Hard to win with an ongoing (somewhat) unpopular and undecided war. If you recall in 2002 and I think in 04 as well, the Rs picked up seats in Congress. I know in 2002, that wasn’t supposed to happen.
I’ll fully own up to Bush convincing a lot of us he was different from his dad.
And I remember the pride here on FR the day he took that mound of rubble in NYC with the bullhorn, or threw a perfect strike at Yankee Stadium, or made one of the best speeches in US history at the National Cathedral.
W attempted, weakly, to reform SS, but gave up. Instead, he drifted into the amnesty debate. Had he gone full GIJOE on Iraq, not holding back on the “Muslim” stuff, and had he not gone into amnesty, his legacy would be much, much different.
Most of all, however, his stupid (Rove’s stupid) decision to not fight back, to just take it, not only destroyed his presidency but really the GOP presidential candidates in 2008 and 2012 who played by the same rules. It also cost us the House and Senate in 2006.
Despite all that, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the W of 2001 who made us proud and who, for a while, held us together.
absolutely agree re: GW - he could have saved his presidency fighting back, but instead gave into the dems attacking from all sides.
remember “worst economy in 70 years”?
“Despite all that, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the W of 2001 who made us proud and who, for a while, held us together.”
Me too LS. You said this so well. Thank you.