To understand what George hath wrought, it's informative to traverse Bush World, to experience a landscape that, while bearing a superficial resemblance to Disneyland, has a more sinister topography. As we enter the Administration's theme park we find ourselves in a pristine bourgeoisie suburb, where the houses have immaculate lawns and their residents perfect teeth. We are in "virtue land," occupied exclusively by those who have "pulled themselves up by their bootstraps," developed discipline and morality, and earned their power and privilege. (This virtuous image ignores the reality that George Bush, and many in his Administration, took advantage of inherited wealth, and the old-boy network, to get where they are.)

Next-door we board the Bush version of the Jungle ride. Out of the shadows comes a torrent of our worst fears: terrorists, criminals, flesh-eating bacteria, calamitous weather and mammoth tidal waves. As we encounter each peril, gun-toting men rush in to save us. We have entered "guy land," which views the world as a jungle and argues we need the patriarchy to protect us, men who possess the right stuff, who are willing to do whatever it takes to protect the citizens cowering in fortress America. (This myth skips over the reality that the Bush Administration has ignored sage military advice about the war on terrorism and homeland security; as a result, our defenses have been weakened.)

A short distance away we find "God land." In its center is the shrine of infallibility, which celebrates two key conservative beliefs. The first is that America is God's favored nation, which has been chosen to carry democracy, capitalism, and Christianity to the rest of the world. Closely related is the notion that God selected George W. Bush to be president, so that he could lead a moral crusade to purge the US of secularism, and create a Christian nation. Because of his divine mission, Bush can do no wrong. While there may be occasional missteps along the treacherous path, these are not his fault, or those of his advisers; rather they are an indication of the difficulty of doing battle against the forces of evil. (Of course, if you never admit making mistakes, then you never learn from them, and are prone to making them over and over again; for example, by continuously arguing that tax cuts for the wealthy will solve whatever economic woes beset America.)

Moving on, we come to "Adventure land," where we can play the political board game, "Hegemony," whose objective is the rapid expansion of American power throughout the world. The contest challenges us with vexing world problems, such as terrorism and global warming. We're certain to win as long as we remember that the correct answer is always, "send in the Marines." (This homage to unilateralism ignores the reality that world affairs cannot be managed solely by military power; for example, we depend upon other nations to prop up our economy through their purchases of US securities.)

Our next stop is the Bush vision of Frontier land, which celebrates entrepreneurs who pursue open markets. Here we board the free-market roller coaster, where passengers experience gut-wrenching twists and turns and daunting obstacles, such as governmental red tape and environmental impact statements, on their way to a lucrative "cost plus" contract. (Once again, the Administration cultivates an image of rugged individualism, but glosses over the reality that the President and his associates made their money through crony capitalism.)

At the heart of Bush's magic kingdom is "Fantasy Land." Here we take the newest thrill ride in the Park, the "dark labyrinth of falsehood." Citizens find themselves careening through a vast maze of misinformation; they struggle to discern the truth while beset by Administration prevarications, bogus news stories, cleverly conceived distractions and skillfully orchestrated conservative punditry. (When you rule America, you get to create your own reality.) Logically, visitors would expect that the final section of Bush World would be "Tomorrow land." Unfortunately, this Administration has no real plan for the future; therefore this area is closed, marked as "under construction."

The Administration's theme park is successful because it provides Americans with enough vivid, synthetic experiences, artificial thrills and saccharine homilies, that they don't notice the inconsistencies and the lack of meaning. The problem with this approach to governance is that America's problems require serious thinking and comprehensive strategic plans. We need to enter reality land.

Nonetheless, America is stuck with George Bush and his magical kingdom. Welcome to Bush World. Fasten your seat belt.

Bob Burnett is a Berkeley writer and activist. He can be reached at bobburnett@comcast.net.

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