'Bush fire' amid floods

Coming days will evoke much interest in the field of American politics, with President George Bush himself - the protagonist in this whole exercise. Whether he would continue as king-maker or wind up king-breaker - only time will tell judging from his share of troubles - running contrary to his anticipation.

Worsening his predicament is the recent hurricane-Katrina - marauding across the US gulf coast havocking New Orleans - a black-dominated geographical entity.

Katrina (even nature's outbursts these days do not miss out on being gendered) reportedly consumed hundreds of thousands of lives, left the New Orlean's citizenry high and dry without food, clothing and even drinking water, stumbling over stinking corpses as the US government allegedly ambled along failing to meet the urgency that warrants such a colossal catastrophe. Far too many in the US were at the receiving end of government's delayed response.

As Bush and his men face allegations of racism, intensifying his precarious position is the death of US Chief Justice who sat on Bill Clinton's impeachment trial and was also into a Bush-forward court ruling propelling him into hegemonic position not only in American politics.

President George W. Bush became the most powerful man in the world. From there onwards turning on all switches - igniting from every angle he made America the spotlight of world hegemony.

Filling the prestigious, high powered judicial vacancy itself is no piano as Bush is expected to face his formidable opponents.

Thus the US executive running into controversy with the legislature over filling a high brow judicial vacancy remains a highly volatile and sensitive issue. Constitutionally, the fact that the American President cannot bulldoze his way through further weakens Bush, which weakening is intensified considering other explosive issues Bush has at hand with no light within sight at tunnel's end.

Notwithstanding internal miseries, his military retinue in Iraq into task dispensation amid hostile forces is also another Bush concern area. Given the trying climatic conditions coupled with other factors such as long stay resting heavily on the young men - all tests of troop morale, one begins to wonder why wiser counsel is yet to prevail.

This then is the present status quo - the parametre within which Bush is forced into most reminiscent of Jim Reeves' popular hit -

"Four walls around me

Closing in on me."

The tough personality that he is, it is interesting to watch how he will maintain this toughness. Then there is US State Secretary, Condoleeza Rice, a pick of the President who visited the hurricane struck areas in what is called "to assess the situation." If American egalitarianism is anything to go by its none other than Rice-Bush's best bet lodged in the seemingly non-racist terrain.

Such communal celebrities - the system's choice to portray the "all is well" image is common occurrence. Whether the installation of such celebrities speaks of their respective communities as a whole of being recipient to non-discriminatory treatment is questionable - an evergreen one.

Retrospectively one could not help but recall the instances in US history of intellectual licencing of US policy. Such policy justification by academia always sought the legitimising of consience-unfriendly endeavours of a unilateral nature.