Thanksgiving, Crawford 2005

CRAWFORD, Texas A free-range turkey will grace the Thanksgiving table at the Bush ranch tomorrow.The entire Bush family, including former president and Barbara Bush and the current first lady's mother, will gather for a traditional spread. Air Force One flew down last night.
-News Item

And will the conversation at the table be free-range? I imagined what it might be like to the twins, who turn 24 this weekend, listening to conversations around the table. Most of us can take a breather from political issues of the day by simply talking about what's going on at work.

Not in Crawford.

There are plenty of holiday dinner tables where family businesses are discussed. How many tables though might be there a father and son discussing their differences about how each executed a war with Iraq?

George H.W.: Now, son, when I engaged in warfare with Saddam, we didn't just go off all half-cocked, without any plans. We sat down and mapped it out.

(George W. rolls his eyes.)

George H.W.: And we took the time to make friends and go in as a group where we could have the power in numbers.

George W: Well, we have numbers. What about Mongolia!

George H.W.: In my day, when we went to war with Iraq in my day, we...

(George W. sticks fingers in ears and hums loudly.)

And so it goes, and having worked in advertising for years with clients who are 2nd and 3rd generation family businesses, I see similarities in the Bush family business and any other one. Quite often when the son takes over, he either takes it to a grand new enlightened level, or botches it completely while overcompensating from the pressure caused by following in his father's footsteps.

How many times have you heard that W's policy book is pretty much this: Take what H.W. did and do the opposite. That's pretty typical behavior of the renegade son. Too bad we're along for the ride.

I've seen Mr. Bush on plenty of speeches and I think he'd be a wonderful president of the Rotary. If he only operated a distributorship or tire business, he'd be a fine hail-fellow-well-met, and his Christmas turkeys would be plump, and the fields trips that local schools conducted through his warehouse with the big trucks would be fun.

If only.

America ought to look at this Bush dynasty thing with reflection and stop indulging our Old Europe fantasies of a royal family. The Kennedys are withering on the vine and we oughtn't replace them with the Bushes. The nation is too chock full of talent, people who have earned their keep and risen from the muck, to keep handing the rudder to legacies. I go back to the topic of the family business. If you've ever worked in one, (and are not a member of the family) you realize that the deck is stacked against you. You'll never rise above the kid whose dad or uncle is in charge. That warps the sense of accomplishment, and rewards the mediocre or even the talentless. Criticicize corporations all you want, but at least merit is based on talent and genuine political skills.

The most successful presidential contenders in 2008 will be common-sense adults who will leave behind the shrillness of Karl Rove and be a relief to us all. By contrast, Mr. Bush's stammering simplicity will be shocking, not to just 50% of us, but to all of us -- on the right and left -- who have seen firsthand in two terms what unchecked radicalism can do to America in just a few short years. We will look back to 2001-2006 -- I'm hopeful that our national enlightenment occurs much faster than 2008 -- as our modern dark ages, when a lethargic America allowed intruders into its most precious institutions. In Thanksgivings hence, we shall look back and be thankful for waking up before it's too late.