Posted on 11/05/2008 3:51:00 PM PST by big black dog
The American people continue to amaze me with their penchant for the wholly irrational. The election of Barack Hussein Muhammad bin Obama is only the latest evidence.
But that the American sheeple are so devoid of active intellect as to get all of their life skills from Oprah and all of their political philosophy from Katie Couric has been evident for years. Eminently so, in that they have allowed themselves to be manipulated by a corrupt media into the rejection of one of the most thoroughly decent individuals to ever hold the Presidency - one George W. Bush.
I have heard it from every angle - from college professors and professional politicians and the man on the street; we all agree that Dubya is horrible. We all agree that he is at fault for everything from Katrina to Iraq to the lagging (!) economy. Yet in all the complaining, I can't get a single person to tell me exactly what it is that George W. Bush has done that makes him so horrible. Any probing into the questions as to why Dubya is so bad simply ends in some emotional screed about something that he has "screwed up."
As to the war? Dubya, of course with the help of his advisors, has strategized and supervised the overthrow of the Taliban, the overthrow of Sadaam Hussein, the bringing of nascent democratic governments in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and the protection of the U.S. from further terrorist attacks. And 9/11? Bill Clinton's fault - entirely. He had the opportunity to respond with muscle after the first terrorist bombing of the World Trade Center and chose not to do so. He had the opportunity to have Osama bin Laden killed and chose not to do so.
The chaotic economy? Thoroughly - and only - the responsibility of the Democrats. Interest group politics demanded that minorities who did not have the credit, income, or other means be mandated to participate in home ownership without any thought of whether they could manage payments for 30 years. Any solution other than that was said by Democrats to be "redlining" - real estate-speak for "racism." Long ago, both George W. Bush and John McCain sounded the warning and pointed to the need for reform, their warnings, of course, falling on the deaf ears of Democrats except to the extent that it was useful to label such warnings as yet more racism from the GOP. And of course, when these idiot-inspired loans failed, the U.S. taxpayer once again became the lender of last resort.
Ronald Reagan was a truly great president, in that he was both a Great Man - a man of great achievements, and a Good Man - the things that he did reflected an honorable character and a correct set of beliefs. Jimmy Carter was a Good Man who missed being a Great Leader in that he consistently proposed the wrong answers because he had the wrong set of beliefs. George H. W. Bush was a Good Man who missed being a Great President because he attempted to compromise with Democrats, who did not share his integrity and correct beliefs.
George W. Bush will certainly go down in history as one of the better presidents - far better than Clinton, and certainly better than Obama has any hope of being. Bush's domestic policy has been less than muscular because he, like his father, has shown far too much respect to the socialists who run the Democratic party. But his foreign policy has been brilliant - and no emotional screeds to the contrary can change that one whit. Because of Bush's watchmanlike foreign policy, the U.S. is safe once again. We will not be so under Obama. Because of Bush's wisdom and courage, the Middle East is changed for the better, and Muslim terrorism is on the run. We can not count on the respect that he has earned being maintained by an Obama administration.
But in the end, History has a way of sorting these matters out. Both Truman and Reagan were underappreciated by the chattering class when they left office, but "truth will out." And truth will out for George W. Bush as well.
Though despised today, very soon Americans will look back with fondness to the rational and courageous leadership of a thoroughly good man. And while he may not be treated as one of the Greats by History, he will certainly be recognized as Better Than The Rest.
George W. Bush possesses numerous character traits that America needed at a particularly volatile time - courage, integrity, and competence. Unfortunately, the American sheeple have demonstrated their propensity for style over substance in choosing an elective president who lacks all three of these virtues - and apparently all others as well.
The following article appeared in the Wall Street Journal:
________________________________
The Treatment of George W. Bush Has Been a Disgrace:
What Must Our Enemies Be Thinking?
by Jeffrey Scott Shapiro
November 5, 2008
Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless disrespect many Americans have shown the president.
According to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the right.
This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust."
Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both political parties.
The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.
It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right. Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control. Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.
Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."
To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office.
Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history. Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have.
The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.
Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned with John F. Kerry's legal team during the presidential election in 2004.
We did 2 conservatives on the Supreme Court and a bunch on lower courts. That alone was worth your money.
Well, it wasn't like the U.S. was exactly kicking-ass in the early years of WWII & Korea.
No matter how much I admire the character of George W. Bush and am thankful for his extraordinary efforts at keeping our nation safe, I would be lying if I said I was completely pleased with his performance as president.
Obviously he is not Ronald Reagan, but then again most presidents aren't. But it appears that a very significant Bush (41 and 43) shortcoming is that they do not possess the political instincts to pound their chests and proclaim their accomplishments or sell their vision. Instead they both remained silent in the face of criticism and it festered, steamrolled and led to polling disasters.
BUT...he kept us safe and I do believe that if his strategy is successful he might very well go down in history as a monumental president.
When four years of n0bama fumbling on the war on terror is over, Americans will have a completely different outlook on the Bush years.
Despite my frustration with Dubya, I would like to shake his hand and thank him for his vigilance.
I stand corrected. Tipping my hat for you, sir.
God bless the man and his family.
Seconded.
?
Islam is the Religion of Peace.
He will privatize Social Security. (2000 campaign promise)
He will reduce the presence of American Military in the world. (2000 campaign promise)
The fundamentals of the economy are strong (just before the meltdown) Mission accomplished, Afganistan is turned over to a new regime securely in charge. (and the Taliban mount their surge requiring America to recommit)
I know there are many more. I'm just sick of hearing about how great he is and don't feel like wasting any more effort to prove how worthless he is.
Reagan handed over America to Republicans. The Bush's hand over America to socialists.
This war was fought to maintain the oil infrastructure in the Mideast. The pretext of establishing democracy in Arab counties is an outright lie. Islam and democracy are incompatible. The weapons of mass destruction are a red herring. The war was carried out so that western globalists could plant their presence right in the middle of Islam to control it. It's a permanent theater. Look at the map and you will see that Islam is cut in two with our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. Jim Baker and his lawyers, global oil barons, global construction companies, mercenary firms, and Arab dictators all made huge profits from this venture.
America could easily have carried out punitive aerial campaigns to punish Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia. The risk to our soldiers lives would be much less. The cost to destroy their infrastructure would have been far less costly than destroying it, occupying them, and then rebuilding their infrastructure. We are just about bankrupt.
Qaddafi got the message from just one nightime aerial raid.
This politically correct war where we risk our soldiers by rules of engagement and limiting collateral damage has not won any admiration from our friends. It emboldens our enemies. It's stupid. It's immoral to subject our soldiers to these conditions. We should have brutally punished Islam. In one month we could have given Muslims a month of Hell. They would understand that.
Nonsense. It wasn’t about oil. Saddam wasn’t a threat to oil. He was selling it just like everybody else. He was a threat, though. A very real one.
Islam and democracy may indeed be incompatible. We shall see. In the end, its up to them to settle. Japan’s history was also antithetical to democracy. For that matter Germany’s brief pre-war experiment with democracy didn’t show much promise either. But they seem to have adapted.
Sure we could have turned both Afghanistan and Iraq into something resembling the surface of the sun. It would’ve been simple. Not sure it would’ve been right. We will leave Iraq better than we found it. What they do with it after that is theirs to decide.
At the beginning of Bush 1st's Desert Storm, James Baker held a news conference and declared the war was about oil. He committed that public relation faux pas only once. Thereafter the war was about saving Kuwaitis freedom, rescuing babies from Iraqis allegedly being ripping them from incubators, and the like as the financial elite would have us believe. Sorry, but the nonsense is in believing them.
Islam and democracy may indeed be incompatible. We shall see. In the end, its up to them to settle. Japans history was also antithetical to democracy. For that matter Germanys brief pre-war experiment with democracy didnt show much promise either. But they seem to have adapted.
German and Japanese fascism is nothing like Islam. They were tyrannies run from the top by despots. Islam works from the bottom up with local clerics and the top down by an oligarchy of chief clerics. All involved are ruthless. It enduring. It takes a military despot like Saddam to keep them in line.
Sure we could have turned both Afghanistan and Iraq into something resembling the surface of the sun. It wouldve been simple. Not sure it wouldve been right.
We could have easily sunk their navies and blasted their air forces and armor into oblivion. We could have added destroying Intelligence buildings and naval ports. This would have left them with a light infantry. This would have hit the depots where it hurts. There is no need to wipe out the countries with nuclear weapons.
We will leave Iraq better than we found it. What they do with it after that is theirs to decide.
A better place. The Christians fleeing Iraq don't think so.
Did you lose your way? This isn’t the Holy Temple of Bush day in pictures shrine. Why don’t you go over there with the other twenty to thirty people who usually show up daily to convince themselves Bush and McCain didn’t set us back 12 years on the road to getting this nation back under control?
Bush and McCain’s biggest mistake... they ran for the office in the first place. They should have left the management to someone with Conservative leadership credentials.
You poor guy. You’re absolutely right, but we have some very challenged people on this forum. Obama attacked Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Israel and his own people during his reign.
He used chemical weapons on his own people. He was responsible for upwards of 1.3 million deaths. He completely occupied one nation. He was paying $25, reward to any Palestinian family, whose son or daughter killed themselves in the midst of Israelis.
At his downfall, Obama had hundreds of tons of radioactive material. All he had to do was have his people place one stick of dynamite in it and blow it off on the main street of the nation of his choice.
Other than that he was a swell sort.
We have killed off tens of thousands of terrorists in Iraq. But of course, there was no reason to go there.
Creating a battle-ground was smart and everybody knew it. It’s called killing two birds with one stone. It worked. Geo Bush was correct for allowing this. Yellowcake is off to Canada and all is better.
Ditto!
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