Posted on 11/13/2008 1:02:00 AM PST by naturalman1975
I WRITE in praise of George W. Bush. I recognise this may be an eccentric position to hold and an eccentric moment to express it.
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Right now the whole world is absurdly against Bush. If he jumped in front of a speeding train to rescue an old woman he would be accused of cynically promoting US rail interests. In time, I'm sure, a more balanced understanding of Bush's achievements, as well as his failures, will emerge. But right now he's about as popular as a Wall Street stockbroker at a pensioners' rally.
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From Australia's point of view, Bush gave us every single thing we seriously wanted, from a free trade agreement to historically important new intelligence sharing arrangements... Similarly, selected Australian institutions were given direct access to US intelligence systems. Former prime minister John Howard ran the US relationship brilliantly and secured huge, long-term institutional advantages for Australia out of it.
More generally, Bush was always ready to take Australian interests into account. Almost certainly we will never again have as good a friend in the White House.
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Much of history's judgment of Bush will turn on Iraq and Afghanistan. This column, in what is certainly a minority position, believes the Iraq operation was the right thing to do on the basis of the information available and Bush was courageous to do it. More recently, Bush defied all his advisers to implement the troop surge that turned Iraq from a catastrophe to a chance of success.
This President, infinitely more complex than his reviews would suggest, will have a better place in history than most of his critics.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
Thanks to an Aussie friend! I have had my disagreements with President Bush, but I'm going to miss him greatly starting January 21st 2009.
I will defend Bush against the likes of Obama any day of the week. I may not see eye to eye with Bush, but he is not a criminally inclined individual. I cannot say that about Obama. And when push comes to shove, Bush should simple pardon Cheney and resign, allowing Cheney to pardon him.
Another poster beat me to suggesting this, so it’s not my gem tonight. Clinton was thought to be pondering this in his last days.
If Obama tries to investigate or prosecute Bush, he is going to alienate a awful lot of people. I wouldn’t be very quiet about my objection to it. It would be a despicable move on Obama’s part.
Something that rarely gets discussed--NR had a cover story on it years ago--is how the US, UK and Australia are a coalition that needs to be maintained and strengthened. Together we are a stronghold against the silliness of much of Europe and the scariness of much of Asia.
What many fail to realize is that isn’t Bush himself. It would have been whoever defeated the Dems as their putsch for power was disrupted. Bush was the unlucky one who won the 2000 and 2004 election against the Socialist Demokratik Politburo and they will continue every effort at total destruction of the GOP and our leaders.
Bush wasn’t perfect, but he is far from the worst as they now try to paint him. One thing I always liked about him, he never passed the buck, he took it on himself, no matter what it was.
The Bolsheviks couldn’t just depose the Czar, they had to destroy him.
In many ways, you are seeing the second Bolshevik Revolution occuring before our very eyes.
What our country has done to President Bush has been a crime. Yes he was made mistakes! SPENDING being my major issue but He kept us Safe, rocked the economy for 7 years and liberated millions of people!!! He was a great president and I am deeply ashamed of half of my country and THE OBAMANATION their hysteria has brought us
You are absolutely right. The Russians (make that the Soviets) said that they’d take over America without firing a shot. Mission accomplished.
All that being said, Bush did not defend himself or us against the scurrilous attacks, and in failing to do so he set the stage for John McCain to fail in the same way during this campaign.That is a failure, and a signal one.
I believe we have a BINGO.
My first disagreement with the article as concerns "controlling" his cabinet/admin. That wasn't the President's job; it was his chief of staff's job.
President Bush treated his job as though it were an actual job. He accomplished much. And greatly.
I learned a great deal about his "errors", too. I learned that even though he contributed a huge benefit to those in need (meds, etc.), they were a thankless lot, at any rate, treating that largess as tho it were DUE them, not as the benefit it in fact was. The ones complaining most vehemently about this largesse, were in fact, those not receiving a penny of the largess. Another lesson learned.
From article: Now, the successes. Barack Obama in some measure owes his success to the inclusiveness of Bush. Bush appointed Powell secretary of state. He appointed Condoleezza Rice national security adviser, then Secretary of State. Over eight years, this accustomed the electorate to African-Americans handling critical national security positions. No other president, certainly no Democrat, had done anything like it.
This is very true.
From article: Finally, there was a failure on hiswatch to properly regulate the financial system, a failure he shares in full measure with congressional Democrats.
This is incorrect. It assumes the Democrats had no obligation to either help build and grow the economy, nor play watch dog to their own Democrat self-interests. Democrats had obligations to the people of this country and failed it badly, laughing up their sleeves they could via media message foist their own failings upon President Bush. And they did.
From article: Instead, the Bush administration looked at times like a medieval court with warring princes under a troubled king. It got better during the second term.
The first term "problems" came about as the press was in full court assault against the Bush Administration. The second term was better but only because the Democrats kept stepping on their own feet and tripping over their own tongues which of course, left the media with very little to charge the Bush Admin with.
Third, there were bad mistakes in implementation in Iraq.
Yes, those can be called errors. And these errors were the result of 8 previous years of "slash and burn" military organization, preparedness and efficiency. 9-11 happened, and a badly dissembled military had to move into action and amid a recalcitrant and well organized Democrat opposition to any attempt to halt further bombings on US soil, and in other lands.
There was also a failure to pursue energy independence, even to the point of resisting fuel efficiency improvements in motor vehicles, which was part of a broader failure to articulate a coherent response to climate change, where his record was better than his rhetoric.
He did as much as a sitting President could do without demanding he be accorded a special and preferential "civil right" to run roughshod over a joint media/progressive led Democrat Party.
He dealt with the "climate change" movement quite deftly. His knowledge on this subject was and is impressive.
From article: In rejecting elite American opinion, he too often looked as though he was rejecting international opinion. In dismissing The New York Times, he seemed to dismiss Europe.
He was right to dismiss the NYT, as he most certainly was also, Europe. Europe pooh-poohed the WOT, and did all within its powers to dismiss and belittle, while sending love notes to the US basically asserting the Clintonian "I feel your pain, ha ha ha.".
In the short lens view of time, your opinion is correct.
Ping for later.
I have never hated President Bush. I can be angry at some of the decisions he has made but I have always believed his heart was in the right place. I never felt he had contempt for the United States or any of it’s citizens. I am going to miss him.
In the future, maybe all of the behind the scenes information will come out and we will have a better understanding of why he did what he did. The man had a lot on his plate, with 9/11 and the Democrats fighting him EVERY step of the way.
I have believed similar things about Bush, but the bailout has soured me on what history’s judgement will be.
Thanks for the refreshingly TRUTHFUL view of our lame duck President. The next one is going to make Mr. Bush look like Lincoln and Washington combined. He has no ethics at all, that Hussein. (Well, they called Bush by his middle initial, didnt they?)
But getting back to Bush, he has class, and so does Laura. I’m going to miss a first lady with class for the next four years.
We’ve had 8 years without an al Qaeda attack, and great prosperity, which the press calls hard economic times. The Pelosis and Dingy Harrys are putting an end to it now.
The Demonrat Party and the MSM should be indicted for libel and defamation of character, but, alas, the judges are Demonrats or Demon synpathizers.
Ditto!
In the same position, Gore, Kerry or the ‘Mr. “God D*(n America” President’ could not have done one tenth as well.... depend on it!
The world is getting ready for a world ruler.
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