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daisyscarlett: THANK YOU for updating this amazing thread — the White House photos are a spectacular addition!!

I watched Brit Hume’s interview with Presidents 41 and 43 and was incredibly touched by their obvious love/respect for each other — President Bush 41 got so choked up at one point that 43 and to ‘lighten’ the conversation with a discussion about 41’s upcoming parachute jump. We will not see their like again anytime soon!!
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MUST READ . . .

BUSH’S ACHIEVEMENTS
Ten things the president got right.
by Fred Barnes

The postmortems on the presidency of George W. Bush are all wrong. The liberal line is that Bush dangerously weakened America’s position in the world and rushed to the aid of the rich and powerful as income inequality worsened. That is twaddle. Conservatives—okay, not all of them—have only been a little bit kinder. They give Bush credit for the surge that saved Iraq, but not for much else.

He deserves better. His presidency was far more successful than not. And there’s an aspect of his decision-making that merits special recognition: his courage. Time and time again, Bush did what other presidents, even Ronald Reagan, would not have done and for which he was vilified and abused. That—defiantly doing the right thing—is what distinguished his presidency.

Bush had ten great achievements (and maybe more) in his eight years in the White House, starting with his decision in 2001 to jettison the Kyoto global warming treaty so loved by Al Gore, the environmental lobby, elite opinion, and Europeans. The treaty was a disaster, with India and China exempted and economic decline the certain result. Everyone knew it. But only Bush said so and acted accordingly.

Read about the other 9 accomplishments here:
http://weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/986rockt.asp
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BUSH’S BETTER WORLD
HIS OVERLOOKED SUCCESSES ON FOREIGN POLICY AND SECURITY
By PETER BROOKES

If you asked Americans to list President Bush’s foreign policy and national security accomplishments, you’d likely get some laughs - surely some snarky comments. Perhaps, at best, a short list.

But, in truth, there are a number of great successes. So as the Bush administration gets ready to exit the national and world stage in the coming days, it’s time to give credit where credit’s due.

It’s not just by chance that there hasn’t been another terrorist strike here at home since the 9/11 attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in the skies over Pennsylvania - more than seven years ago now. While far from perfect in execution, the Bush administration pulled out the stops in fighting terror at home and abroad, which, prior to 9/11, had been considered by many to be little more than a law enforcement problem.

You can read the entire commentary here:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/01112009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/bushs_better_world_149578.htm?page=0
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AIDS BATTLE BURNISHES BUSH’S LEGACY IN AFRICA
[Yep, even with the obligatory snarks, AP Clare is forced to admit yet another GWB accomplishment!]
By CLARE NULLIS

In her AIDS-scarred South African township, Sweetness Mzolisa leads a chorus of praise for George W. Bush that echoes to the deserts of Namibia, the hills of Rwanda and the villages of Ethiopia.

Like countless Africans, Mzolisa looks forward to Barack Obama becoming America’s first black president Jan 20. But — like countless Africans — Mzolisa says she will always be grateful to Bush for his war on AIDS, which has helped to treat more than 2 million Africans, support 10 million more, and revitalize the global fight against the disease.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090111/ap_on_re_af/af_bush_s_africa_legacy;_ylt=AhXbp.C_0GVEwbEo81TpDTwEtbAF