How is it possible for a fool like George Bush to become president of
the United States? What does this teach us?

That the electorate are even more foolish?

Money can buy ANYTHING.

Certainly some people would now quote Jean de Maistre who wrote "Toute
nation a le gouvernement qu´elle mérite". But that would be terribly
unfair. No nation on this planet deserves G.W. Bush.

The way all politicians get elected, by scaring people so badly they
will turn to anyone who claims to have a solution.

Just look at the broadcast news - you would think everyone is dying of
terrorist attacks or home invasions despite the fact that as the
population ages and there are fewer teens, crime is actually falling.

It teaches us that the other option wasn't better.

"How is it possible for a fool like George Bush to become president of
the United States? What does this teach us?"

Short answer: American voters fall for iconic images. The campaign
that creates the best iconic image of an American President will win.

Long answer: Americans want a President who looks and seems like a
fixed image: White, male, married with children, Christians only, tall
and even build, excellent education, no facial hair, not bald, affable
personality is ok, charismatic is better. Patriotic image is better
than patriotic reality, so WW II hero George McGovern lost big to
Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter the Annapolis grad lost to Ronald Reagan,
just as George H. W. Bush the WW II hero lost to Bill Clinton as Bob
Dole did too. George W. Bush defeated John McCain and John Kerry.

Reagan and Cheney on horses with cowboy hats, guns and chain saws to
clear brush. Dubya as a sportsman rides a bike, fishes and golfs,
wears cowboy and military costumes well.

Looking and sounding trumps doing.

And for a future Prez:

George Clooney

(Remember, you saw it here first.)

It teaches us that intellectualism isn't valued in today's
deteriorating world society anymore... just sheer vengeance-oriented
gung-ho.

I forgot the What it teaches us? part.

It teaches us to keep as much of our assets in non $ currencies and invest heavily 
overseas because those low interest rates just mean too much available
money supply and that always means those printing presses are running
110% - the chickens always come home to roost and, this time, they may
have bird flu.

The value of the $ has dropped massively in the past few years - I bet
the Bushes and even the Greenspans don't have most of their money
invested in the U.S.

Another politician would just have done something else stupid, at
least with Busy and Chaney it was easy to guess that oil and gold
would go up so only people who couldn't see that (or are unemployed)
were actually harmed so far.

It wasn't hard to see that it was a better idea to buy oil stocks than a new SUV.

Or, am I crazy?

Who said:  Every nation gets the leadership it deserves?

In case no one else of import has said it, I know I've made that comment.

What about the role of the over-concentrated corporate media as an
instrument of obfuscation.  And it was Pope John Paul II who said that
"if it didn't happen on TV then it didn't happen".

If the corporate media refuses to provide proportional and equitable
coverage of the marginal candidates (like Nader--regardless of how one
might dislike him) then the two major parties are not impelled towards
broad-based big-tent nuanced platforms.

and Ted Turner weighs in on Big Media in a 2004 piece from the washington monthly.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0407.turner.html

How is it possible for a fool like George Bush to become president of
the United States?

the supreme court ordered a halt to the florida recounte.  they agreed
with bush that the recount violated the equal protection clause
because there was no state-wide standard for recounting votes and
would have been impossible to implement one in time for the deadline
to submit florida's.  this allowed the florida secretary of state to
declare george bush the winner in florida's election

What does this teach us?

that your electoral system is so fucked up you need the supreme court
to elect a president