“Power without oversight” or “What I learned from the frogs”

"Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night... So teach us to number our days, that we might apply our hearts unto wisdom." - Psalm 90

Yesterday (Thurs. Jan 11th) evening, I watched President Bush blatantly ignore the will of 80% of the voting public, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, and a number of his own generals (many of whom have found themselves promptly reassigned) as he escalated American involvement in the Iraqi civil war. His wildly delusional assessment of the situation in Iraq and his subsequent bull-headed decision to add over 20,000 troops to the forces in Baghdad is disheartening.
This type of reckless decision-making is to be expected from the President, and I'm not sure why I was holding out hope that he'd take note of those around him who are far more qualified to be making these decisions than he is. I'm not sure why I continued to hope that he'd take note of an overwhelming majority of American citizens, those who he theoretically serves.

I taught in France for one year, and I never thought I'd miss that which I am longing for now: the ability of the people to check an official gone amok. I witnessed multiple general strikes and an active citizenry bring a Prime Minister to his knees. They didn't have to wait until the next election to check their leader.
Despite losing the popular vote in 2000 and gaining office only through a 5-to-4 Supreme Court decision, President Bush ran wild as if he'd won in a landslide of public support. Despite the most embarrassingly failure-ridden and corrupt administration in recent memory, the President did not hold a single relevant official accountable during his first six years of office (until the American people pummeled the Republicans in 2006 and Rumsfeld was justly fired the next day). Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the President continued to insist the war in Iraq was being won until only weeks ago as the region teeters on the brink of unrestrained civil war. And yet, thanks to 52% of the voting public in 2004, we must endure two more years with absolutely no say in Bush's erroneous policies.
I can't say that I necessarily enjoyed the immediate effects of the combined student protests, limited strikes, and general strikes. The demonstrations around government buildings were fun, but I was rather annoyed by having to walk everywhere and wake up every day wondering whether it was time to go back to work again or just strap on my walking shoes and see where the demonstrations were that day. In spite of the inconveniences, I can now look back with longing at the power the French people reserve as a right; the power to check their elected leaders immediately for direct results.
Lacking any such power in the United States, I can only pray. I pray that this Iraqi nightmare is soon past my country. And I pray that the future leaders of the United States will be people who apply their hearts unto wisdom.