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