"You'd make a good rich man's son," was one of my Mother's favorite criticisms when I was growing into adulthood. I found it a hard proposition to dispute. Both my Mom and Dad had come of age during the Great Depression and worked very hard to provide a comfortable home for their three sons. Ours was a nice middle-class existence, and while I never had a car (and actually did walk to school, thank you), I ate well and was afforded the luxury of private music lessons, for which I am eternally grateful.

But I have never been all that good with money and tend to buy stuff I really could live without. This, I believe, was the reason for my Mom's occasional opprobrium. I must say in my own defense, however, that I have never been afraid of hard work, which is a good thing, because the chances of my ever being rich are pretty much zero. Not that I necessarily resent those who are born to wealth. As Bruce Springsteen once remarked, "There's good guys and assholes on every street."

Including Pennsylvania Avenue.

George W. Bush is a classic case of a man who has spent his entire life and career trading on his family name and wealth. Being the son of a rich man enabled him to scam his way out of meaningful military service during Vietnam. (I don't fault him for that; a lot of us were just trying to keep our heads down and our asses intact. My strategy was the U.S. Navy, 1968-72.) Later, Bush would cash in on his family name and connections to become a failed businessman (Harkin Energy) and failed baseball team owner (the man traded Sammy Sosa!). Nonetheless, he did manage to become Governor of Texas, nurturing a talent for making himself and his friends richer, in spite of his managerial shortcomings.

Being the son of a rich man paid off big time in 2000. With the assistance of state-sanctioned voter fraud in Florida, where his brother is Governor, and the votes of Supreme Court Justices appointed by his father, Bush landed the ultimate CEO position - President of the United States. Or, as he apparently envisions it, Leader of The Holy American Empire. (But that's another rant...) Not surprisingly, the Bush junta is imbued with the smug arrogance that some people of wealth and privilege feel is their prerogative.

Small problem. It turns out that Bush is still a lousy manager. He is intellectually mundane and dishonest, and seemingly incapable of admitting and correcting errors. He also keeps people on the payroll who lie to him. Case in point: Bush claims that he relied on CIA Director George Tenent's "slam dunk" report of WMD's as a justification for his bloody jihad against Saddam. Turns out Tenant was lying through his teeth. So why does Tenant still have a job? And, given the predictable disaster unfolding in Iraq, why haven't Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and the supremely clueless (and overdressed) Paul Bremer been shown the door?

Being the son of a rich man may give you entrée to power, including the power to wage war and inflict vast suffering. A background of privilege does not, however, guarantee that you are up to the task of wielding that power. George W. Bush, notwithstanding his pedigree and personal hotline to God, has proven to be, in my opinion, profoundly unqualified for the Presidency. He is an empty suit and way in over his head. If Bush were the CEO of a major American corporation, he and his golden parachute would have been jettisoned long ago.

We are, unfortunately, stuck with him until November 2. And that's a tragedy, not least of all for the mothers, here and abroad, who have lost and will continue to lose their children as a result of Bush's unearned success.