Tell It Like It Is, Dubya

Let's talk about keeping it real. Not about being honest, but being true, avoiding all trepidation and inhibition, and shrugging off charges of duplicity because, deep down, when push comes to shove, you really don't give a shit.

Take, for example, George W. Bush. In his State of the Union speech almost two years ago, he discussed important issues with clear optimism, positive that the nation's endeavors were headed towards a successful end. While his assertions were not exactly based on realistic expectations (as a majority of them have yet to come to fruition), that wasn't going to stop him from telling it like it is.



It's not that Bush was being entirely mendacious when he laid out his plan for and preview of the future of numerous United States policies, nor is it plausible that the administration actively employs psychics to confirm their favorable outcome. But it would at least be reasonable provide realistic expectations when outlining the future of important issues.

And, in regards to such an important position as the President of the United States of America, a little integrity wouldn't hurt either.

But Bush keeps it real.
Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources -- and we are on the threshold of incredible advances.

Breakthroughs [...] and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. (Applause.) By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past.
Really real.
From ABC News:

One hour after his plea for more Saudi oil was publicly rejected by the kingdom's oil minister, President Bush made a private visit to Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah to again ask him to open the spigots.

The White House revealed Bush's private meeting with the Saudi monarch to reporters aboard Air Force One as the president flew to Egypt on the next leg of his Mideast trip.

Earlier, Bush told ABC News' Terry Moran how he would lobby the king.

"I will say to him that, 'If it's possible, your majesty, consider what high prices are doing to one of your largest customers,'" Bush said. "In other words, the worst thing that can happen to an oil-producing nation is that the price of oil causes the economy to slow down, because that will inevitably lead to fewer purchases [of oil]."

Bush said he's worried about an economic slowdown in the United States and around the world because of those high oil prices.

"These are smart people. They know that the price of oil can affect our economy, and they know that if our economy weakens and there's less purchasing power, that it will affect their ability to sell barrels of oil," the president said.
Correction: make dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the future.

While it may appear that Bush is backtracking from earlier commitments to decrease dependence on foreign oil in an embarrassing fashion, we have to remember that it's not the promises nor the predictions that matter, but the reaction to the harsh reality of nonfulfillment. How else can Bush respond to the failure of his own policies (including the absence of his briefly touted Advanced Energy Initiative) than proceeding in the opposite direction of the initial measures?

Responding to the current issues quickly, shamefully, and unapologetically with little hindsight or regard for past commitments, Bush shows us what keeping it real is all about.

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