The First 100 Days: Pretty Good Job For a “Dummy” After some thought, I’ve decided to join the chorus of people who insist on rating our presidents’ first 100 days in office. While a little over three months is not much time to make much of an impact on history, it does tend to give a preview about what we can expect over the next four years. Overall, I’d give George W. Bush a pretty good rating, though there is room for improvement (But I admit that I have not missed the weekly revelations of new mistresses or fishy campaign contributions to which we were subjected over the last 8 years). What has been most refreshing is that the public is not harping over the Florida mess – no mass protests at Bush speaking engagements by placard-waving chad counters. I believe that Americans feel confident in the White House’s leadership skills and almost feels ashamed of being duped into believing that Bush was an idiot. To ask for a tax cut of 1.6 trillion and then end up being guaranteed a lock on getting at least 1.2 trillion is pretty smart, if you ask me. To get back our airmen from a repressive dictatorship in 11 days without having to fire a shot or threaten to attack was also pretty good (now if we can just get that plane back). And Bush seems not only to want to protect Tawain from the Chinese, but he wants the whole world to know that we will. It was also nice to see Bush recognize that people need to realize that actions have consequences – for instance, no student aid if you do drugs. The Clinton administration conveniently overlooked this regulation. Bush has had to avoid other Clinton potholes – like the trap that Clinton set when he recommended arsenic levels of 10 parts per billion two days before leaving office. I don’t envy Bush’s position (not to mention having to use the same desk where Monica did her civic duty). Bush’s first 100 days have not been totally full of adeptness, though. He doesn’t seem to know how or where to take a stand on environmental issues. I get the feeling that he wants to appease the environmentalist agenda so that he doesn’t look “dispassionate.” Remember, Mr. Bush, it was these same environmentalists who convinced Clinton not to clear the brush out West, resulting in massive wildfires. It was these same environmentalists who blocked power plant construction in California, thus resulting in the main cause of the recent blackouts. And frankly, I don’t know what he was thinking when he created “faith-based” funding to cities. The religious organizations seem to want nothing to do with the government money and it’s strings. So, overall, I’m pleased with the first 100 days. However, I’m not holding my breath that four years from now we’ll see any reduction in the size of the government.