George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 373

The Great America of George W. Bush – Episode 372

< Episode 372 >

Time flew by, and it was already June. The refugee problem showed little sign of improving, and this was the case in the United States as well.

“It’s a complete mess.”

Bush’s one-liner perfectly described the refugee policy of the day. The principle of non-refoulement [the practice of not forcing refugees or asylum seekers to return to a country where they are liable to be subjected to persecution] was thoroughly ignored. If the law was the problem, they would just change it. It was as if the countries were all tinkering with their refugee laws like children playing with clay in kindergarten.

However, they would have a lot to say for themselves. If they didn’t do this, their country would collapse or their regime would be overthrown. Should they have just stood still? Or should they have given their country to the refugees?

No. They did their best in their own way. It was just that their methods were wrong. So, the answer to the question, ‘Did the United States handle it well?’ is somewhat ambiguous. At least, it was ambiguous for Bush to answer.

‘There’s definitely a problem.’

Somewhat ‘subversive movements’ were detected in the refugee camps. They were saying that their current situation was all because of the United States. The culprits, regardless of gender, age, or race, were the kind of people who would take their anger out on the wrong target, as could be seen anywhere in the world.

It was understandable that they would be dissatisfied, having left their beloved hometowns to wander in a strange and distant land. But even so, he couldn’t condone those who were rude to the people who were helping them.

‘Besides, why is it our responsibility?’

Well, it wasn’t as if they had absolutely no responsibility. Strictly speaking, they had a certain degree of responsibility because they had intervened in the Middle East situation, such as the civil wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. But that didn’t mean that the United States was the main culprit in this situation.

Rather, they should be praised for at least stabilizing Afghanistan and accepting some refugees. The main culprit in this situation was the EU. Needless to say, the EU’s reckless Middle East expansion policy had caused side effects.

“Ignore them. Reacting or intervening would only be what they’re aiming for.”

They couldn’t increase the number of eyes watching them any further. They had been running a program to monitor foreigners under the mismatched name of the Patriot Act [a controversial law passed after 9/11 to increase surveillance powers], and it was already heavily overloaded thanks to the refugees.

Any more would just be a waste of money. It might be better to approach it in a different way. For example, just run the camps like a detention center, like Europe. But that was definitely not an operating method that suited Bush’s temperament. He would rather get rid of the camps than run them like a detention center.

Besides, even if he released them, they would cause some problems in various places, but it wouldn’t shake the United States.

This was partly because the number of refugees was small, but it was also an expression of confidence that the police force could respond at any time, no matter what happened.

If a plausible case arose, they could just restrain the refugees accordingly. Frankly, Bush didn’t feel particularly sorry for the refugees, even though he didn’t like them. He felt sorry for them at first, but then they went so far as to try to build an Islamic paradise, abandoning their refugee status altogether.

‘Still, I don’t want to leave a stain on my legacy by violating human rights in my final years. But I can’t prioritize them over my own people, so there’s nothing I can do…’

This wasn’t so much to protect his honor as it was a measure for his brother. There are many ways for a politician to lose influence, but the quickest is to tear down their family.

And if the family is a politician, it couldn’t be better. In addition to that, it was also because of Bush’s nature to avoid things that fundamentally pricked his conscience.

That pricking of conscience was quite objective, but in any case, Bush at least thought that his standards were universal.

“By the way, who do you think will win the election?”

“You, Mr. President.”

The US election uses a checkbox system, but there were actually people who wrote ‘Bush’ with a pen. Of course, these were all treated as invalid votes.

“To be honest, I thought Joe Biden or Hillary Clinton would come up. But now that it’s like this, I think that friend ‘John McCain’ will be elected. Although he’s been somewhat weakened by the metric system [a reference to a political issue where McCain supported converting the US to the metric system, which was unpopular with some voters], the Republican Party is still very powerful. It’s all thanks to you, Mr. President.”

“Ah, McCain.”

Bush trailed off.

“You seem to have different expectations?”

“No, I don’t know who will win either.”

It wasn’t pretense or humility, he really didn’t know. If Bush was just a civilian, he could have confidently answered Obama based on that ‘knowledge’.

He would have said that the first black president was finally coming out in the United States. But that was now an uncertain future. Bush had distorted it with his own hands, so nothing was certain.

And this was one of the reasons why Bush was reluctant to run for a third term. Was the time for Cinderella’s magic to wear off at midnight? Then the magic on Bush was only up to this point. He had managed to lead with the future knowledge he knew and his inherent abilities only up to this point.

The wisest ruler knows when to step down and accepts it. Even if you know when to step down, it is meaningless if you cannot accept it. How many rulers in history have ignored or not known this, and were worshiped and praised like gods, only to be pointed at and forced to step down?

Bush had no intention of doing that. Absolutely not.

‘Yes, absolutely. It would be great if it continued like this. But surely that’s impossible.’

And the fact that he wouldn’t live to his natural lifespan if he continued to live like this also played a part. Power is definitely great. There is no sweeter pleasure than this, and there is nothing greater than this. Everyone yearned to obtain it, and the position of President of the United States was the pinnacle of that power.

Everything eventually gets boring, but it would probably take until death to get tired of this. So, isn’t that why those ‘wise guys’ who are abundant in history books try to hold on to it even though they know they are going to be ruined?

“By the way, I thought your brother, Jeb Bush, would run this time.”

“Well, I guess he felt he wasn’t ready yet.”

The reason why Jeb Bush didn’t run was simple. There was the issue of the Bush family, where the sons had been presidents for a certain period of time, which was bound to cause controversy, but more than anything, it was because Bush had stopped him.

‘The United States will most likely make a soft landing now.’

The reason for the soft landing is not because Bush let go. It’s not for such narcissistic reasons.

Then wouldn’t Jeb Bush be the one to take the blame? It’s not that I doubt his abilities, but it’s better to sit this one out.

He will have to face trials beyond simply being tested for his abilities. This was a different trial from the 2008 global financial crisis in the original history.

First of all, he was going to be torn apart for the metric system, and in the process, he was going to take all the blame. In addition, there was also the important task of stabilizing the world. At least, that’s what he would have to do if the United States wanted to fully preserve its sphere of influence.

Originally, it is best for the overseas to be chaotic in order to project influence, but when it comes to embracing the entire planet, it is better to be peaceful. That way, less ‘money’ is spent.

“Aren’t you sad about the power you’re about to let go of?”

“Me? I’m a little sad to think about letting go of power.”

His words were eloquent, but his expression was not at all.

“Really?”

“Of course not. I’m really happy. At least, I was born as a man, so I sometimes wished I could have power once, but at least now I refuse to have power with you, Mr. President. Just doing the work has objectively shortened my lifespan by at least 2 years and 4 months.”

“That’s a pretty specific figure.”

“I have a written opinion from a doctor. To be exact, there is a ‘possibility’ that it will. The way that doctor spoke was as if he was dealing with a politician, not a doctor. Anyway, listening to that made me want to get out of this swamp as soon as possible.”

“Huh, then how should I repay you?”

“I honestly never thought I would say this, but my opinion is, ‘Let’s just get rid of everything and finish it quickly.'”

“I guess you don’t need a vacation?”

“What am I going to do with the work that will pile up while I’m on vacation? It’s not that I don’t want to rest, but how can I take a vacation when you create work on your own when you’re a little free, Mr. President?”

The Chief of Staff had no intention of being buried alive in the piles of documents that had piled up after returning from vacation. Besides, hadn’t he actually experienced it once? There was no need to voluntarily experience it twice.

“If you say that, I don’t really have anything to say.”

The words were cut off once here. It was because, as Bush said, he really didn’t have anything to say. After enough time had passed and he thought the atmosphere had been refreshed, Bush opened his mouth again.

“Then, what are you going to do when you retire?”

“Retire? Well, I don’t know about anything else, but I’m going to take a good rest in bed. Honestly, I can’t think of anything else. And I’m going to turn off the alarm for just one day…”

‘Hmm, that’s not going to work out.’

Usually, you wake up on time even if you try to sleep more. The body screams for rest, but the mind wakes up on its own.

Scientists have attributed this phenomenon to psychological anxiety and biorhythms, but it is truly terrible for someone who wants to rest.

“Anyway, I’m just going to rest for a while. By the way, I’m more curious about you, Mr. President.”

Bush returned to reality at the Chief of Staff’s counter-question.

“Me? I’m going to Korea.”

“Was it true that you had an illegitimate child in Korea?”

“Don’t say crazy things. I’m just going to find a ‘grave’. I’m not going to settle down in Korea, I’m just going on a trip.”

‘And have a bowl of Gukbap [Korean rice soup] while I’m at it.’

Whether it was imprinted on his soul rather than his genes, he couldn’t forget the taste. Well, it wasn’t so unnatural for humans to seek out delicious food.

‘……A grave?’

The Chief of Staff still had a puzzled expression at Bush’s words. A grave? Whose grave are you talking about? The Chief of Staff had been with Bush for a long time, but frankly, he had almost no contact with Korea.

He cautiously guessed that it might be a Korean exchange student he had dated in his student days, but he soon decided that it wasn’t. He had all of Bush’s college friendships in his head.

‘Then is it the owner of that name that he secretly investigated in the past?’

This was the limit of what the Chief of Staff could think.