New Batch Of Awards....

When we last saw President Bush award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the recipients were George Tenet, Tommy Franks and Paul Bremer. Thus, the citation came to be known temporarily as the Orwell Medal. Today the president gave it another go. One of the recipients was Alan Greenspan, which I suppose is utterly appropriate since newspapers today were filled with articles like this:

In the latest sign that the once red-hot real estate market is cooling, Toll Bros., the nation's biggest builder of luxury homes, said Tuesday it would sell fewer houses than expected next year to its upscale clientele.

Given the company's high profile, the admission from Toll Bros. CEO Robert Toll that demand was "softening" pretty much "across the board," and that home prices were likely to "moderate," sent shock waves through an industry already on edge amid growing concerns that the massive multiyear price run-up is nearing an end.

Wall Street reacted harshly to the sales warning. Shares of Toll plunged 14% to $33.91, and a broad index of more than 20 housing stocks tracked by the Philadelphia Stock Exchange cratered 5.4%.

Some readers may recall that I'm no fan of Greenspan, about whom I've written in the past. And because I suspect the extent of the damage he's done won't become obvious until well after his retirement, this is one medal that begs to have the following inscription on it: "Subject To Return Upon Demand."

Since the media has awarded Greenspan pop culture status over the past several years, it's appropriate that other recipients of medals today were the following: Jack Nicklaus, Carol Burnett, Aretha Franklin, Frank Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Andy Griffith. Why did they get awards? Just because, it seems. President Bush didn't really tell us. About Carol Burnett, he said: "An even higher tribute to the show is that millions of Americans still laugh at the memory of the sketches and characters from the Carol Burnett Show." About Andy Griffith, Bush said: "TV shows come and go, but there's only one Andy Griffith." About Aretha Franklin, he said: "Generations of Americans have stood in wonder at the style and voice of Aretha Franklin." About Jack Nicklaus: "In every aspect of his life, Jack holds himself to a high standard. He's a great gentleman."

And on and on. I'm not making this up. You can read it all here.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is this country's highest civilian citation. While entertainers and sports figures certainly fall under that rubric, I can't help but think that during wartime there must be some better candidates. Why not an unsung physical therapist from Walter Reed who works overtime year after year with troops missing arms and legs? How about a doctor who, instead of making more money in private practice, volunteers to work with those amputees---or one from Doctors Without Borders who risks his life treating civilians in war zones? There have been incredible advances in handicapped transportation and prosthetic devices recently; why not cite a scientist or inventor who contributed to that? Or how about recognizing one of the many American citizens of Iraqi ancestry who have returned to Iraq to help rebuild the country?

There are so many good candidates. Unfortunately---and consistent with the rest of his presidency---Bush chose to go the unimaginative, tone-deaf, and profoundly unserious route.