Close Look at a Focused President In Reviews, Scholars Cite Bush's Discipline But Question Policies
By Mike Allen Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday,  April 27, 2003; Page A04
...Hugh Heclo, a public affairs professor at GeorgeMasonUniversity, says Bush's presidency "is already destined for a remarkable place in the history books," not just because of his response to the terrorist attacks, but also because of his early decision to brush aside the conventional advice to proceed cautiously after the election debacle of 2000.
"The only modern president with less of a mandate was Gerald Ford in 1974, who received zero popular votes," Heclo said. But he added that in contrast to Bush's image as a slacker, "focus, self-control and unblinking [sic] perseverance prepared Bush to be a wartime president before he, or America, knew it was at war."
Others agreed on the place in history part, but were unsure of the height of the appropriate pedestal.  "Sounds like a stalker to me," said Sgt. Manuelita Ybarra-Swenson of the Arlington County Domestic Violence Squad.  "Here's a guy who clearly got rejected by the object of his affection, and proceeds to envision and prepare for a relationship that the other partner isn't even aware is coming.  He's so focused on all this he can't even blink?  Last time I checked that was an early sign of psychosis (see http://www.healthservices.gov.bc.ca/mhd/pdf/mdmo_english.pdf), not the attribute of a great leader."  Sigmund O'Callahan, of the ACLUCenter for Alarmism, agreed.  "It's kind of creepy to realize he was 'prepared' for this 'unexpected' event before it happened.  What else has he 'prepared' for?  Something requiring, say, mass roundups of liberals in tweed jackets?"
Heclo's views, however, were seconded by Scotty Riparian, Vice President of the University of the GOP.  "Leadership means being prepared, it means seeing farther ahead than others.  The President waiting for a war to actually start before assuming emergency powers makes as much sense as me waiting for a woman to talk to me before following her home from work and digging through her trash."  Mr. Riparian, speaking from the ModestoCounty correctional facility, went on to suggest that "a real man doesn't wait for a woman, or a country, to give him her love, or 50.0001% of its votes.  That kind of attitude is for people who can blink and people who are afraid of restraining orders."
For the record, even though another sign of incipient psychosis is "Excessive writing without meaning,"; the Muskrat Council assures our readers that we blink regularly.  At least once a day.