Op-Ed: Is There a Pattern Here?

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With so many serious issues facing this country today, should the 2008 election be geared toward change or will Americans continue down the same path? Have we tired of Bush, Clinton, Bush (Clinton) or will this pattern continue?

It is a very real possibility that this pattern could go on for the foreseeable future. It began with our forty-first president, George Herbert Walker Bush in 1988. He only served one term, and lost his re-election bid to William Jefferson Clinton in 1992. Clinton remained president until the 2000 election in which George Walker Bush, who is currently serving, replaced him.

Who will it be in 2008? Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton may well be next as she is currently a Democratic frontrunner. While many would like to see America elect its first woman president, some also question if she is in fact the right woman for the job. She's also a Clinton.

If Hillary Clinton wins in 2008, will she be followed by John Ellis “Jeb” Bush? The former Governor of Florida has denied any desire to run for president -at least in 2008- but his dad and big brother, our forty-first and forty-third presidents, both think he’d make a good president. This is according to the Washington Post, which also reports Bush Sr. as saying he'd like to see Jeb run but it’s the wrong time. He indicated that it’s because Jeb doesn’t want to run now. I’m of the opinion that Bush fatigue has more to do with the timing.

If Jeb becomes president in 2012 or 2016, could he be followed by a Chelsea Victoria Clinton presidency? It's hard to say at this point. Chelsea may not even be interested. Yet, there is the possibility that we could end up with over 40 years of these two families controlling our country (and that's if no other family members decide to run).

What this could mean:

41 – (1988-1992) George Bush, Sr.
42 – (1992-2000) Bill Clinton
43 – (2000-2008) George W. Bush
44 – (2008-2016) Hillary Clinton
45 – (2016-2024) Jeb Bush
46 – (2024-2032) Chelsea Clinton

If the Bush/Clinton era continues, how long will it take for this pattern to look like a stranglehold on power, by two families (and parties) that perhaps are not really as different as many seem to think they are?