Confusing times

I accept that President Bush narrowly won the November election. It's tough knowing I'm stuck having to hear his grating voice for the next four years. It's tough having to listen to conservatives gloat incessantly and then demand I 'reach out' to them. And it's tough listening to the far right whine about how marginalized they are because the president isn't religious enough and how they're being martyrized. But he won. Legitimately, it seems. And this time, America actually deserves him.

But I still get confused from time to time..

The president's supporters say that the Iraq war showed his character (opponents say the same thing, but that's another essay). Yes, the war provoked a backlash, large protests and vehement objections. It made some people truly despise Bush not just as a president, but as a person. But he showed his resolve. He showed his character by holding the line despite the objections and supposed character assassinations. A true leader does the right thing, not because it's popular but because it's necessary. He did the right thing based on his conscience and would be vindicated by history and by the course of events in Iraq and the Middle East, not by the whims of the day. At least according to Bush supporters

Then I read:

"Well, we had an accountability moment, and that's called the 2004 election," Bush said. "And the American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates, and they chose me, for which I'm grateful."

This was a nice smokescreen by President Bush to a query on why no one in the administration had been held accountable for the WMD fiasco. Of course, the question was why the administration hadn't held ITSELF accountable but the president neatly changed the subject.

Anyways, this begs the question: if the true vindication comes from history and a future democratic Iraq, according to the longstanding contentions of the Bush apologists, why is the president suddenly claiming vindication of his policy from a narrow win in a mere popularity contest? What happened the great statesman who was above mere politics? What happened to history being the true judge of wisdom, rather than the "mobs"?

Confusing times we live in, those of us who try to make sense of this administration.