Crying For The Wrong Son

All these tears for the son who (supposedly) did things right.

One child grows up to be
Somebody that just loves to learn
And another child grows up to be
Somebody you'd just love to burn
Sly Stone, Family Affair

Former President George H.W. Bush broke down in tears as he cited his son, Gov. Jeb Bush, as an example of leadership.

Bush was addressing lawmakers, his son's top administrators, and state workers gathered in the House chamber Monday for the last of the governor's leadership forums.

He said he was proud of how his son handled losing the 1994 governor's race to popular incumbent Democrat Lawton Chiles, and vaguely referred to dirty tricks in the campaign.

"He didn't whine about it. He didn't complain," the former president said before choking up. As he tried to continue, he let out a sob and put a handkerchief to his face. When he spoke again, his words were broken up by pauses as he tried to regain composure.

"A true measure of a man is how you handle victory and how you handle defeat, so in '94 Floridians chose to rehire the governor. They took note of his worthy opponent, who showed with not only words but with actions what decency he had," Bush said before again sobbing.

I think he is really crying because of Dubya. Because of Dubya's disastrous Presidency, Jeb (the one who should have been heir apparent for the Presidency) probably has a slim chance to none for ever getting the nomination. Because of the way that Dubya handled assumed and premature victory, he is incapable of handling defeat and clearly established failure.