When Greek antiques met the incoming Roman warriors, what usually was left of the library was in shambles and flames; there was always much blood on the floor and the walls, and after not as much book learning as sword contests forever and a day ever after. And such fine minds who could bring others together in a common goal based on mutual discussion leading to what seemed a meeting common ground between two very opposing views.

And in that regard we see the senior President Bush as not unlike Aristotle, who held the high moral authority through a horrible challenge with Iraq. G.H.W. Bush was forced to become as Alexander only when his brilliant team brought together as Team World so many disparate nations one had to blink to see all these mortal enemies on the same side because Satanic Saddam had done a bad thing.

He also had frightened the world with his potential control of too much oil for any one despot to be trusted with. So the world stood tall with the senior, more Aristotle Bush and his fine men, who were able to reason and discuss until the moral authority of the world through the United Nations was in agreement.

And the warning from nervous neighbors was just do not invade his land. What a tall order that was to stop all our fevered anger at that border. I think as well as a nervous economy, the Senior President Bush may have been in part punished because very wrongly he was seen as weak, as the over the top generals shouted. He had performed the task brilliantly. I thought at the time that perhaps the second coming of a Bush was to apologize to dad.

That second coming, as the polls say we see, has unfortunately laid a lump of flaming coal on more families over there, and over here. Soon to be four thousand families missing a son or daughter, as funds to provide hospitals instead go to guns, misery death destruction. Who voted for this, anyway? oh, right, we did.

Time to end the elephant parade, allow a donkey serenade, with large scoops and repair tools. Like the last time, if the elephants are allowed to overstay, there is financial hell to pay, and they load the donkey carts, repair the follies, and take it all away. If you dig in from the high ground, there is more fresh air up here. But it will take years from minus 800 billion dollars a year for years. Dad and Bill called that economics voodoo. Who do? Georgie, you do.

Now to now. Aristotle could teach a diamond of a burning soul named Alexander, who would go and prove that he was Great, but just continue on far too long, dying exhausted in Baghdad. To paraphrase another great Texan, George W. Bush, you are no Alexander.

Much more like Nero, you took over a thriving Rome and play with your toy soldiers while Rome burns. As Aristotle, Alexander, and your daddy were great sparkling diamonds, you were our lump of coal. We see clean, clear diamonds in our future, fewer lumps of coal. Can we say thanks for the memories, as Ronald Reagan might have said. Again, most just say no.