stop Bushing Us"

Written by: Matt Bradwell

Chief Operating Officer

Joboja

Unless he wants to be remembered as the worst Commander-in-Chief since Andrew Jackson, President Bush needs to establish a rapport of unbridled honesty with the media and the American people.

The final quarter of his presidency has seen an alarming number of people leave the administration for various reasons.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Attorney General John Ashcroft, Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge and Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove have all voluntarily left their appointed positions within the cabinet. Each of these men has given a reasonably plausible explanation for his early departure, but to the outsider looking in, it sure seems like everyone is jumping ship.

In what may be an attempt to appear firm and forceful, President Bush has been consistently tight-lipped when dealing with the press.

Such a policy is understandable given the administration’s inability to sell its policies, the laughable (but undeniably marketable to red-state voters) mumbling and stumbling of the president himself and Katie Couric coaxing Laura Bush into admitting she supports a woman's right to choose.

Just because it's understandable does not mean it works.

President Bush needs to openly address why so many members of his cabinet are stepping down, instead of just patting them on the back and saying they've done a heck of a job.

He needs to finally, after almost four years, address why former administration members Colin Powell and Christy Whitman stepped down early, and can't be paid to say nice things about the White House. He needs to cut the PR and say, "Hey, this is what's been going on and here's why."

Otherwise, GOP critics who can now sing "He's out Nixon-ed Nixon!" in perfect harmony could be proven right.