Comparing the 'Idiot Heir' and 'Wicked Heir

8/14/2019 Comparing the 'Idiot Heir' and 'Wicked Heir'

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Comparing the 'Idiot Heir'

and the 'Wicked Heir'by Jesusa Bernardo

First published at Newsvine Tue Jan 20, 2009 5:01 AM GMT

Every 20th of January following the quadrennialpresidential elections, the United States of

America holds the inauguration of its new chiefexecutive. This day this year of 2009, BarackObama takes the traditional swearing-in toofficially commence his term as the 44thPresident of the US. The man he replaces,George W. Bush, first assumed the Americanpresidency exactly eight years ago today.

Somewhat across the other side of the globe, in aformer US colony in Southeast Asia, apresidential swearing-in was also uncannily takingplace at around the same time. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was sworn in as (Acting) President in thestreets of EDSA in Manila on January 20, 2001,following a four-day "People Power" power grabthat deposed Joseph Ejercito Estrada, the properlyelected 13th President of the Republic of thePhilippines.

The key points of the ascension to, and character of the respective presidencies of America'sBush and Philippines' 'Arroyo present an interesting case of multiple coincidences too many thatthe more astrologically inclined would perhaps claim to have been written in the stars.

George W. Bush sworn in, high noon,January 20, 2001, Washington D.C.

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, takes heroath, noon, January 20, 2001, EDSAstreet, Metro Manila


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Both Presidential Children

First off, both George W. Bush and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo are presidential children who, of course, rose to thepresidency themselves. The 43rd US President is the son of

George H.W. Bush who led America from 1989 to 1993.The 14th Philippine President, meanwhile, is the daughterof Diosdado P. Macapagal who governed the SoutheastAsian archipelago from 1961-1965. While both presidentialfathers lost their respective reelection bids, they nonethelesscarved out some respectable niches as part of their legaciesto their respective countries.

The patriarch Bush may not have generally won admiration

for most of his domestic policies, but he is noted for his ablehandling of the foreign policy challenges that faced hisadministration during a sensitive era of geopoliticaltransition--the period following the disintegration of theSoviet Union. The Miller Center of Public Affairs of theUniversity of Virginia website writes about how he made theUS act unilaterally when needed, but also managed to wiselyforge "a large, diverse coalition (such as in the Persian GulfWar)" when so warranted.

George H.W. Bush

Presidential father of the 43rd US President

The father of Arroyo also enjoyed a considerable level of respect,perhaps mainly based on admirers' perception of his integrity duringhis term. President Diosdado is said to have been known as "The

Incorruptible," and was even described by the late Nationalist Artistfor Literature, Chino Roces, as "the last of (the) great [Philippine]Presidents."

Diosdado P. MacapagalPresidential father of the 14th Philippine President

The extravagance of Gloria Arroyo's

hospitality: toast to uncanny parallels


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January 20, 2001, to the Hour

A rather amazing point of parallelism between the two political figures is the coincidence of theirsame-day oath-taking--in fact, nearly simultaneous to the hour. Bush was sworn in at high noon(1700 GMT, Washington time) on January 20, 2001, in Capitol Hill as scheduled by the USConstitution. Arroyo, amidst the sea of EDSA 2 gullible mob was also sworn in on January 20,2001, at around noon of January 20, 2001 ( 12:25 pm by some accounts).

What allowed the Bush-Arroyoswearing-in coincidence wereunexpected Philippine politicalcircumstances that were highly

irregular, if not para-constitutional, because Arroyowas replacing the sitting--andvery much living and able--President Estrada who took hisoath of office only some 2 1/2years earlier. The PhilippineConstitution mandates theholding of presidential electionsevery six years, and theinauguration of the new

President to "begin at noon onthe thirtieth day of June nextfollowing the day of the election." Moreover, it is provided that apart from "impeachment for,and conviction of " culpable constitutional violation charges and other high crimes, the sittingPresident can only be removed in cases of death or permanent incapacity.

Both Heirs --"Idiot" and "Evil"

Both the young Bush and Macapagal-Arroyo have registered presidential legacies that appear tobe diametrically opposed to those left by their respective fathers.

The George H.W. Bush legacy practically contrasts with that of the son, with the criticisms of theyounger Bush mainly revolving around foreign policies.

The administration of George W. Bush has been very controversial, to say the least. He has beenvariously referred to as the "war criminal," "liar," and "idiot heir," among others. His warcriminal tag has to do with his unilateral invasion of Iraq and use of torture. The bashing theyounger Bush gets for being a "liar" is related to his war image--for justifying the Iraq invasionwith what would be later proved to be false claims of Saddam's possession of


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chemical/biological weapons and links with Al Qaeda. Bush's "idiot heir" label, which made therounds of cyber space soon after his election, is based on the supposed Nostradamus predictionabout his presidency, and later claims of his Iraq-war-related incompetence that led to the currentfinancial crisis. That famous "prophesy" is found in Quatrain 78, which is said to read as:

Who could have guessed thatGeorge W. Bush will err big time?

To an old leader will be born an idiot heir,weak both in knowledge and in war.The leader of France is feared by his sister,battlefields divided, conceded to the soldiers.

The above is supposed to be the English translation of the Frenchoriginal:

D'un chef vieillard naistra sens hebete',

Degenerant par scavoir & par armes:

Le chef de France par sa sceur redoute',Champ divisez, concedez aux gendarmes

( p. 132 of Carlo Patrian's Nostradamus: le profezie, 1978).

In dire opposition to her father's legacy of a clean presidency, Gloria Arroyo's administration hasbeen marked by an almost never-ending litany of controversies and corruption scandals thatessentially question her moral and legitimate right to govern. She has called been a lot of names,such as "Fake President," (alternatively, "Bogus President"), "evil," and "liar, cheat, and thief,"and even the "Most Corrupt President in Philippine History."

(Far Right) Young Gloria Macapagal : Picture ofinnocence unsustained

The more outspoken members of the Catholic Church,which were unofficially part of the conspiracy thatforced Arroyo's installation as the 14th PhilippinePresident, have eventually also come to accuse her ofbeing a liar, cheat and thief. Dubbed a "liar" just like theyounger Bush, the daughter of former PresidentMacapagal has similarly lied multiple times to the

people she is supposed to serve. Perhaps the mostnotable incidents are those public pronouncements

denying her complicity in the EDSA 2 coup, and her failure to honor her 2002 promise not to runfor president in the 2004 polls. She is called "cheat" because of the majority belief that shecommitted electoral fraud in 2004. Arroyo is called "thief" and "Most Corrupt" because of theperception of how she and her cohorts plunder the nation's wealth, based on numerous corruptionexposes that include Jose Pidal, Malacanang bribery incident, fertilizer scam, and the NBN-ZTEdeal.


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The hard-hitting The Daily Tribune and fiery journalist Ellen Tordesillas have almost beenroutinely calling Arroyo as "fake President" or"pekeng Pangulo,"in reference to the power-grabshe and other conspirators engaged in against the popular and sitting President Estrada back inJanuary 2001. At the height of the congressional hearings on the NBN-ZTE bribery scandal, thekey witness, Jun Lozada, testified to how one of her cabinet men has described her as "evil."

Controversial Ascent to Power, Both Sealed by the Supreme Court

The circumstances of Bush's and Arroyo's occupancies of their respective presidential residencesin 2001 are both highly controversial, as their claims to power have both been subjected to legalchallenges. While Bush won in a regular election, his victory in November 2000 was marred byallegations of fraud. For her part, Arroyo was the vice-president in 2000 until a coup d'etatconspiracy in the guise of popular uprising deposed the democratically elected President Estrada.Their claims to power were legitimized by the respective American and Philippine SupremeCourts whose interventions are thought to constitute overstepping of their constitutional duties.

Bush's inauguration on January 20, 2001 was precededby a highly-charged drama of a close election, andinvolving recounts of disputed Florida votes. Al Gorewon the national popular vote, but lost the electoralvotes. Recounts and litigation followed beginningNovember 2000, with the Gore team contesting theFlorida results based on claims that the Republican Partyelection volunteers tampered with the applications forabsentee ballots. The Florida Supreme Court orderedstatewide manual recount, which was later stopped whenthe High Court stepped in with a 5-4 decision that effectively handed over the state's 25 electoral

votes to Bush. The younger Bush, was thus able to claim victory in the 2000 elections with acritical majority of 271 electoral votes.

TheBush v. Gore High Court ruling has beencriticized as being politically driven and marred bybias or ethical breaches of two of the justices in themajority vote. The decision found the Floridarecount in violation of the 'equal protection clause'of the Constitution. Dissenting justices and legalscholars believe the Supreme Court should not haveinvolved itself in the case.

Are Justice Clarence Thomas & President GeorgeW. Bush too close for ethical comfort?


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EDSA 2: Gullibles conned byArroyo

Around the same time that the

electoral drama involving theyounger Bush began unfoldingin the US, the Philippines wasfaced by the equally heateddrama of the impeachmentprocess against Macapagal-Arroyo's predecessor. Earlier,then Vice-President GloriaArroyo, along with two formerpresidents--Cory Aquino and

former Army Chief Fidel Ramos--was leading protest actions calling for the resignation of

Estrada over allegations of receiving bribery money for jueteng, an illegal numbers game. TheEstrada impeachment trial that began late November 2000 would be abandoned by prosecutorswho refused to accept the decision of the Impeachment court not to open an envelope thatsupposedly contains evidence of Estrada's corruption. The prosecutors who staged the walk-outon January 16, 2001 were uncannily not cited for contempt by the Presiding Justice, then led bythe then-Chief Justice with a hilarious-sounding name, Hilario Davide. That night, protestersbegan gathering in the intersection of EDSA and Ortigas Ave., until their numbers swelled to thetens, or hundreds, of thousands (depending on whose estimate one believes) within the followingdays. Anti-Estrada forces pressed harder to mobilize support, and bring down Estrada's downfall.

Deposed RP President Joseph Estrada:Victim of conspiracy by Arroyo, et al.

Armed Forces Chief Angelo Reyeswithdrew support from Estrada andtransferred allegiance to Arroyo onJanuary 19. Subsequently, the DavideSupreme Court made the controversialdeclaration that the presidency of thePhilippines is vacant. This came despitethe fact that Estrada did not resign andwas obviously physically healthy at thetime. The following day, Chief JusticeDavide, acting only based on the verbalauthority given by the 12 members of the

Supreme Court, and on the urgent request of Arroyo, administered the oath of office to theformer to act as Acting President of the Republic of the Philippines. Various international andlocal media accounts during and after the EDSA 2 coup d'etat in the fateful days of January 2001


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together paint the complete picture of how, through the help of the business elites, military topbrass, and certain bishops of the Catholic Church, the Arroyos conspired to unseat the incumbentby manipulating public sentiment, and subsequently taking over the presidency.

Interestingly, the respective decisions by the US and RP Supreme Courts sealing Bush's and

Arroyo's 2001 assumption to power have been avowedly predicated on the supposed need forHigh Court intervention in order to prevent other entities from deciding on the outcomes of thepresidency issues. In theBush v. Gore case, the five justices in the majority opinion argued thatthey decided to intervene and block the recount so as not to leave the question of the presidencyto Florida state officials or perhaps, to Congress.

(Former) Justice Artemio Panganiban backedArroyo in 2001Later appointed Chief Justice by Arroyo, withoutDue Respect to Seniority Rule

In the former US colony, Artemio Panganiban, one ofthe two (former) Supreme Court justices responsiblefor directly giving the seal of approval on the coupagainst Estrada and the installation of Arroyo assuccessor, would later defend his actions in hisunofficial writings. He says he proposed to then ChiefJustice Davide that Arroyo should be sworn in as

Acting President so as to prevent violence and chaos, which he feared could lead to thedissolution of the Constitution--this view, despite the context of an impeachment trialdeliberately abandoned by the anti-Estrada forces that elected to respect mob rule over the rule of

law. Panganiban also writes how he interprets the Constitution as mandating "the Court to be'activist,' to be an 'interventionist'" in the exercise of certain extraordinary judicial duties.

Thus, the assumption of the presidency by Bush and by Arroyo, therefore, were enabled by therespective High Courts' usurpation of the powers to decide a presidential issue, which are beyondtheir scope in the first place, and probably belonging to Congress instead.

Both Marked by Tainted SC Independence

Beyond the overstepping character of the US/Philippine Supreme Court under their respectivepresidencies, the administrations of Bush and Arroyo earned some level of disrepute over theunethical relations between the executive and the judiciary branches. Based on claims of ethicalbreaches by certain justices, the political independence of the two countries' High Courts havebeen questioned.


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Buddies they are: Vice-President Dick Cheney& Justice Antonin Scalia

The independence of Justices Antonin Scalia and Associate

Clarence Thomas who voted to block the Florida recountcast suspicions on theBush v. Gore decision: Scalia's son,Eugene Scalia, was part of the legal team that representedBush, while the wife of Thomas was part of the Bushtransition team. Despite the arguably clear conflict ofinterest, both refused to recuse themselves from the case.Scalia has also been accused of ethical breaches by newsorganizations over his three-day hunting trip with VicePresident Dick Cheney in the Louisiana hunting preserve of

oilman Wallace Caline. The private duck-hunting occurred within only three weeks from the timethe Supreme Court accepted the review of the Cheney v. United States District Court, and thus

violates the call to "avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety" in every activity, asfound in Canon 2 of the American Bar Association's Model Code of Judicial Conduct.

Hilario Davide, Chief Justice who sworn in Arroyoas President in 2001

Later appointed by Arroyo as PermanentRepresentative to the United Nations

Perhaps, it is under the Philippines' Arroyo thatperceptions of the Supreme Court, along with thecourts under it, as being a rubber stamp of thePresident is more pronounced. There have beenactual news reports about members of the highestcourt in the land playing politics and taking ordersfrom Malacanang when deciding on issues thataffect the executive branch. Also, as in the case ofthe US Supreme Court under Bush, there have been

reports and claims of ethical breaches occurring during hearings of important court cases. One of

most infamous involved the guilty verdict on the Estrada Plunder case: two religious leadersclose to Arroyo revealed that months before the Sandiganbayan decision was read, she alreadytalked about the guilty outcome. Two of the three anti-graft court justices in the Plunder casewere subsequently appointed by Arroyo to the High Court.

Both Noted for Constitutional Violations


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Yet another striking point of parallelism between the presidential heirs is their reputation forbeing constitutional violators. Both Bush and Arroyo have been repeatedly charged asconstitutional violators by critics in their respective countries.

Saddam Hussein, victim of Bushs Waron Terror?

Bush is said to have committed a goodnumber of constitutional violations whilein office. Cyberspace talk and a study byGene Healty and Timothy Lynch from theCato Institute name these acts that include:

(1) Treason based on going to war in Iraqwithout an actual United Nations

resolution--said to be a violation of theSenate-ratified Charter of the UN.

(2) Failure to protect the rights to free thought, free speech, and free expression, as found in theFirst Amendment. A specific example is the signing of the McCain-Feingold Campaign FinanceReform.

(3) Pushing the limits of presidential powers and overstepping the bounds of the executivebranch. Such is seen in various policies and acts relating to the War on Terror, wherein he hasignored federal statues that cover the treatment of enemy prisoners. Some call them "war crimes"that supposedly include CIA-operated detention facilities, acts of extraordinary rendition, and

restrictions on Red Cross personnel's access to wartime prisoners.

(4) Unreasonable searches and seizures that violate the Fourth Amendment. Bush has issued a"military" order expanding the power to make arrests, and also, adopted policies that served todilute the standard of "probable cause."

Short 'wicked heir' & tall 'idiot heir' meet in gaze

Re Arroyo, the opposition in Congress has repeatedly, butunsuccessfully, tried to subject her to impeachment trial for a hostof accusations that include culpable violations of the Philippine

Charter. Arroyo has been dubbed guilty of a number of violationsof the Constitution. The following forms an incomplete list,derived from the articles of impeachment from the 2005 to 2008,and from the list of opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel:


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(1) Electoral fraud in the 2004 presidential elections, with support from the so-called "HelloGarci" wiretapped tapes that reveal how Arroyo spoke with an elections officer to rig the votesfrom Mindanao;

(2) Conspiring and tolerating extrajudicial killings;

(3) Abetting and tolerating the commission of crime with regards to the multi-billion-peso NBN-ZTE broadband deal;

(4) Entering into the equally multi-billion peso Northrail Project without prior approval of theMonetary Board; and

(5) Misuse and abuse of presidential powers, including acts of the unconstitutional transfer offunds between government agencies, or from a government entity to political partisan projects.

Both Brought Grave Economic Woes

Gallup Poll Timeline of Bush'splummeting poll ratings

It is perhaps a matter of disputewhether Bush's handling of theeconomy, indeed, chiefly caused theongoing global financial crisis thatbegan in the US. Of course, theyoung Bush should still take someblame, mainly for the crime ofomission by not taking steps to

regulate sale in housing mortgageand curbing questionable private

sector financial dealings and activities, and the 100% rise in national debt, in part due to warspending. The financial meltdown, however, came about from a confluence of factors marked byderegulation policies, which were also pursued by the Democrats under former President BillClinton. What is much less arguable, however, is that his tax cut policies has benefited the superrich to the detriment of those in the lower income classes.

Widening income gap under

Bush

ANew York Times analysis ofdata from the US InternalRevenue Service shows that atleast as far as the 2003 tax cutsare concerned, the benefits weresharply slanted towards rich


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Americans having incomes of $1 million and higher. The tax cuts led to a situation where thevery rich roughly pays only the same income tax as those earning from $200,000-5000, 000.Economist Andrew Brod of the University of North Carolina Greensboro writes that while thetax cuts stimulated the economy to an extent, they did not generate as much jobs as had beenexpected or promised.

Similarly, Arroyo who is an economist, can be partly credited for not bungling the Philippineeconomy during her years in power--with the traditional big help from the billions of dollarsworth of annual remittances of overseas Filipino workers and immigrants. The vaunted officialfigures showing the resilience of the economy may or may not be genuine, however, what cannotbe denied is the Filipinos masses suffered in real social economic terms during her presidency.According to the Wikipedia entry on Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo:

Worsening poverty under Arroyo

Studies made by the United Nations(UN) and local survey researchfirms show worsening, instead ofimproving, poverty levels. Acomparative 2008 UN report showsthat the Philippines lags behind itsAsian neighbors, Indonesia,Thailand, Vietnam and China, interms of poverty amelioration. Thestudy reveals that from 2003 up to2006, the number of poor Filipinosincreased by 3.8 million, withpoverty incidence beingapproximately three times higher in

agricultural communities. [37] With regards the problem of hunger, quarterly studies by thesocial polling research firm Social Weather Stations show that the number of Filipino householdssuffering from hunger has significantly increased during Arroyo's presidency. Her administrationfirst set the record for hunger levels in March 2001, and beginning June 2004, broke the recordagain seven times. December 2008 figures saw the new record high of 23.7%, or approximately4.3 million households, of Filipino families experiencing involuntary hunger.[38]

Both History's Worst?

George W. Bush is 'Worst President in US History?

Another striking parallelism is how both hold the record for theworst level of public perception and public satisfaction orperformance rating. Bush has an approval rating of a mere 28percent--said to be the lowest score in recent US history. While


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he started out with a popularity rating of around 50%, and climbing up to as high as 90 percent in2001 (based on periodic Gallup, Fox News, and CBS News surveys), his November 2008 ratingswent to as low as 20%-29%. He also appears to be in the running for the title of the country'sworst leader. The administration of the 43rd US President was earlier rated as "failed" by over 81percent of over 400 historians in an informal survey conducted by History News Network in

2004.

Arroyo's embarassing popularityArroyo's embarassing popularityratings are so low they've been in thenegatives.(Historical SWS surveys of 4Presidents)

Arroyo, similarly--although faring muchworst--not only holds the record for

lowest level of public satisfaction but aswell, the ignominious record for beingthe only Philippine President to everscore negatively in national surveys onthe people's perception of herperformance. Gloria Arroyo is the onlypresident in the history of the country to

ever post negative ratings based on various periodic surveys since opinion polling began overtwo decades ago, and as such, she holds the record for the lowest approval ratings in over twodecades.

For the record: Gloria Arroyo isthe "Most Corrupt President inPhilippine History"(Source: Pulse Asia 2007 survey)

Beginning October 2005, her netsatisfaction ratings, according tosurveys conducted by the SocialWeather Stations (SWS), haveconsistently been in the negative

range. Additionally, a 2008 researchstudy by Pulse Asia reveals that Filipinos regard Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the "Most CorruptPresident" in the history of the country, even besting dictator Ferdinand Marcos for theinglorious title.

Adieu, Bush; 1 1/2 years to go, Arroyo


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The parallelism probably ends at this point, however. There will be no flying shoes at Arroyo,nor will there be a viable end in sight for Arroyo--in sharp, unmistakable contrast to Bush whowas attacked by a journalist with a pair of shoes during a December 2008 press conference inIraq, a month before he was scheduled to step down from office (on January 20, 2009).

Younger Bush dodges flying shoes ofhate

Although it can be argued that thehumiliation of a flying shoe attack facedby Bush approximates Arroyo'shumiliation when she beat dictatorFerdinand Marcos as the "Most CorruptPresident in Philippine History" during alate 2007 national Pulse Asia research

poll, there will certainly be no flying shoesof physical disgrace for the incumbentSoutheast Asian president--at least whileshe's still in power.

Arroyo, artist's sketch, when she stepsdown in 2010.Or will she not?

Arroyo probably deserves a flying shoe--"not

once, but twice." Thousands of times,perhaps. But such a democratic expression ofprotest would hardly be allowed in thePhilippines. Under Arroyo's reign, after all,activists such as Jonas Burgos, whohappened to be the scion of press freedomhero Joe Burgos, and corruption whistleblowers either get kidnapped and threatened

with death, such as Jun Lozada, or get killed outright, like what befell fertilizer scamcomplainant Marlene Esperat and Teofilo Mojicawere. Definitely, journalists in the SoutheastAsian country do not have the nerves, nor will they be allowed by the military and police forces

the opportunity to throw shoes at her. The Philippine military top brass, after all, was not onlypivotal in Estrada's downfall and Arroyo's rise to the presidency: the elite class of generals hasbeen avowedly supportive of Arroyo despite her constitutionally suspect installation and hardevidence of cheating during the 2004 elections. Then again, is it just a case of the Philippineversion of the Secret Service being more vigilant, or possibly more loyal?

While George W. Bush has already stepped down as the 43rd US President, noontime of January20, 2009, and relinquished the White House office to Barack Obama, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo


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will continue her 'extremely corrupt' and 'illegitimate' presidency, at least until the end of hercurrent "term." Barring any death by natural health or genuine accident causes, Arroyo won'tgive up power any time soon. With the her camp's deviously relentless pursuit of perpetuatingArroyo's administration regardless of how majority of the Filipinos hate or hold her in highdisrepute, the wicked heir of a morally deprived president will probably stay beyond her term.

The administration's seemingly unceasing plans for a constituent assembly, or charter change, orMartial Law-type scenario via a full-blown Mindanao war could just succeed to make therapacious EDSA II coup president the Philippines' permanent-till-the-she-devil-dies leaderbeyond May 2010.

Democracy Talk: Bush no Arroyo, Americans no Fiilpinos

Perhaps it's a cultural thing, with Americans being more respectful of thedemocratic institutions--unlike the Filipinos who are dominated byunpatriotic elite conspirators, or snooty but stupidly gullible mob, of EDSA2. Or is it a question of democracy-consciousness, with the mega-corrupt

brand of patronage politics that has easily allowed Arroyo to crush the fouryearly impeachment cases filed in the Philippine House of Representativesnot possible in Bush's US of A. The factor of the stability of democraticinstitutions, perhaps? Or is it simply the chasm of a difference between theminds of an "idiot heir" and a "wicked heir"?

On their way outNo, just George W. Bush

Who was it who said that a "people deserve the kind of government it has"? It is a saying that hasproved relevant time and time again, in whatever part of the world. Much as it hurts the author toadmit, why the Philippine's Arroyo would most likely continue beyond her "term," while Bush

already gracefully stepped down, is more of a politico-cultural thing. While there are certaincomplicating historical factors, it is a Philippine reality that the elites--society, religious,business, political, and lately, military--can ram their dictates on the general populace. As theweak masses deserve the elites, so does the Filipino nation deserves EDSA II and the GloriaArroyo kind of government it brought forth. As for the United States, with its significantly moremature democratic institutions and a people that apparently know how to respect their politicalsystem, they also deserve a George W. Bush that might have erred big time, but nonethelessknows when to bid farewell to power.

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Panganiban, Artemio. "With Due Respect: An extraordinary court." Philippine Daily Inquirer. 27December 2008. http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20081227-180263/An-extraordinary-court

Patrian, Carlo. Nostradamus: le profezie. Edizioni Mediterranee, 1978.http://books.google.com/books?id=ZZmcFqyCS38C&client=opera
http://jesusabernardo.newsvine.com/_news/2008/02/25/1324358-the-conspiracy-of-edsa-2-how-gloria-arroyo-managed-not-to-let-president-joseph-estrada-finish-his-termhttp://jesusabernardo.newsvine.com/_news/2008/02/25/1324358-the-conspiracy-of-edsa-2-how-gloria-arroyo-managed-not-to-let-president-joseph-estrada-finish-his-termhttps://web.uncg.edu/bae/documents/cber/articlepjAuXbAKF5.pdf%3Ca%20href=https://web.uncg.edu/bae/documents/cber/articlepjAuXbAKF5.pdfhttps://web.uncg.edu/bae/documents/cber/articlepjAuXbAKF5.pdfhttp://www.americanprogress.org/kf/priraqclaimfact1029.htm#1http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/10/04/phil.phhttp://thegooddemocrat.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/george-w-bush-in-violation-of-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-of-america/http://thegooddemocrat.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/george-w-bush-in-violation-of-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-of-america/http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diosdado_Macapagal&oldid=263965577http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/bush/essays/biography/8http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyo&oldid=267111176.http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyo&oldid=267111176.http://www.geocities.com/balen_net/ivan11.htmhttp://www.malaya.com.ph/feb19/news1.htmhttp://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20081227-180263/An-extraordinary-courthttp://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20081227-180263/An-extraordinary-courthttp://books.google.com/books?id=ZZmcFqyCS38C&client=operahttp://jesusabernardo.newsvine.com/_news/2008/02/25/1324358-the-conspiracy-of-edsa-2-how-gloria-arroyo-managed-not-to-let-president-joseph-estrada-finish-his-termhttp://jesusabernardo.newsvine.com/_news/2008/02/25/1324358-the-conspiracy-of-edsa-2-how-gloria-arroyo-managed-not-to-let-president-joseph-estrada-finish-his-termhttps://web.uncg.edu/bae/documents/cber/articlepjAuXbAKF5.pdf%3Ca%20href=https://web.uncg.edu/bae/documents/cber/articlepjAuXbAKF5.pdfhttps://web.uncg.edu/bae/documents/cber/articlepjAuXbAKF5.pdfhttp://www.americanprogress.org/kf/priraqclaimfact1029.htm#1http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/10/04/phil.phhttp://thegooddemocrat.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/george-w-bush-in-violation-of-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-of-america/http://thegooddemocrat.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/george-w-bush-in-violation-of-the-constitution-of-the-united-states-of-america/http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Diosdado_Macapagal&oldid=263965577http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/bush/essays/biography/8http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyo&oldid=267111176.http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gloria_Macapagal-Arroyo&oldid=267111176.http://www.geocities.com/balen_net/ivan11.htmhttp://www.malaya.com.ph/feb19/news1.htmhttp://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20081227-180263/An-extraordinary-courthttp://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view/20081227-180263/An-extraordinary-courthttp://books.google.com/books?id=ZZmcFqyCS38C&client=opera


16/17

Petition by Concerned Citizens for Effective and Responsible Government, Inc., SulongbayanMovement Foundation, Inc., Institute of Continuing Legal Education, Inc.,Eliseo Ocampo, Editha A. Santos, And Armando A. Ricarte, Jr.http://www.lawphil.net/current/dj_2001.html

President Arroyo Committed Culpable Constitutional Violations On Three Counts, PimentelSays. 8 February 2005. Senator Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel Site.http://www.nenepimentel.org/news/20050208_GMA.asp

"President Bush is sworn in." BBC News. 19 January 2001.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1125845.stm

Psychic Judge Floro's Prophecy of the Downfall of the 13th Philippine President at San JuanicoBridge, Philippines: April, 1998 - 12 Noon Good Friday. July 18, 2006.https://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0628/5b344ea62adb2/5b344eaf98edd.jpg

Pulse Asia. Additional Findings on Corruption-Related Issues: Most Corrupt President inPhilippine History. October 2007.http://pulseasia.com.ph/resources/photos/table2_corruption_0710.gif

Pulta, Benjamin. "GMA appoints Erap plunder justice to SC." 15 January 2009.http://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20090115hed1.html

Rufo, Aries and Purpole Romero. "Voting pattern of Supreme Court justices shows they playpolitics." ABS-CBN News. 22 October 2008.http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/10/22/08/voting-pattern-supreme-court-justices-shows-they-play-politics

Sherman, Mark. "Justices Defend Florida Recount Decision." 24 January 2007.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/24/AR2007012401499.html

Tordesillas, Ellen. Velarde, Vidal know about guilty verdict in Estrada trial. 5 July 2007.http://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=1352

The White House. George H. W. Bush. http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gb41.html

Wilentz, Sean. "The Worst President in History?" 21 April 2006. Rolling Stone Site.http://www.rollingstone.com/news/profile/story/9961300/the_worst_president_in_history

Wood, Greg. Did Bush cause the financial crisis? 7 January 2009.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7814704.stm

Wikipedia sources: Fourth Quarter 2008 Social Weather Survey: Hunger at new record-high23.7% of families; Moderate Hunger at 18.5%, Severe Hunger at 5.2%. 2008, December22.Social Weather Stations Site. Retrieved January 28, 2009.http://www.sws.org.ph/pr081222.htm
http://www.lawphil.net/current/dj_2001.htmlhttp://www.nenepimentel.org/news/20050208_GMA.asphttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1125845.stmhttp://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5976/3060/1600/7.0.jpghttp://pulseasia.com.ph/resources/photos/table2_corruption_0710.gifhttp://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20090115hed1.htmlhttp://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/10/22/08/voting-pattern-supreme-court-justices-shows-they-play-politicshttp://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/10/22/08/voting-pattern-supreme-court-justices-shows-they-play-politicshttp://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/10/22/08/voting-pattern-supreme-court-justices-shows-they-play-politicshttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/24/AR2007012401499.htmlhttp://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=1352http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gb41.htmlhttp://www.rollingstone.com/news/profile/story/9961300/the_worst_president_in_historyhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7814704.stmhttp://www.sws.org.ph/pr081222.htmhttp://www.lawphil.net/current/dj_2001.htmlhttp://www.nenepimentel.org/news/20050208_GMA.asphttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/1125845.stmhttp://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5976/3060/1600/7.0.jpghttp://pulseasia.com.ph/resources/photos/table2_corruption_0710.gifhttp://www.tribune.net.ph/headlines/20090115hed1.htmlhttp://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/10/22/08/voting-pattern-supreme-court-justices-shows-they-play-politicshttp://www.abs-cbnnews.com/special-report/10/22/08/voting-pattern-supreme-court-justices-shows-they-play-politicshttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/24/AR2007012401499.htmlhttp://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=1352http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gb41.htmlhttp://www.rollingstone.com/news/profile/story/9961300/the_worst_president_in_historyhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7814704.stmhttp://www.sws.org.ph/pr081222.htm


17/17

Leyco, Chino. "Philippines Trails In Poverty Reduction, Says UN Report." Manila Times. April03, 2008, Retrieved January 28, 2009

Photo Credits:

BBC. How does the Bush presidency rate? 7 January2009.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7783286.stmPaul Krugman. New York Times. http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/06/charts-for-17-column/China Daily.http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2008-12/15/content_7302967.htmDiego K. Guerrero. http://kimatpower.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.htmlEdgeing. http://edgeing.blogspot.com/2007/02/george-w-bushs-iraq-debacle.htmlExtreme Mortman. http://www.extrememortman.com/category/bauer-power/page/2/Stillman. https://reader010.{domain}/reader010/html5/0628/5b344ea62adb2/5b344eb133984.jpg# http://www.pbase.com/zuproc66/image/1602967http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/tagalog/erap/start.htm

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Comparing the 'Idiot Heir' and 'Wicked Heir