What a way to go!

What a way to go!
6th Jan. 2009
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/01/06/letter-what-a-way-go.html

A few years back, the shoe bomber Richard Reid who concealed explosives in his shoes so he could blow up a flight made headlines and now a shoe-thrower is in the news for launching his shoes as missiles to hit U.S. President George W. Bush.
Fortunately, President Bush showed remarkable nimbleness and agility to get out of harm's way.
What a way to go for Bush! From the dizzy heights of mass adulation and record approval ratings after his post-9/11 speech to the Congress, when his every sentence got a standing ovation from U.S. lawmakers, he now has the distinction of having the lowest approval rating ever.
Who can forget him standing on the debris of the Word Trade Center buildings with a bullhorn, saying, "All are hearing your voice" and who can also forget his "what-the-hell-happened?" expression at the recent Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting?
Like the look we saw on his face when an aide informed him the towers had been hit by terrorists' planes while he was reading to the Florida school kids!
Like Abhimanyu in the epic Mahabharata, he knew how to get in, but didn't know how to come out!
His response time after the Katrina disaster was also highly criticized by the U.S. media.
Looks like he did not see the imminent financial meltdown coming because he and his officers were declaring the U.S. economy was sound just a couple of months before it hit.
He widened the gap between the ultra-ultra-rich and ultra-poor by giving tax breaks to the former. He failed to create a strong middle class which is required for prosperity in any democracy.
All in all, a very inept presidency and Muntadhar al-Zaidi's action, though highly deplorable and condemnable, was an appraisal of sorts!
K. B. KALE, Jakarta