Since he took office on January 20, 2001 after the most historic Presidential election in history, President George W. Bush has angered a lot of people – including myself for a variety of reasons. Most recently, our esteemed President’s attitude, policies – and self-righteous agenda have once again caused an event that has made history – but unlike the first historical event that was unfortunately to his benefit – this one was not.

On Thursday, Vermont Senator James Jeffords – a life long Republican and elected official since 1974 – defected from the Republican Party and vowed to work closely with Democrats to remake the Senate because in his own words, “Given the changing nature of the [Republican] party, it has become a struggle for our leaders to deal with me – and for me to deal with them.”

While this is not the first time that a member of one party has defected to another – this is the first time that a person’s defection has shifted the balance of power in the Senate from one party to another. As a result of Senator Jefford’s defection – the Republicans, who held the Majority in the Senate since 1994 – are now the minorities – and the Democrats now rule the Senate.

During his press conference in Burlington, Vermont on Thursday, Senator Jeffords said that he became a Republican, “not because I was born into the party, but because of the fundamental principles that many Republicans stood for – moderation, tolerance, and fiscal responsibility.” The twenty-seven year political veteran then went on to say that, “in the past, even without the Presidency, the various wings of the Republican party have had some freedom to argue, influence and ultimately shape the party’s agenda – the election of President Bush has changed that dramatically.”

This has been my exact point since November 7, 2000 – when the state of Florida was removed from the Gore column and placed back in the “too close to call” column creating the most historic and controversial presidential election in history and robbing Al Gore of the Presidency because of the unfair electoral voting system this country has adopted. Regardless of the controversy, I knew that if elected – George W. Bush would do more harm then good as our 43rd President. It seems that with a member of his own party who has been a Republican for almost thirty years defecting after Bush has been in office for less then four months – that I am not the only one who feels this way.

Even when Democrat Bill Clinton was President and the Senate was controlled by the Republicans, no one defected. And now that the Senate Majority and the President were both of the same party affiliation – one of their own leaves and switches the balance of power for the first time in history. What does this say about the man that is the leader of this great nation?

It says precisely what I have known from the day Gore conceded the election. It says that not only did more then fifty percent of this country not want George W. Bush as our 43rd President – but neither did members of his own party. It says that when he gave his acceptance speech and acted like a little boy who finally got the toy back that was wrongly taken away from him – that that is precisely what he is. And it says that while he may be the leader of the most powerful nation in the world – not everyone wants him there – not myself – and apparently not James Jeffords either.

See President Bush? – one person can make a difference.