By Alex Muhindura/entertainment editor

Former President George W. Bush left the Capitol recently, ducking out quietly amidst the joy that had swept over the city.

Over the past several years, the name Bush became tainted like peanut butter. The sitting president was even quarantined from his party’s convention.

While he surely pitched in his fair share, it can’t all be his fault. It took a group effort of epic proportions to join Herbert Hoover and James Buchanan in the presidential hall of shame. Over time, it became easy to make Bush the mascot for all of society’s ills.

Of the countless problems that plagued the administration, from the looming cloud of war to the imploding economy, most have a link to the decision to invade Iraq. While some still speculate the true motive, it’s clear that a small group inside the administration used their talents to make a case for, execute and prolong the ongoing war. Bush and his Merry Men sauntered around the world silencing, torturing and executing anyone that stood in the way of their goal to steal from the poor and give back to the rich.

Some of the character actors in the play were NSC chief and later Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice along with the vice president’s chief of staff Lewis “Scooter” Libby. Rice served as a shameless mouthpiece for imperialism while Libby went to jail without snitching like a good lieutenant allowing his boss to continue slashing the Bill of Rights.

Karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld also helped the war machine move along as Bush’s campaign manager and defense secretary, respectively. Rove orchestrated the campaign of fear-mongering that drew in millions of citizens while Rumsfeld initiated and then terribly executed a war doomed from the start.

“It could last six days, six weeks. I doubt six months,” Rumsfeld said six years ago.

The bit player who stole the show, though, was Dick Cheney by a mile for his performance as the villain from a bad action movie. His slow breathing, crotchety grunts, secret lairs in undisclosed locations and utter disdain for the Constitution all created a larger-than-life mystique. In reality, though, he labored in the shadows while breaking international law and nullifying civil liberties.

Bush did his part. Whether landing on aircraft carriers or groping heads of state, his tenure was at least interesting. He strutted in full of cowboy bravado on the heels of a 5-4 victory, yet he left with shoes flying at him. While the presidency was an utter failure, he shines as a beacon of hope for all the “C” students of the world who go AWOL during a war, get a DUI and bankrupt a handful of companies before they turn 40. It also doesn’t hurt to come from a political dynasty.