Inaugurations Classy and Corrupt

Yeah, I know, it's not exactly the meme of the moment anymore. But I was brought back to it today by:

"Instead of being the host of an expensive Inaugration celebration while members of the U.S. military are dying in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush could have unified the country by putting the $40 million that the festivities cost into a trust fund. That money could have been paid to the families of our military dead and to the injured and battle-worn survivors of conflicts." — David M. Pepper, Malibu, CA

The above letter appeared in this week's TIME, and when I read it, it just floored me: why didn't Bush do that? It would have been an amazing bit of PR for him. Hell, I hate the guy, and even I would have begrudgingly given him major props for the gesture. I suppose the only reason my cynical (and still semi-bleary) head can come up with is that it would have appeared to have been a concession to the charges, and thus a weakness. He would have only gotten the credit if he had come up with the idea first, instead of having it be a reaction to the charges of overextravagance. Still, a man that would let his ego and reputation get in the way of making substantial assistance ... Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) noted at the time that $40 million could have bought 690 Humvees and a $290 bonus for each soldier serving in Iraq.

I have to respect FDR. In the middle of World War II, his inauguration "ball" was a short speech at the White House followed by a buffet luncheon featuring chicken salad and pound cake - and that was it. Class. The American public should expect no less of this moron. Unfortunately, they'll no doubt continue to let him get away with everything he wants, showing them to be braindead morons themselves. I hate to have such a low opinion of the American populace — it's not exactly useful, let alone nice — but why do they let him get away with so much sh—t?!