George B McClellan and George W Bush

A gifted student, George B. McClellan graduated second in his class at West Point (1846). After the Civil War began, he left his work for the Illinois Central Railroad and soon rose through the ranks to command the Union Army. Using his organizational abilities, he soon turned the Army of the Potomac into a polished, well-drilled force. "But he never seemed to get around to actually using the army. Cautious by nature and believing his forces to be heavily outnumbered, when the reverse was actually true, he constantly manufactured reasons for his seemingly endless string of delays." (from swcivilwar.com) Finally in disgust Lincoln sent his famous message, "My dear McClellan: If you don't want to use the Army I should like to borrow it for a while" and relieved him of command.

An indifferent student, George W. Bush drifted in and out of several jobs before finding a niche as the general managing partner of the Texas Rangers. He demonstrated a gift for politics (that his father no doubt envied) in defeating the powerful governor of Texas, Ann Richards. From there, he won two terms in the White House, re-elected in 2004 with the largest vote total in American history. With majorities from his party in control of both the House and the Senate, he has had a unique opportunity to advance the conservative agenda he professes. But he never seems to get around to actually using the majority. He signed the unconstitutional campaign finance reform bill. He refuses to do anything substantive about illegal immigration. And now on the most crucial issue of change--the makeup of the Supreme Court--he keeps punting rather than joining battle with his outnumbered foes. In disgust, conservatives send him this message, "My dear Bush: If you don't want to use the Republican majority, we should like to borrow it for a while."

UPDATE: Welcome to those of you who came from Professor Bainbridge's site. Thanks for stopping by, and please feel free to look around.