Originally Posted By ecdc Today, the George W. Bush Presidential Library and museum were dedicated. In the week leading up to this, the right-wing revisionism and quest to resurrect Bush has been in full swing. And polls seem to back it up; while 55% still see Bush's presidency as a failure, a higher number than ever before show it as a success. Let's not do this. Please. Just this once, can we not do the polite American thing and be generous to someone because, well, he seems like a nice enough guy and didn't he just have a grandchild and his wife is nice and he was smiling with Clinton and I like Clinton, so.... No. Bush was an awful, horrible, no good, very bad President. Let's just never, ever forget that so we don't ever elect an incurious, policy-weak, shallow-minded person for our leader again. In case you need a reminder of why he was so horrible, here's a good commentary, complete with links (and remarkably light on Iraq, if you think that's what it's all about): <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2013/04/bush-terrible-president-also-not-a-smart-man.html" target="_blank">http://nymag.com/daily/intelli...man.html</a> >>The Bush presidency was a full disaster at home and abroad, and whatever small accomplishments that can be salvaged barely rate any mention in comparison with the failures. The general reckoning of Bush is not too harsh. It is too kind.<<
Originally Posted By Dabob2 This. Your humble history major/history buff here puts him in the bottom three ever, along with Buchanan and Harding. That last paragraph is right on the money.
Originally Posted By MissCandice I'll never forget his awful awful terms. I got so mad watching the ABC Evening News with Diane Sawyer last night because they kept on showing bits of an interview with W. I had to leave the room and hang out in the kitchen every time he was on. He was a horrible president.
Originally Posted By mawnck >>because, well, he seems like a nice enough guy and didn't he just have a grandchild and his wife is nice and he was smiling with Clinton and I like Clinton,<< Don't forget the paintings. We like his paintings. And all they had to do was keep him completely away from the cameras for five years. I wonder how Hitler's approval ratings are doing? Look, he had a nice doggie! <a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/87c381d7c01bbc54cfc5c5ae6e81fb1c/tumblr_mg19is725A1r3z9ojo1_500.jpg" target="_blank">http://25.media.tumblr.com/87c..._500.jpg</a> (Yeah, I DID just compared W to Hitler. Deal with it. I'm feeling trollish this afternoon.)
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I'd prefer another four years of Bush to most of the candidates that the Tea Party supports.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I'm more than a little irritated that Obama accepted the invitation to speak at the event. Even though I'm fond of him, I guess it's unrealistic to side with everything he does. If it were me I would have drawn the line at making a public appearance at anything that was be dedicated in George W's honor. <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/04/25/179069587/obamas-bush-library-speech-leaves-iraq-and-more-unspoken" target="_blank">http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsal...unspoken</a>
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I'll give Obama a pass on this one, at least for going. He pretty much couldn't NOT go. He was more gracious than I'd have been; I'd have probably offered up the most generic and/or ambiguous stuff (e.g. "President Bush certainly made some big decisions.") The rest of us don't have to be so diplomatic, and in fact should take to remember and remind people just how awful a president he was.
Originally Posted By FaMulan I'd prefer another four years of Bush to most of the candidates that the Tea Party supports.<< I'm right there with you on that RT, as sad and scary as that is.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***"My deepest conviction, the guiding principle of the administration, is that the United States of America must strive to expand the reach of freedom."*** Wow. Who wrote his speech, George Orwell? ***And all they had to do was keep him completely away from the cameras for five years*** I must say, the most politically savvy move that guy EVER pulled off was to vanish, go completely off the radar, when he left the White House. I dunno who advised that, but whoever it was deserved a bonus. There's no way he'd be looking as good as he is right now if he'd stayed in plain sight like ex-prez's usually do.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "Look, eight years was awesome. You know, I was famous and I was powerful, but I have no desire for fame and power anymore."
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance "In the week leading up to this, the right-wing revisionism and quest to resurrect Bush has been in full swing. " <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXLgz3wH2n8" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...gz3wH2n8</a>
Originally Posted By DyGDisney This is W's legacy: <a href="http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2005-02-28-cover-side_x.htm" target="_blank">http://usatoday30.usatoday.com...de_x.htm</a>
Originally Posted By DyGDisney And this: <a href="http://www.iraqbodycount.org/" target="_blank">http://www.iraqbodycount.org/</a>
Originally Posted By SuperDry Actually, President Obama was quite moved and convinced by his visit to the W library: <a href="http://www.theonion.com/articles/obama-orders-reinvasion-of-iraq-after-illuminating,32202/" target="_blank">http://www.theonion.com/articl...g,32202/</a>
Originally Posted By Dabob2 True story - the library has the "Decision Points Theatre" in which you are presented with info (no doubt as carefully cherry picked as it was at the time) and asked "what decision would YOU have made?" If you still insist on choosing "no" to invading Iraq, a video of W pops up and tells you why you're wrong. Not making that up. The Daily Show shows it below (skip to about 4:30 for the part on "Decision Points.") <a href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/thu-april-25-2013-vali-nasr" target="_blank">http://www.thedailyshow.com/fu...ali-nasr</a>
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>a video of W pops up and tells you why you're wrong<< I wish they'd have had that feature in my voting booth back in 2000.
Originally Posted By TomSawyer Carter leaves the presidency and goes to work with Habitat for Humanity and brokers peace deals and acts as a sort of super-ambassador for the US. Clinton leaves office and uses his political capital to head up the Clinton Global Initiative, driving health care and education improvements in the developing world. And he continues to act as an ambassador for the US and advocates for social issues. Nixon leaves office in disgrace Reagan leaves office and rides off into the Sunset, suffering from the dementia and Alzheimers that may have resulted in him saying "I don't recall" over 100 times during the Iran-Contra hearings. George I leaves office and sits on the board of the Eisenhower Fellowship, a group dedicated to helping business leaders become more effective business leaders. George II leaves office and paints pictures of himself in the bathtub. The difference between the post-presidency lives of GOP and Democratic candidates in the last 50 years is striking and consistent.
Originally Posted By DyGDisney >>>True story - the library has the "Decision Points Theatre" in which you are presented with info (no doubt as carefully cherry picked as it was at the time) and asked "what decision would YOU have made?" If you still insist on choosing "no" to invading Iraq, a video of W pops up and tells you why you're wrong. Not making that up.<<< WOWSER! He still thinks he did the right thing.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip <<Reagan leaves office and rides off into the Sunset, suffering from the dementia and Alzheimers that may have resulted in him saying "I don't recall" over 100 times during the Iran-Contra hearings.>> Oh come now. You're blaming Reagan for getting a disease that no one has any control over? That's as bad as some of the crap that the Tea Party does. You're better than that.
