What’s the final word on W?
Let's play a game of word association.First up, George W. Bush.
What comes to mind?
President?
Uniter?
Divider?
Compassionate?
Incompetent?
Patriot?
Criminal?
Thursday night, Bush bid the nation a fond farewell from the East Room of the White House. Don't hold your breath waiting to hear the sound of a collective "thank you" from America or the world.
He leaves office next week with record low approval ratings, America's military engaged in two wars, and the nation's economy in shambles.
Critics say how Bush will be judged is a no-brainer.
"Bush's three most obvious legacies are his decision to invade Iraq, his framing of a global war on terror after September 11 and the massive financial crisis. Each of these constitutes a separate epic in presidential misjudgment and mismanagement. It remains a brainteaser to come up with ways, however minor, in which Bush changed government, politics or the world for the better," says Newsweek's Jacob Weisberg, in the magazine's latest edition.
Many on the right also feel let-down by the man they once championed. "I think we've had some serious goofs along the way. The Katrina matter was terrible. The rebuilding of Iraq has been terrible. The handling of the economy right now has been terrible," Evangelist Pat Robertson recently told CNN.
Most Americans seem to agree. According to a FOX News Opinion Dynamics poll taken this week, only a third of those surveyed approve of the job Bush has done.
But the poll did find some underlying goodwill for Bush.
Seventy-two percent of those polled believe Bush is a good person.
I generally agree. Although I don't think he shares the same level of decency as his father, George H.W. Bush, I do believe that Bush truly loves the nation, his family, and has delivered on his promise to do whatever it takes to keep us safe.
Many argue he and Vice President Dick Cheney trampled on the Constitution to get that job done. But to that, I would ask - what right have you lost or given up in the war on terror? If anything, I would fault Bush for not asking more of Americans in terms of sacrifice in the face of a shadowy enemy.
Critics also argue that Bush's war on terror has made for more enemies around the world. They say his "get tough, take it to them" approach to combating terrorists lead many to see America as a go-it alone bully. I would counter that America rarely does well in any international popularity contest and trying to appease leaders or pundits in Paris, Berlin, or Madrid is an exercise in futility.
At home, Bush got elected on a promise of smaller government. He ended up overseeing one of the biggest spending sprees in the nation's history. Americans ran up huge credit card debts, and bought houses they could not afford. Banks and Wall Street brokers went on greed bender after greed bender, setting the table for the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
But does Bush deserve all the blame? Anyone holding him solely accountable for the nation's financial failings doesn't have a clue. Don't forget about the look-the-other way regulators in Washington and on Wall Street, as well as the complete lack of Congressional oversight of government0run agencies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
I think to label the man and his administration a failure, at this point, is premature.
The final chapters in Afghanistan and Iraq have yet to be written. The sacrifice made by more than 4,500 Americans on the battlefields of those two countries has opened the doors of freedom to millions. Bush's efforts to expand AIDS treatment and prevention programs in Africa are credited with saving hundreds of thousands of lives. 52 months of job growth opened doors of opportunity to millions of Americans.
The bottom line, history will not likely judge George W. Bush well. He's made his share of huge mistakes - errors that will take the new administration years to fix.
But after eight years, it's impossible to sum up a presidency, and certainly not this one, in just one word.
Posted by
on 01/15 at 10:32 PM
