"What the caterpillar calls the end of life, wise men call a butterfly."

I know a lot of bright and articulate Americans that hate George W. Bush. Many of them are teachers, social workers, actors and a lot of them are way more to the left and progressive than I am. Not only do they hate him, they abhor him. Some even go so far as saying they can't even watch him on TV because of the revulsion they feel when they see him.

Why? How is it that so many intelligent people here and abroad start foaming at the mouth at the mere mention of his name? Why are these people not only intellectually offended, but morally so?

Let me count the ways. Bush's mediocrity, failures and errors of his youth have rewarded him with the highest position in the land. A less than average student, a National Guardsman who escaped duty, a drunken driving arrest (maybe more), an oil business failure, and with little political experience, suddenly the Governor of Texas and now President even though the majority of Americans voted for his opponent.

And where has he led us? A war in Iraq that does more to support his big business friends than the Iraqi people and a murky "War on Terror" also with no end in sight. Combined with tax cuts for the very wealthy, he's turned a record budget surplus into a record deficit that my children will have to pay off.

He has shown total disdain for environmental protection, he's threatened civil liberties, he's trying to break down the wall between church and state, he is blatent in his twisting of facts and figures, and the list grows by the day.

For the record, I don't hate Bush, but I do hate his policies and what they stand for. I hate what he's done to this country and to our reputation around the world.

I fear terrorist fanaticism, of course, but I fear where Bush's policies will lead us even more.