MUST READ: Without a Doubt

If you are a registered voter, you must read this article from the NY Times Magazine. It is a very detailed and disturbing look at the character of the Bush administration. Here's a taste:

Each administration, over the course of a term, is steadily shaped by its president, by his character, personality and priorities. It is a process that unfolds on many levels. There are, of course, a chief executive's policies, which are executed by a staff and attending bureaucracies. But a few months along, officials, top to bottom, will also start to adopt the boss's phraseology, his presumptions, his rhythms. If a president fishes, people buy poles; if he expresses displeasure, aides get busy finding evidence to support the judgment. A staff channels the leader.

A cluster of particularly vivid qualities was shaping George W. Bush's White House through the summer of 2001: a disdain for contemplation or deliberation, an embrace of decisiveness, a retreat from empiricism, a sometimes bullying impatience with doubters and even friendly questioners. Already Bush was saying, Have faith in me and my decisions, and you'll be rewarded. All through the White House, people were channeling the boss. He didn't second-guess himself; why should they?

I'm going to forward this article to everyone I know. It is a long read, but extremely relevant.

The New York Times > Magazine > Without a Doubt

If you are in Texas, you have eleven more days to vote early (before Nov. 2)!