In some ways, we think we know George W. Bush too well.
He's been President of the United States for eight interminable years. Today begins his last full week, for those who don't have the official Countdown Out of Office Calendar.
For the 3,000 to 5,000 American families who homes are repossessed daily, Bush has a permanent place in their broken hearts.
To the families of the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who died since his invasion of their country, "Boosh" will be shorthand for their multiple reasons to hate. To the families of American soldiers killed there, they will not be able to see his name without remembering who sent their sons and daughters to his war of choice.
And for generations of Americans to come, he will be remembered as the leader who saddled them with insurmountable debt and a stricken economy, rivaling Herbert Hoover in opprobrium.
(Thanks to MAD Magazine and Warner Bros. for their unforgettable poster)
But do we know George W. Bush at all? Don't look for much help in his endless series of "legacy" interviews, where he finds fault with everyone but himself for the country's parlous state. Not much help either from the "biopic" by Oliver Stone, despite Josh Brolin's best efforts at impersonification, as Dubya might say. What is George W. Bush?
Anti-government? (though he expanded both government payroll and national debt as no President before him). Christianist zealot? (though jeopardized the lives of his fellow religionists in the Middle East, who lost a longtime safe haven in Iraq). "Master of Business Administration?" (his MBA got him nowhere in "managing" the meltdown brought on by his policy of malign neglect). I suspect the books analyzing his psyche will continue to be legion, to be added to groaning bookshelves full of tomes attacking his policies while in office.
My apologies to fans of the Irish tune "Johnny We Hardly Knew Ye," and to Kenneth O'Donnell, who appropriated the title for his book on the lamented John F. Kennedy. No one will lament Dubya. But he remains an enigma.
I've been reminded by conservative readers that W. probably won't be - and they think he shouldn't be - tried for war crimes. On the prediction, they're probably right. On his guilt, well you just have to read the indictment. It will take more than four or eight years of an Obama Administration to wash away the stain that Bush's torture policies left on a sullied American reputation.
But here's a Travel Warning to the soon-to-be-ex-President: if I were you, I would avoid travel to democratic countries that have an independent judiciary. Once out of office, the aura of the US Presidency and the immunity it affords will no longer be a force to dissuade prosecutors who respect human rights. You might just get pursued beyond the borders of Crawford, so it might be best to lie low.
And please, please, don't write any books. Even Spell Check won't be able to correct your twisting of the language, and of the truth. Just cut some brush, and fade away. We won't be needing your advice any more, thank you.