Generation gap

Georgie Anne Geyer has an interesting piece on the rift between Bush Sr. and his AWOL son, embodied by Bush Sr.'s decision to give the 2003 George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service to none other than Sen. Edward Kennedy, easily the current president's most voluble critic on the Iraq war:

Bush Sr.'s 'message' to Bush Jr.

Geyer points out the remarkable differences that have emerged between the two presidents' ruling styles:

W has given way to a radical right that abhors international coalitions and manners; he mocks the world and denies any need for its help. He has led the Middle East to the nadir of its hope and possibilities, and he has led the United States to a moment in history in which we face asymmetric warfare from one end of the globe to another.

And above all, he has replaced his father's courtesy and good graces with an almost proud rudeness and scorn for others.

Why? I'll leave the question of "killing the father" to the psychiatric thinkers. Meanwhile, the tension between these two men reveals itself daily.

One also has to wonder what Bush Sr. -- being a former CIA chief himself -- thinks about the current White House's outrageous handling of the outing of Valerie Plame.

[Thanks to Shaw Kenawe at Atrios' comments for the heads-up.]