You forgot the Farm Bill, CFR, endorsing civil "unions" and a host of other things.
Only thing he's done right is the WOT.
I put those in the second tier of things I don't like. Kinda like the farm leagues.
He didn't endorse civil unions. He endorsed the rights of states to do what their legislatures will in regard to civil unions. He expressly stated that if he were still Governor of Texas, he would oppose civil unions in Texas. I heard him.
People only got that part of his remarks where he leaves it up to states. And of course states would have that right, unless it was outlawed in the Constitution at the same time gay marriage would be outlawed. That could never happen. You know it never could.
Also, do you not agree with tax cuts? Signing the law against Partial Birth Abortion? Not allowing stem cell research to create embryos in order to destroy them through research? Preventing foreign aid from going to promote abortion overseas? Declaring the ABM treaty with the Soviet Union dead so we can work on a defensive missile system? Declaring Kyoto dead? Refusing to sign on to the World Court? Pushing for an energy policy which includes drilling in Alaska's ANWR?
However, it can be done, with due diligence. I have little time at the moment to research, but I either heard him OR Scott McClellan (memory confused on which) say he would have opposed civil unions in Texas, but he felt each state should be allowed to decide for itself. You can dislike the states rights position he took, but it is untrue that he endorsed civil unions.
I quickly found a leftist hate-Bush website when I googled...don't agree with their characterizations of Bush at all, but their basic quotes and historical facts jive with what I know about Bush and civil unions.
"In an Oct. 24 interview with ABC correspondent Charlie Gibson, Bush claimed he disagreed with the Republican Party platform opposing civil unions of same-sex couples {{{and that the issue should be left up to the states}}}. "I don't think we should deny people rights to a civil union, a legal arrangement, {{{if that's what a state chooses to do}}}," Bush told Gibson during the interview. Gibson then noted that the Republican Party platform opposed civil unions, to which Bush replied, "Well, I don't." Gibson then asked, "So the Republican Party platform on that point, as far as you're concerned, is wrong?" "Right," Bush said.
However, Bush opposes same-sex marriage, continues to support a constitutional amendment to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and {{{despite these latest remarks, White House officials have said that Bush would not have endorsed civil unions as the governor of Texas}}}.
In Oct. 2003, Bush issued a proclamation endorsing Marriage Protection Week, a week of anti-gay family events sponsored by more than two dozen right-wing religious organizations, which called on elected officials to sign a pledge not only opposing marriage equality for same-sex couples, but also opposing civil unions and domestic partner benefits."
These leftists are convinced that Bush is not in favor of civil unions, (and so am I). That makes the leftists very mad, and they are trying to say that Bush merely pretended to be for them in the interview with Charlie Gibson.
No. In the interview, Bush makes it clear it is a states rights issue. He has taken the position that he is not for it in Texas, or anywhere for that matter, but does not believe it should be federally outlawed. You can easily argue that you think it should be federally outlawed. But if you did not, that would not make you an endorser of civil unions. Neither is Bush an endorser of civil unions.
But oh how easy it is to take particular words from their total context of all his words and actions in this area.
Only thing he's done right is the WOT.
My nit pick would be:
Only thing he's done right is the overseas WOT. I'm not thrilled with the USA PATRIOT Act.