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.
Please read the entire article, but for brevity, here is the list
- his decision in 2001 to jettison the Kyoto global warming treaty so loved by Al Gore, the environmental lobby, elite opinion, and Europeans.
- enhanced interrogation of terrorists.
- the rebuilding of presidential authority, badly degraded in the era of Vietnam, Watergate, and Bill Clinton.
- Bush’s unswerving support for Israel.
- No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the education reform bill cosponsored by America’s most prominent liberal Democratic senator Edward Kennedy. The teachers’ unions, school boards, the education establishment, conservatives adamant about local control of schools–they all loathed the measure and still do. It requires two things they ardently oppose, mandatory testing and accountability.
- Bush declared in his second inaugural address in 2005 that American foreign policy (at least his) would henceforth focus on promoting democracy
- the Medicare prescription drug benefit, enacted in 2003. It’s not only wildly popular; it has cost less than expected by triggering competition among drug companies.
- John Roberts and Sam Alito. In putting them on the Supreme Court and naming Roberts chief justice, Bush achieved what had eluded Richard Nixon, Reagan, and his own father. Roberts and Alito made the Court indisputably more conservative. And the good news is Roberts, 53, and Alito, 58, should be justices for decades to come.
- He strengthened relations with east Asian democracies (Japan, South Korea, Australia) without causing a rift with China. On top of that, he forged strong ties with India. An important factor was their common enemy, Islamic jihadists. After 9/11, Bush made the most of this, and Indian leaders were receptive.
- THE SURGE. Bush prompted nearly unanimous disapproval in January 2007 when he announced he was sending more troops to Iraq and adopting a new counterinsurgency strategy. His opponents initially included the State Department, the Pentagon, most of Congress, the media, the foreign policy establishment, indeed the whole world. This makes his decision a profile in courage. Best of all, the surge worked. Iraq is now a fragile but functioning democracy.
Let me know your reactions to this list. What would you take away or add to the list?
I absolutely agree that Bush’s achievements have been misrepresented and understated. Let’s just hope the libbies don’t rewrite his history and diminish his legacy.
He stepped up to the plate to combat terrorism (unlike Billy boy before him), jobs were created at an amazing rate in a truly good economy for most of his tenure and he was a strong willed man. I respected that.
In the end he was a better president than even his father.
Just imagine what more could have been done if he had not been sabatoged by the left?
Journalism is dead. It is now a game of manipulation of public opinion.
I am very glad that Bush was our President when 9/11 happened and the actions he choose. Thanks to our President and his administration there has not been another attack on U.S. soil. As he said from the very beginning, this was not going to be a short war, it would take years. History in that region of the world proves that.
I am soooo tired of hearing “it’s Bush’s fault.” regardless of the nature of the issue. From unemployment to the bailout, these things have been coming since long before President Bush came to office.
All the good Bush did will have a hard time being reported. The Obama is the Savior of mankind news media, will shoot down anyone trying to tell the truth. The Communist New Network, and the extreme leftist papers like the New your Times and Washington Post Etc, will rage at anyone who does not parrot the party line.
TammyC how correct you are about 9/11 If Gore the bore had been president, he would have hide under the Oval office desk and peed in his panties.
Crappy list. Worst President Ever.
Don’t let the door hit you on the way out, Dubya.
Among others, how has our “unwavering support of Israel” help end suffering in Israel and Palestine?
“If Gore the bore had been president, he would have hide under the Oval office desk and peed in his panties.”
————
Which is pretty much what Bush/Cheney did – piss their pants in fear.
They let themselves (and you conservatives too) become so intensly and irrationaly afraid of a dangerous yet small band of criminals that they knee-jerkingly started two unnecessary wars resulting in tens of thousands of innocents lives lost and irreparable damage to our national image and post-9/11 goodwill…I could go on and on…but I won’t have to. Historians will, and they will not be kind to President Bush.
Who the hell voted for this man?! Twice?! Oh yeah…you guys did.
Great. Thanks.
sfl oxoxox’s is what we should do if terrorits should ever attack us again???
#:-s I am really happy you came along and clarified all of this for me ^:)^
LOL, sfl is killing me, LOL
Bush hardly got anything right.
Bush is only the worst president ever.
The majority of Americans feel that Bush was an utter failure.
Bush suffers from narcissistic personality disorder.
Submitted by Andrew Yu-Jen Wang
B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1996
Messiah College, Grantham, PA
Lower Merion High School, Ardmore, PA, 1993
Wow, Andrew, your acumen is astounding! What is really exceptional about your post is the deep analysis, backed by facts and your obvious vast knowledge! When many other anti-Bush posters are posting one-liner Democrite talking points and trendy babble, you instead school us all with your deep, insightful wisdom! You are just awesome!
“They let themselves (and you conservatives too) become so intensly and irrationaly afraid of a dangerous yet small band of criminals…”
It took only 18 of them to kill 3000+ Americans on 9/11. It will take less than that to bring a tactical nuke to America and detonate it in a large city. Then will you be saying the same thing?
Good point Robert. Generally when I argue this with liberals I very humbly, and in my saddest voice, start listing Beirut, WT93, Khobar Towers, etc.
Terrorists, and more specifically the Islamic radicals, are actually large in number and have many resources and much money. Many americans would be shocked to find out just how much – hint: it’s in the billions. They get this through legitimate business and charities and America is one of it’s biggest cash cows.
So for those that care, pay close attention to WHAT you buy and WHO you give charity to.
And Andrew, I worked at a major University and your summa cum laude does not impress me.