Posted on 04/18/2013 8:22:16 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
George W Bush: I'm comfortable with my legacy
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I love Reagan.
But bds is pathological whether from left or right.
Bush did tremendous good and his demonization is wrong.
If bush is not a conservative hero the. Reagan is not either.
I think they are both Heros.
His legacy stunk in 2009 and like a old piece of tuna it just gets worse smelling with age.
Quit attacking the gipper to prop up GWB failures. Thats a liberal trick
” I still remember clearly GWB :
“The Democrat takeover of the congress provides us with a great opportunity to get immigration reform passed”
Never will forget this, and how Bush tried like hell to ram amnesty down our throats.
Reagan did ram it down your throats and you seem rather comfortable with that.
Attacking Bush is a liberal trick.
Bush did defend this nation despite all the faux conservatives back stabbing him.
Bush reduced the deficit 2005-2007 until dems took over.
Bush had payback with interest provisions in TARP and the bailout actions he took to save the economy. Those are conservative actions.
Bush laid the groundwork for the transition to North American energy that is now a boom for us today.
” Reagan did ram it down your throats and you seem rather comfortable with that.”
Your pathetic and profoundly dishonest attempt to compare Reagan and Bush is laughable. Bush was a disaster, and we are still paying for his blunders. Yeah, Reagan got snookered on amnesty,but in 1986, there were perhaps 4 million illegals. Now there are closer to 20 million.
Read post 77. That is the REAL Bush legacy. Best detailed expose on Bush I have read at FR.
The successes of President Bush:
1. Protected the nation from further terrorist attacks after 911.
2. Removed the Taliban government from power in 2001.
3. Removed the government of Saddam Hussein from power in 2003
3. Removed Charles Taylor from power in 2003.
4. Enacted tax cuts in 2001 that ended the Clinton recession that began when the dot.com bubble burst and 911 damaged the US economy.
5. Ended the stalemate with China over a spy plane shot down. Got the plane and the pilots back to the US with diplomacy.
6. Diplomatically obtained the end of Libya’s chemical weapons program.
7. Diplomatically ended the genocidal policies of Bashir in Southern Sudan which had killed more than 2 million people during the 1990s.
8. Nominated and saw to confirmation chief justice John Roberts.
9. Nominated and saw to confirmation justice Samuel Alito.
10. Signed into law sweeping educational reform known as No Child Left Behind requiring public schools to disclose for the first time the quality and results of their educational practices to parents.
11. Signed a ban on partial birth abortion.
12. Signed a ban on federal funding of research using fetal stem cells.
13. Pressed for the surge in Iraq in 2007 that lead to the defeat of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
14. Killed Al Qaeda mastermind Musab Al Zarqawi in Iraq.
15. Solidified and increased the American diplomatic and economic relationship with India— the world’s second largest country.
16. Diplomatically contained North Korea with six party talks agreed upon by Japan, the United States, South Korea, Russia, and China.
17. Won re-election in 2004 despite the ascendancy of a profoundly partisan and biased press that actively campaigned for the opposing candidate.
18. Won repeated legal and congressional battles aimed at limiting America’s successful conduct of the war on terror.
19. Led more than 60 nations in cooperative anti terrorism initiatives such as naval interdictions of illegal weapons trade.
20. Led more than 32 nations in combat roles regarding Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Somalia, and the Phillipines.
21. Led the world to closer alignment with his goals in various foreign capitals including: France, South Korea, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy and Poland.
22. Secured more than four democratic elections in Afghanistan and Iraq and a Constitution.
23. Defeated the ABM treaty with Russia and implemented further improvements to American missile defense at home and abroad.
24. Derailed the Kyoto protocol designed to hamper economic growth and increase poverty worldwide.
25. Dramatically increased the Congressional majority of his party in 2002 which is an unprecedented achievement.
26. Diplomatically resolved major tensions between India and Pakistan during 2002 and 2003.
27. Oversaw the advance of democracy in numerous nations including: Afghanistan, Iraq, Liberia, Georgia, Lebanon and Ukraine.
28. Prevented the erasure of the Jewish state of Israel from the map of the world by the radical shia terror state of Iran.
29. Conducted his administration with professionalism and grace.
30 Killed or detained hundreds of major Al Qaeda operatives responsible for the 911 attacks on the United States.
31. Implemented drug abuse programs that reduced drug abuse by about one million users.
32. Implemented housing policies which reduced homelessness by 30%.
33. Reversed the Mexico city policy promoting abortion globally.
34. Supported and coordinated Ethiopia’s military defeat of radical Islamists in Somalia.
35. Supported and coordinated Philippine’s military defeat of radical Islamists in the south of the island.
36. Provided more aid and successful policies for the continent of Africa than any previous President.
37. Thwarted one of the world’s most dangerous diseases— Malaria— with policies and funding to reduce it.
38. Implemented TARP with three key principals of fiscal conservatism: 1) the funds had to be paid back, 2) the funds had to be paid back with interest, 3) those funds have been paid back.
39. Advocated and obtained the increase of African Union forces for Darfur from 7,000 to 21,000.
40. Transformed the United States from the “paper tiger” described by Osama Bin Laden to the deterrent capable fighting force that overcame Al Qaeda, Iraqi Baathists, Taylor loyalists, Abu Sayaaf, Somali warlords, and the anti-American War Movement.
Whether or not Rove told Bush not to answer his critics, it was ultimately Bush’s decision to respond or not. He is accountable, not the adviser ( Rove) he picked.
Bush is also accountable for the doubling of the national debt under his watch. Yes, during the last 2 years the Democrat Congress shares the blame. However Bush did not use his veto power to reign in spending during his 8 years. He also added significantly to federal education spending.
Federal Reserve Chairman and destroyer of the dollar Ben Bernanke is part of the G.W. Bush legacy. The decision to bail out the banks in 2008 was his as was the decision to appoint Goldman Sachs Chairman Henry Paulson Secretary of the Treasury. Timothy Geithner was appointed head of the NY Federal Reserve during the Bush administration. Bernanke, Paulson, and Geithner were Bush’s managers of the financial crisis. Every decision they made protected their Wall Street banking buddies at the expense of the taxpayer. TARP was their creation and part of the legacy. Crony capitalism ruled during the Bush administration.
Homeland Security and the Patriot Act are legacies of Mr. Bush. “Islam is the religion of peace” is a legacy. John Roberts on the Supreme Court is a legacy. Harriet Myers on the Court was almost a legacy.
Bush failed to secure the border and promoted amnesty for illegals. The first gun running with the cartels occurred during the Bush administration. He failed to take a tough line with China on trade contributing to the wholesale theft of US intellectual property and military secrets as well as the continued deindustrialization of the US economy that began during his father’s administration. China paid no price for the downing of a US plane early in his administration. These are all part of the legacy.
Two wars wasting thousands of American lives and over a trillion dollars of additional debt are part of the legacy. The end is the same as Vietnam
A shattered economy, a decade of decline in household income for the average American family for the first time in US history, doubling of the national debt, millions of illegal immigrants, the depreciation of the dollar, a nuclear North Korea, and two lost wars are the Bush legacy. Yes, his successor much worse, but Bush was a poor leader and a bad president. He was a progressive globalist statist and crony capitalist, not a conservative. A lover of liberty and the Constitution would never have created a homeland security department nor would he have requested the Patriot Act. He left the nation in much worse shape than it was at the beginning of his 8 years and he set the stage for the disaster we have today. If he is truly proud of his legacy then he is a fool.
77 posted on 04/19/2013 3:34:56 AM PDT by Soul of the South
Me too but Bush had major stumbles
Not very conservative
As usual
“Bush is also accountable for the doubling of the national debt under his watch. Yes, during the last 2 years the Democrat Congress shares the blame. However Bush did not use his veto power to reign in spending during his 8 years. He also added significantly to federal education spending.”
False— Bush reduced the deficit from half a trillion in 2005 to less than 180 billion by 2007. That is almost one tenth what the annual deficit is now. The BDS crowd like the one gathered here likes to pretend that putting in an overwhlemingly democratic senate and house did nothing to the deficit. Again obviously false. It is the primary reason the deficit and debt exploded. Democrats destroyed the US economy in 2008. Bush raised US federal revenue dramatically through his tax cuts.
Spending— which is controlled by Congress— exploded under Democrats.
“Federal Reserve Chairman and destroyer of the dollar Ben Bernanke is part of the G.W. Bush legacy. The decision to bail out the banks in 2008 was his as was the decision to appoint Goldman Sachs Chairman Henry Paulson Secretary of the Treasury. Timothy Geithner was appointed head of the NY Federal Reserve during the Bush administration. Bernanke, Paulson, and Geithner were Bush’s managers of the financial crisis. Every decision they made protected their Wall Street banking buddies at the expense of the taxpayer. TARP was their creation and part of the legacy. Crony capitalism ruled during the Bush administration.”
False. The TARP bailout was conservatively financed. As noted previously the bailout had to be paid back to taxpayers with interest and it has. Bush expended less than half of the $800 billion dollars allocated by Congress. Crony capitalism has always been worse under democrats than republicans. If anything, Bush’s oil connections laid the foundation of an economic revolution that is now transforming the nation for the better— especially in places such as North Dakota and Texas.
Where Bush was governor and republicans rule, the economy is among the strongest in the nation.
“Homeland Security and the Patriot Act are legacies of Mr. Bush. “Islam is the religion of peace” is a legacy. John Roberts on the Supreme Court is a legacy. Harriet Myers on the Court was almost a legacy.”
We cannot exterminate two billion people who practice Islam so while you may fancy that possible its not. Its part of your golden unicorn world that cannot nor ever will exist. Patriot act had sunset provisions that are at the discretion of congress and the president today.
Yes, you are quite welcome for not lying under a pile of rubble from various attacks prevented by these courageous actions by President Bush.
Oh wait- You aren’t thanking him— you’re using your life and freedom to attack one of the greatest leaders in American history.
Shouldn’t you be at Gitmo? Oh wait. Your hyperbole makes no sense because you are free to express your opinion here in the non sharia state of America.
“Bush failed to secure the border and promoted amnesty for illegals. The first gun running with the cartels occurred during the Bush administration. He failed to take a tough line with China on trade contributing to the wholesale theft of US intellectual property and military secrets as well as the continued deindustrialization of the US economy that began during his father’s administration. China paid no price for the downing of a US plane early in his administration. These are all part of the legacy.”
Bush negotiate the return of pilots and the plane successfully prior to 911.
Where’s the stuff other nation’s have stolen from us such as North Korea, Russia, and Iran? Oh yeah, other presidents were unsuccessful in getting such things returned.
Well done President Bush.
The Alliance with India is a massive counter ballance to China and Bush strenghtened the US military in a way that power projection to the pacific was credible. Bush supported Taiwan and other asian powers to contain china.
“Two wars wasting thousands of American lives and over a trillion dollars of additional debt are part of the legacy. The end is the same as Vietnam”
No. False.
We actually won both wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We deposed the leaders and created constitutions in both states. Life is actually much better in both places than it was under the taliban and Saddam.
I realize that you and your BDS friends may miss Saddam but he was actually a genocidiare who admired Stalin.
“A shattered economy, a decade of decline in household income for the average American family for the first time in US history, doubling of the national debt, millions of illegal immigrants, the depreciation of the dollar, a nuclear North Korea, and two lost wars are the Bush legacy. Yes, his successor much worse, but Bush was a poor leader and a bad president. He was a progressive globalist statist and crony capitalist, not a conservative. A lover of liberty and the Constitution would never have created a homeland security department nor would he have requested the Patriot Act. He left the nation in much worse shape than it was at the beginning of his 8 years and he set the stage for the disaster we have today. If he is truly proud of his legacy then he is a fool.”
Bush is no fool. His deragned accusers are. The nation was much better off— especially in January of 2007 when democrats took control of Congress. Looking at any snapshots of the nation in January of 2007 show that the real fools are peoople who think electing democrats helps advance conservatism.
Thank you president Bush for your excellent service to a nation that is not grateful enough.’
You have all the right enemies. Like Thatcher you are a man of courage and conviction.
I understand these people cause I once suffered from their disease as a young man.
Bush signed that disgusting 2001 farm bill and McCain-Feingold and I, blamed Congress for passing them. Hello?
Okay.....President Bush asked to authorize to use force in Iraq....it’s 21st Century Newspeak of declaring war. That’s all it was about.
Just to add on the economy and banks, Bush pushed (and bragged about) many home-ownership policies for poor minorities with bad credit, like no more down payment required, that got him votes in 2004 but greatly contributed to the problems in 2007 and 2008 and many of those who voted for him lost those same houses and blamed the GOP for it and still do.
So I take NO joy and saying this but that battle was lost long ago, before Obama was elected even:
No amount of time or double talk will make most people think fondly of the Bush years, anymore than the Carter years. It just etched too much pain in memories.
So why not learn from mistakes?
Things went wrong, really wrong, and proof is the best they can come up with is a list of excuses why nuthin was his fault.
To end with compliment to Bush I will tell you all, but not them:
I sincerely respect GWB for staying quiet these 4+ years, it shows class, too bad Laura doesn't have that same class.
Excellent post.
Myers, looking back that was pretty egregious huh? But I defended it! LOL
Everyone (or almost) loved Roberts. But it proved to be an inauspicious choice and that really hurts what litle positive legacy Bush left. Now it’s just Alito and little else.
4 years with both Houses of Congress, a wasted oppurtunity.
I wasn’t going to comment on this thread at all, but I get riled when people feel the need to castigate/vilify Reagan, in order to make Bush look good.In most respects, Reagan & Bush are polar opposites.
Reagan left many good feelings and memories behind for most people, but Bush..???...I dont need to repeat it, it still hurts to think of it.
I figured out why the Bush-bots suddenly came out again and were so surprisingly aggressive on this thread.
Its the Boston bombing. They still live in 2002 where every terrorist attack even if it failed is a chance to redeem the GWB legacy. Recall late 2009 attempt.
That explains the rhetorical question I got here for my FACTUAL Bush comments:
“ Whose side are you on? ”
Very similar to Bush:
“ You are either with us or against us (for the terrorists) ”
I figured that’s where it came from : )
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