Critics can't resist one last Bush-bashing
By Dana Hull


Mercury News

Posted: 01/06/2009 09:25:47 PM PST


(photo) Marjorie Mather, 91, reacts after hitting a picture of President George W. Bush... ( Jamie Lusch

Eddy Sheldon hates George W. Bush so much, he's throwing the president a party. He figures it's the best way to celebrate the conclusion of one of the nation's most unpopular presidencies, or as Bush critics are calling it, the "end of an error."

The 62-year-old marble and tile contractor is so giddy about Bush's final days that he's organizing a free "Goodbye Mr. Bush, Welcome Obama'' concert featuring a rock band, a blues trio and a nine-piece mariachi band.

"I am really ticked off with Bush, am really annoyed with him,'' said Sheldon, who expects a huge turnout for the Jan. 20 concert in Mountain View's central plaza. "I mean not only is he a bozo, but he's hurt a lot of people. People are actually dead because of him — Iraq, Katrina. I'm happy to see the guy go. Goodbye and good riddance.''

As Bush's eight years come to a close, critics are creatively venting. So how do liberals in the Bay Area and beyond hate Bush? Let us count the ways.

"Goodnight, Bush,'' a parody of the children's classic "Goodnight, Moon,'' has been a best-seller for weeks. There are Bush piñatas, dog biscuits and toilet paper for sale. A Vermont entrepreneur has made a small fortune selling "01.20.09'' bumper stickers, T-shirts and other items celebrating Bush's last day. You can while away the hours with Bush countdown clocks, which are sold as key chains or can be downloaded from the Internet.

On Jan. 19, San Francisco will witness the first ever "Potrero Hill Shoe Throwing Carnival,'' a nod to Iraqi journalist Muntadar al-Zaidi, who famously hurled his loafers at Bush last month. Participants are invited to throw old shoes at an effigy of Bush and "cleanse your soul from 8 years of carnage and stupidity.''

Organizer Jawad Ali, 44, sent out dozens of invitations to friends, who eagerly replied.

"Do I get extra points if I purchase 5-inch stilettos, file the heels into dagger-sharp points, & manage to puncture the torso?'' wrote one woman who plans to attend. The Internet has hosted a virtual shoe throwing; at least 75 million shoes have "successfully hit President Bush in the face" at www.sockandawe.com.

Jamilla El-Shafei, a Maine activist, is also collecting shoes from across the country as part of her "Shoe (shoo) Bush out of the White House'' effort. She's organizing a massive shoe toss near the White House; the shoes will then be donated to local homeless shelters in Washington, D.C.

"Year after year it's been one assault after another,'' said El-Shafei of Bush's presidency. "He's eviscerated our Constitution. He lied to get us into the war, and he destroyed the country of Iraq. And the torture — he's the worst president in American history.''

With approval ratings below 30 percent, historians are already discussing Bush's legacy.

"Many historians are now wondering whether Bush, in fact, will be remembered as the very worst president in all of American history,'' wrote Princeton history professor Sean Wilentz in Rolling Stone magazine.

Paul George, executive director of the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center in Palo Alto, says the center was going to hold a "Bush Bash'' but canceled because Move on and local Obama campaign offices are hosting so many parties already.

In San Francisco, local designers and performance artists are hosting a fashion event featuring models in "detainee wear'' to commemorate Bush's establishment of secret prison sites and controversial interrogation practices.

"We want to keep the issues of detention and torture in the public mind,'' said organizer David Duckworth, who hopes that one of President-elect Barack Obama's first acts is shutting down the Guantánamo Bay detention camp. "Although promises have been made, overall there is no guarantee that the federal government will change its policies or procedures in the near future.''

Still, while many Bay Area liberals will celebrate Bush's final days in office with sarcasm and champagne, others warn that serious work lies ahead.

"We have a right to be joyful that Bush is finally departing,'' said David Walls, a longtime chronicler of peace and social justice movements and retired sociology professor at Sonoma State. "But the best revenge is going to be changing his policies. People are gearing up for the work ahead. We need to get programs like universal health care enacted, we need to end the Iraq war, and we need to green the economy.''

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