George W Bush: was he really that bad?

telegraph.co.uk ^

[Sub-Driver]

George W Bush: was he really that bad?

More than four years after George W Bush left the White House, his record is being reassessed and throws up similarities with Barack Obama, writes Alex Spillius

By Alex Spillius

1:10PM BST 15 Apr 2013

It is George W Bush’s particular achievement to be disliked by both sides in American politics.

Democrats of course excoriate the damage done to the budget by waging two wars while cutting taxes, his conduct after Hurricane Katrina and his shoot from the hip style, not to mention that fact that he presided over the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression.

His own Republican party utterly rejected him during the 2012 campaign. Tea Party types saw him as a big-spender guilty of extending federal government, while few who once stood with him were prepared to defend his military achievements.

But presidents tend to look better, or at least different, from a distance, and with the opening of his presidential centre in Texas, there are suggestions that Bush the younger may be more fondly remembered than was thought possible when he left the White House in January 2009 as the most unpopular president in living memory.

He was certainly more socially liberal than his critics give him credit for. No Child Left Behind, whatever its faults and funding, was a centralised attempt to raise educational standards across the board.

A new prescription drug benefit scheme may have been expensive (though Bush himself argues its cost has been exaggerated) but its aim was to make medicines more affordable for the elderly.

Bush failed in his most ambitious social reform of immigration law, but he was defeated primarily by the Right of his party, not the Democrats.

[Mr. K]

I would GLADLY take Bill Clionton over Obam or for that matter W.

At least clinton got us to a balanced budget and actual welfare reform (to a degree) - Although it was only thanks to Newt.

The Media learned from that- if they had pushed and pushed harder those evil republicans would not have had to make poor clinton balance that budget.

[Rapscallion]

Prersiddent Bush WAS that bad. He did not even try to control the run-away spending of the congress. Not one veto. Then we went bust!!

Cannot blame Obama for that. Face it. Bush did it.

Obama made it much worse by his ignorance of government and ignorance of economics. He still believes taxes can improve the economy. Fifth graders know better. Real Americans know better.

But we don’t need another Bush, either. Get it?

[what's up]

At least clinton got us to a balanced budget and actual welfare reform (to a degree) - Although it was only thanks to Newt.

Yes, it was because of the House so why on earth would you take Clinton over W.?

The only reason Clinton juiced the economy was because he was in trouble and was impeached. Clinton was largely responsible for the sexually messed up generation we have now as well as largely responsible for lax security which led to 9/11. He and his wife are both scum and do not come near to Bush in quality.

[Christie at the beach]

.>Obama made it much worse by his ignorance of government and ignorance of

Ignorance, don't think so. Obama is set to destroy the free market system. Bush didn't cause it all, we have a congress that did Not do nothing to control spending. Everyone was caught up in political correctness governance..same thing now so no fighting back..until they fight, same occurs.

[JohnBrowdie]

Bush I begat Clinton.

Perot I begat Clinton.

[2big2fail]

GWB was, in the opinion of this liberty-loving Republican, a disaster.The prescription drug benefit established the principle that someone is entitled to the income of another merely because they’ve reached a certain age. No Child Left Behind increased the federal role in the education of our kids, which should be infuriating for anyone who believes in local (and parent!) control of education. He seized on the War on Terror as the means to amp up surveillance and wiretapping of US citizens and instigated a slow degradation of our freedom via the Patriot Act and other laws and reg’s. Not a “W” fan. Voted for him in 2000 when he ran as a freedom-loving Republican. Like me. Bait and Switch. Ouch.

[dfwgator]

If Bush hadn’t reneged on “Read my lips”, there would have been no Perot.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Bush made one really bad mistake.

He conducted the WoT in an exemplary manner to our foreign enemy in other countries. This was good.

However, he could not discern between foreign enemy in other countries, and peaceful American citizens here. He equated the two with his actions.

In retrospect, the Patriot Act I and II could have been a fraction of the size they were. In consolidating federal agencies and creating the TSA, he could have asked congress to waiver the constitutional arguments against profiling.

Yeah, it would have been annoying to be a Muslim traveling around the US, or to or from the US by air. Tough. But everyone else should not be annoyed to create the nonsense illusion that security needs to be “fair”. It doesn’t have to be, and shouldn’t be.

When we were at war in WWII, we did not trust people of German, Japanese, or Italian origins. During the Cold War, we were distrustful of Russians. All legitimate concerns.

The same rule should apply to Muslims. It is not racist, because Islam is not a race. However, for all its sects, there is enough agreement in Islam that threatens the US, *as a religion*, that the US has a right to single out Muslims for scrutiny, *for their religion*.

This is what Bush should have done.

This being said, Bush’s big error turned American all ahead full in the direction of a police state. It will take decades to fully reverse the damage done by this, if it can be done short of the near collapse of the nation forcing it to happen.

Likewise, Bush had an amazing opportunity to fix America’s financial problem, and should have taken that opportunity, but he did not. And this damages us immensely as a nation.

Ideally, our next Republican president is going to have his work cut out for him. Ideally, he would put the US on a path to eliminate half the federal government; significantly reduce the power of the office of the POTUS; and restore so much of what has been forfeited in the past, such as massive federal land takings from the states; the corrosive effects of years of economic pumping; and the insane prohibitions against energy and economic development.

[Bubba_Leroy]

There are many things that Bush did that I did not agree with, but every day I thank God that we had President Bush instead of President Algore or President John F’ing Kerry.

Just the thought of President Algore in control during the aftermath of 9/11 makes my blood run cold.

[smoothsailing]

Not a “W” fan. Voted for him in 2000 when he ran as a freedom-loving Republican. Like me. Bait and Switch. Ouch.

So who did you vote for in 2004?

[Count of Monte Fisto]

George W Bush: was he really that bad?

Yes.

But there was one silver lining to those disastrous 8 years that paved the way for Barry Soetoro*. When the GOP held all three branches of the federal government and did nothing but expand the scope and cost of said federal government they proved once and for all that the GOP is just the right wing of the same Globalist/Marxist bird of prey that the Democrats are the left wing of.

Thanks, Bush!

*Bush was still the President, the lead law enforcement official in the country, when that illegal alien Commie thug and petty criminal from Chicago fraudulently ran for office and again Bush deliberately did nothing. Can you imagine what the FBI,CIA,NSA,IRS could have dug up on that on-the-down-low witless, talentless nobody. He would be in a jail cell were he belongs, not in the Oval Office destroying the Republic.

[Christie at the beach]

Clinton is the person who allowed Joycelyn Elders as the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to institute passing out condoms like candy in our public schools and his and her refusal to say oral sex is wrong..well. just do it was not a good message for young people. In a lot of ways, he is the man that I despise the most because he and Hillary set the path that Obama is on; they dropped the ball causing 9-11 and if that woman gets in, more cover ups come.

[laconic]

I wouldn’t say he was our WORST president (any field that includes Jimmy Carter takes care of that distinction), but he was certainly in the bottom five. Expensive prescription drug “benefits”, Harriet Myers, an unjustified and unjustifiable war in Iraq, “nation building” in Afganistan which has been a graveyard for every country that has gone in there, no child left behind, Chief Justice Roberts, failure to protect border agents, what more can I say? Whoever thinks he (or his father) was in the same class as Reagan has been drinking some Kool-Aid which I will never have in my refrigerator.

[Old Sarge]

Republicans vs. Democrats: Maybe A Dime's Worth Of Difference

~ Larry Elder, "The Ten Things You Can't Say In America"

[Forward the Light Brigade]

How can you say this? Bush was the ultimate Bad guy! He started two wars on his own word —there was no Weapons of Mass Destruction, he used a Credit Card to pay for them, placing the USA in massive debt! Children starved under Bush! And he hated black folks and blew up the dyke in New Orleans so as to destroy the escape buses and the 9th Ward! He also strapped his dog to the roof of his car and drove it around just to show what he could do. He, gave guns to Drug Lords and gave every penny to his rich friends—and would be doing so today if he was in power. He wanted us to fight a 100 year war in Iraq—Why if Bush was in office (or one of his minions) there would be Car bombs blowing up in Irag now! We would not be in a prospering, recovering, Progressive state—on its way toward the perfect Worker’s Utopia! Give Obama another 8 years and we will get there Comrade!

[bgill]

I never understood the hatered of him. I’d take him a hundred times over for what we’ve got now.

[jjotto]

...blew up the dyke...

There's a mental image I can live without!

[Mr. K]

don’t get me wrong- I thought Clinton was a low-life scumbag and still do.

I am speaking ONLY of those wonderful days of a balanced budget, $12Trillion dollars ago...

[sneakers]

I agree with you whole-heartedly July4.

[Christie at the beach]

No problem. I just cannot stomach Clinton at all. He was forced to the balanced budget side due to the strength of party back then.