So here we are - the end of 8 years under George W. Bush, the most vilified president to serve this nation in my lifetime. So how’d he do? Here’s my attempt at an objective answer. I’ll use the A through F grading scale on a few defining issues.
The War in Iraq
On the war in Iraq, Bush gets a D. Before explaining why, consider the following quotes:
"Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."
"In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."
To whom can we attribute these quotes? Bush 43 and Rumsfeld? Try Nancy Pelosi and Hilary Clinton respectively. Fact of the matter is that almost everyone, including our European allies, thought that going into Iraq was a necessary measure in the war on terror. True, the execution of the plan was woefully inadequate, but let’s not rewrite history – most thought it was the right thing to do.
So when things went to hell in a hand basket, as Commander in Chief, the buck stopped with W. I didn’t give him an F because he brought in General David Petraeus, which lead to the troop surge. Now we have a chance to actually leave Iraq on our own terms. I hope Bush left that infamous "Mission Accomplished" banner in the White House attic :)
The Economy
On the Economy, Bush gets a C. Now before you think I’m nuts, please read the following 2003 New York Times article:
New Agency Proposed to Oversee Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae
By the way, the Bush administration’s recommendation for more oversight was ignored.
The blame for the 2008 economic down turn should be placed squarely on the shoulders of Congress. For Bush’s part, on his late 2008 response to the slowing economy, what part of "economic principles" don’t you understand, President Bush?
Finally, on Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans… rich people didn’t stuff their mattresses with the extra cash – they invested it and/or spent it. Their appetite for risk got us out of the 9-11 slump, created jobs, and grew the economy.
National Security
On national security, Bush get’s a B. We were safe at home since 9-11.
He missed an A because I’m not a fan of the Patriot Act. "Live free or die" used to be more than a state motto – it was the way we governed.
Overall Grade
George W Bush’s best moment as president was at a ball park. I’ll never forget it – shortly after 9-11, he threw out the first pitch at Yankee stadium. I was so nervous. We all were. The nation was afraid – afraid of when and how it would happen again. Would they go after our leader? Could they? GW walked out to that pitcher’s mound sans security. His stride was deliberate, his gaze confident. He delivered a strike to thunderous applause. Man, was that a great moment. It was what we needed. It’s amazing how much our collective opinion of him has changed.
I’m going to give him a C overall. I believe his legacy will be the Bush Doctrine. He will be known as the man that responded to 9-11, and led us into a war on terror that will define this century. God bless the decisions that he made while in office. Let them prove sound and appropriate.
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2 comments:
Fred,
I don’t disagree too much with most of what you did write, but I’m shocked by some of the things that you chose to omit.
Let’s start with Bush’s foreign policy. During his eight years in office we have lost credibility and standing across the world. When I spent 9 months in London (2004-2005) almost everyone I met initially reacted negatively to my American accent. It got so annoying that when I met new people I would just say “I’m Sam from America and I hate George Bush.” 95% of the people I said that to responded favorably. I bet if you traveled to London today you could support our current president and not be looked down upon.
North Korea and Iran have pursued (and in North Korea’s case obtained) nuclear weapons. To paraphrase a recent article I read, what do you expect to happen when you label 3 countries “the axis of evil” and then invade one of them? Check it out – it’s worth a read: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_pesek&sid=aDXVDHBi565g
How about fiscal responsibility? Bush inherited a budget surplus of over $100 billion dollars from Clinton (who was the first president since Nixon to have an annual surplus) and managed to turn that into a $100+ billion deficit by 2002. He also managed to keep the annual deficit over $100 billion from 2003-2008. Didn’t he run on a platform of fiscal responsibility? Anyone that voted for him based on his promises of fiscal conservatism has every right to be outraged.
Also, Iraq is only a D? The American public was mislead to believe that fighting would be over in weeks to months when Cheney was on the record in 1994 saying that invading Baghdad and deposing Sadam Hussein would destabilize the region and create “a quagmire”. We were told that Sadam had WMDs even though the UN found no evidence of them, and Cheney and Bush attempted to falsely link Iraq with 9/11 on numerous occasions. We ended up dumping hundreds of billions of dollars into a war that has nothing to do with the war on terror, and marginalizing our efforts in the true war on terror that is still taking place in Afghanistan.
Your assertion that “almost everyone, including our European allies, thought that going into Iraq was a necessary measure in the war on terror” is not even close to true. Kofi Annan called the war “illegal”, Hans Blix found no evidence of WMDs, and Canada, France, Germany, and Russia all strongly opposed the use of force. And if all of that information was not enough, the 2006 National Intelligence Estimate declared that “The Iraq conflict has become the 'cause celebre' for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement.” So not only was the war conducted on false premises without the support received during Desert Storm or the invasion of Afghanistan, but it has actually *increased* global support for jihadists.
What about our loss of moral authority on the world stage? Many countries used to look up to us as a bastion of integrity, but after multiple episodes of torture being uncovered, I think it is safe to stay that our moral standing has taken a great blow.
What about his below average or worse stances on the environment? We joined Australia as the only other developed nation to not implement the Kyoto protocol. He not only ignored, but attempted to suppress evidence of global climate change. His administration attempted to deregulate the Endangered Species act. An internal report found that the deputy secretary of the interior intervened improperly in at least 13 cases where biologists attempted to have new species added to the endangered species list. The list goes on and on.
I only hope that Obama and his team can undo the damage that has been done by the Bush administration. His condemnation of torture in his inaugural speech, and his promise to close down Guantanamo is a good start. Let’s hope that he can clean up the Iraq mess and make some progress on the ailing economy.
Sam, what grade would you give President Bush? An F? A D?
I never thought that I'd find myself in a position to defend GW. He was not my favorite President. Nor was he anything even close to being a conservative (I cite your spending comments).
It's just that people ALWAYS forget about the good things that came out of the White House while he was there. He did give Billions to Africa in the name of the AIDS pandemic. Those that even recognize this effort blame him for the programs' failures (as if other government programs succeed at every turn).
I will grant you this (even though you did not catch it). My grade on national security should have failed any level of scrutiny. By giving him a B and not an A because I'm a fan of freedom suggests that "By any means necessary" is okay. It's not. We should not be safe at the expense of our freedom. We will never know what would have transpired without the domestic wire taps.
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