What do George W. Bush and Tiger Woods have in common? (Hint: Tiger has "Stevie" Williams on his bag)
By J. James Estrada (08/15/07)
Tiger Woods has won his last two tournaments after being matched with foes in the final pairing that thought him beatable; that would be Rory Sabatini and Stephen Ames. Not only did Tiger win, but these two players melted down during the heat of the final round at the World Golf Championships in Akron, Ohio, and PGA Championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma , respectively.
On each Sunday, Tiger's performance begged these questions of his direct competitors/detractors: Where did you go, Rory? You chose this time to cut and run, Stephen? Woods and his caddie, Steve Williams, embraced on both occasions as the winners on two of the toughest golf courses in the country, if not the world.
In 2000 and in 2004, George W. Bush was thought beatable by his Democratic presidential opponents, Al Gore and John Kerry. Both wilted in the heat of the race; Gore in the much heralded debates (where it was thought he would shine) and Kerry in the face of Swift Boat veterans and voting for and against funding the troops in harm's way. Bush and his caddie, Karl Rove, embraced too on both occasions of victory.
They embraced again yesterday as Rove announced his intention to resign his duties in the Bush White House. How important to Bush is Karl Rove? How important to Woods is Steve Williams? Of course, the answer is very important.
Several years ago in the Masters at Augusta, Tiger was trailing and hit a poor shot that cost him the chance to make up ground and, indeed, he did not win in this event. He said afterwards that "Stevie" recommended what turned out to be the wrong club. Tiger has won more than any of his contemporaries (and is challenging golf's immortals), so, this error is not the focus of discussion when reviewing the 13 major wins and 58 tournaments won overall in his career.
Same with Karl Rove; remember Harriet Miers and Dubai Ports? How about the "Master" mistake: immigration reform? Ah, but all the other wins (tax cuts, booming economy, no further terrorist attacks on American soil) have put Bush in line to challenge Presidential history. *note: Reagan will still be the standard bearer for Republican presidents of this and the last century.
One day, when seething liberals in the Democratic Party and in the mainstream media have long since passed and the weight of history takes hold, Bush will be remembered as one of the greats. And Rove was there to man the bag.
J. James Estrada
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