How will history judge President George W. Bush?

[Ivan Seeking]

Here, Cheney tells us how to remember Bush.


I once quoted the last comment made in this video as a signature. Soon after I received as very nasty pm from someone who said that he thought I was really a great guy until he saw this. Now one would think that he would take issue with Bush and Cheney, but instead he decided to hate me.

I think Bush [Rove machine] will also be remembered for dividing this nation as no one has since Jefferson Davis.

 

[Cyrus]

Pffft, tell him to shove off Ivan.

 

[rewebster]

youtube is great





at 1:07 and 2:02

 

[devil-fire]

Because we stand behind our soldiers and don't subject our soldiers to the law of other countries. We have our own military courts.

The US isn't the only country to not sign and it's probably the only thing I agree with Bush on.

countries that sign are subject to punitive action by the usa, so there are fewer countries signing then there otherwise would be.

 

[Evo]

countries that sign are subject to punitive action by the usa, so there are fewer countries signing then there otherwise would be.

How many foreign soldiers occupy US lands?

 

[rewebster]

How many foreign soldiers occupy US lands?

how many US soldiers (and other undercover agents) are in how many different countries?

 

[Evo]

how many US soldiers (and other undercover agents) are in how many different countries?

No, devilfire made the comment

countries that sign are subject to punitive action by the usa

Obviously that's a ludicrous statement considering that the US has troops all over the world. So, how many foreign troops occupy US territories that would be at the same risk?

 

[rewebster]

No, devilfire made the comment Obviously that's a ludicrous statement considering that the US has troops all over the world. So, how many foreign troops occupy US territories that would be at the same risk?

just pretend that devilfire asked instead of me


BTW--I like Waterhouse and most of the Pre-Raphaelites (including the initial PRB's paintings) and Morris --- and, that Rossetti, what a tortured soul.

http://www.jwwaterhouse.com/view.cfm?recordid=28

(the little insert of the painting on the upper right is nice in that way the water is moving)

 

[BobG]

Humans have short attention spans. Bush is considered by many to be the worst ever because people can remember how bad he is. Except for those who were alive at the time, most people don't remember that Nixon was actually worse. And no one remembers the half dozen other contenders for the title. How about Polk? Johnson? Nixon? Kennedy? Harding? Hoover?

Polk was a very effective President (not necessarily a good thing if you disagree with the Mexican-American war). He probably achieved more of his objectives than any other single term President.

Johnson was a very effective President, domestically. He's the one that turned Kennedy's dreams into reality. His only true failure was Viet Nam. A fairly big failure, but he failed at a war he inherited.

Nixon was a very effective President. He was also a criminal. How you weigh each affects how you judge Nixon, and being a criminal has to weigh pretty heavily - perhaps not quite enough to earn worst President when the entire picture is considered.

Hoover wasn't a very good President. He belongs more in the same category as Carter. Pretty smart, but not enough leadership ability to make anything they did work.

Kennedy was pretty bad in the competence department. At least the situations he made his mistakes in weren't as serious as the situations Bush made his mistakes in. Plus, Kennedy usually had an escape plan when his ideas went bad. Kennedy was also pretty lackluster in his efforts towards achieving a lot of more idealistic goals. If he hadn't been followed by Johnson, Kennedy wouldn't have any of the admiration he gets as a President.

You might have a case with Harding. He was easily as inept as Bush. However, just like a great President needs a crisis in history to be recognized as one of the greatest, an incompetent President needs a crisis to be recognized as the worst. Just like the crash and depression gives Hoover the nod over Carter's double digit inflation, failing in a post 9/11 world gives Bush the nod over Harding.

 

[Futobingoro]

http://tapes.millercenter.virginia.edu/clips/1964_0809_lbj_haggar/

You sure you won't change your mind, BobG?

 

[edward]

The problem with defining the wrongs of the Bush presidency is that it is not just one thing or even one area where he did wrong or lied about. One needs to look at everything that the man has done over a period of years.

The link below is a small glimpse at just one area.

 

[Futobingoro]

Notice how he conveniently excludes Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus.

You can read about it here.

Lincoln was criticized heavily, and for many of the same reasons Bush is today (i.e. mishandling of the war and trampling on civil liberties).

My 2 cents about Olbermann: he takes himself far too seriously. I have read comments about how he speaks as though he is wearing a powdered wig in some 17th century courtroom:

"You Sir, are a disgrace, and a travesty to the law abiding citizens of this commonwealth..."

I tend to agree with that characterization. I would not be suprised if many subscribe to his opinions only because of his eloquent and polished delivery, marked with strategic camera changes. He may be more refined and educated than most of the talking heads on television, but he is as much a cynic as any of them.

 

[edward]

Notice how he conveniently excludes Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus.

Lincoln was faced with an domestic insurrection, Bush was not and is not.

My 2 cents about Olbermann: he takes himself far too seriously. I have read comments about how he speaks as though he is wearing a powdered wig in some 17th century courtroom:

I would imagine then that you prefer the speaking style of Rush Limbaugh.

I tend to agree with that characterization. I would not be suprised if many subscribe to his opinions only because of his eloquent and polished delivery, marked with strategic camera changes. He may be more refined and educated than most of the talking heads on television, but he is as much a cynic as any of them.

This sounds a bit like "kill the messenger" to me. Olberman is too eloquent so he should be disregarded!/B]

There are many more sources online that one can choose from and they cover many more problematic areas of the Bush administration. I have a feeling that you would find a way to discredit all of them unless they are saying what you want to hear.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/homefront/view/

 

[Futobingoro]

Edward, Olbermann descibes habeas corpus as "that wellspring of protection from which all essential liberties flow." Surely Lincoln's suspension of that "wellspring of protection" (regardless of the circumstances) would be noteworthy enough to make Olbermann's history lesson, would it not? Is it not an example, as Olbermann said, of "a government more dangerous to our liberty, than is the enemy it claims to protect us from"?

Olbermann deliberately failed to mention the Lincoln example, as it would be likening Bush's policy to that of a "good" president. And even if he could have explained it away, it would have protracted his point. In any case, it is a glaring omission.

Indeed, the subsequent cases of Ex parte Merryman (1861) and Ex parte Milligan (1866) were relevant in the ruling of Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004).

By the way, I do not watch/listen to any political personalities; I find they partake in sensationalism. In the case of Olbermann, and I am paraphrasing of course, "Fearmongers govern this country, run for the hills!"

I hope you see the irony.

 

[rewebster]

I read about this quite awhile ago:

At one of the very first cabinet meetings, maybe the first, while all the Secretaries (defense, etc.) were getting organized, Bush's first main topic of interest wasn't National security, no child left behind (bad idea), immigration, etc.-----it was the great cheeseburgers that the White House chef made, and wanting to know if anyone else wanted one right now.


For that important time period before 911 and maybe too much of the other time, I think little bush thought he the president of the biggest frat house,-- the RNC (and the USA secondly). I don't know about anyone else, but every time I saw him 'sign' a bill, or did almost anything 'presidential'---he'd look up at the camera or audience with that goofy smile of his, and, its almost like he's thinking, 'I still can't believe the American people picked ME--just because I was my dad's son--and, oh yeah, and I have to keep mostly doing and saying what Rove and Cheney think is right--and oh yeah, I forgot, don't smile so much'.

 

[edward]

Indeed, the subsequent cases of Ex parte Merryman (1861) and Ex parte Milligan (1866) were relevant in the ruling of Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004).

By the way, I do not watch/listen to any political personalities; I find they partake in sensationalism. In the case of Olbermann, and I am paraphrasing of course, "Fearmongers govern this country, run for the hills!"

I hope you see the irony.

I do see the irony to a degree, but Lincoln was faced with a domestic situation totally unlike anything that we have seen since the civil war.

From you link: The difference between then and now is obvious.

Lambdin P. Milligan and four others were accused of planning to steal Union weapons and invade Union prisoner-of-war camps. Once the first prisoner of war camp was liberated they planned to use the liberated soldiers to help fight against the Government of Indiana and free other camps of Confederate soldiers. The plan was leaked and went to court, while in court they were sentenced to hang by a military court in 1864. However, their execution was not set until May 1865, so they were able to argue the case after the Civil War ended. Milligan also attempted to take over the state governments of Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.

I don't watch much television myself. But I do try to watch enough to be aware of what is presented to the general public. In so much as most everything presented to the public about Iraq and WMD was one big fear propaganda machine, I thought it might be a wise idea to see for myself.

I was quite surprised by Olberman's rant. I have never seen him on television. Ironically it was one of the first links that came up when I googled: "worst president ever". perhaps he should be labeled "the anti Rush".

But as I stated in other posts, it is not just about the administration and habeas corpus, it is everything that they have done under their dark shroud of secrecy and their total disregard for the congress.

 

[devil-fire]

No, devilfire made the comment Obviously that's a ludicrous statement considering that the US has troops all over the world. So, how many foreign troops occupy US territories that would be at the same risk?

I'm not sure how the number of non-American troops on American lands has anything to do with the punitive actions imposed by the USA on countries that subject themselves to the jurisdiction of the international criminal court. one thing i can recall off the top of my head is that the USA said they will withdraw peacekeeping forces from countries that sign, so if the government of Sudan wanted to have some generals brought to trial in the ICC, the USA would no longer be part of any peace keeping in Sudan.

to the best of my knowledge though, zero foreign soldiers are occupying US lands outside maybe some duties to do with embassies.

 

[nishu1988]

is anybody from USA here, i mean an American! i would like to hear from him about this topic that if George Bush so controversial, then why did these people elected him for the second time.....please do reply if anybody here from USA

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

is anybody from USA here, i mean an American! i would like to hear from him about this topic that if George Bush so controversial, then why did these people elected him for the second time.....please do reply if anybody here from USA

Bush was elected because Al Gore and John Kerry where the other options. It's a lose lose either way, but admittedly Al and John are lesser evils.

 

[BobG]

Bush was elected because Al Gore and John Kerry where the other options. It's a lose lose either way, but admittedly Al and John are lesser evils.

Both were mediocre, but they were running against Bush.

In the Bush-Kerry election, the top four issues, in order, were moral values, the economy, terrorism, and Iraq. Bush and Kerry split the four categories. Among those whose top priority was moral values and terrorism, Bush won. Among those whose top priority was the economy and Iraq, Kerry won. The difference is that Bush received 80 and 86 percent among voters that considered moral values and terrorism the top priority. Kerry only received 82 and 74 percent in his two strong categories.

By attributes, 91% who considered religious faith a president's most important trait voted for Bush and 91% who considered intelligence a president's most important trait voted for Kerry. Unfortunately, more people consider religious faith important than intelligence (8% to 7%). That didn't really decide the election, though.

Among the four most important traits, Kerry won 95% of the largest group, "will bring change", but Bush won the next three most important traits: clear stand on issues, strong leader, honest and trustworthy.

The 'flip-flop' nickname and the Swift Boat Ads had a devastating effect on Kerry's image. Bush appeared natural and strong. Kerry appeared fake and weak.

Most white, married males over 30 voted for Bush while most people under 30 voted for Kerry. I think Abby Hoffman said something about that a long time ago, but people quit listening to him somewhere around the time he turned into a white, married male over 30.

http://www.multied.com/elections/2004/2004mainelec/exitpolls/Exit.html

 

[Pythagorean]

With having read only the title, I wondered to myself:

How will history judge the people that voted for Bush two times in a row?

 

[Astronuc]

Daily Show: Bush’s Magical History Tour

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/08/24/daily-show-bushs-magical-history-tour/

Last night Jon took President Bush to task for the disgusting distortion of history he employed Wednesday to justify his endless war in Iraq. Little does Bush know (not surprising), we keep the tapes from earlier in his presidency where he dismissed outright the Iraq-Vietnam comparison. The shameless propaganda knows no limits.

 

[Werg22]

The only mistake Nixon made was to get caught. :rofl:

 

[Curious6]

History will judge Bush on the outcome of the Iraq war.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

How will history judge the people that voted for Bush two times in a row?

I know that is when many people like me lost all faith in this country.

I will never say the pledge or fly a flag again. If I have a practical way to leave, I will. At this point the only thing that can turn this around for me is the impeachment of Bush and Cheney. If that doesn't happen, then I believe that the US system, and esp the people, have failed. I have talked with or heard many people who feel the same way.

There was a time when I was willling to die for my country. So for me, that's how much damage Bush and his supporters have done, and that's how they will be remembered.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

If I have a practical way to leave, I will.

I'll help you pack.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Typical of why this country has failed, clearly a Bush supporter.

Keep up the good work and maybe you will alienate another third of the country [along with most of the rest of the world]. Then you won't be worried about the civil war in Iraq as you'll have one at home.

 

[Gokul43201]

Typical of why this country has failed, clearly a Bush supporter.

Keep up the good work and maybe you will alienate another third of the country [along with most of the rest of the world]. Then you won't be worried about the civil war in Iraq as you'll have one at home.

Is this directed at jimmy?

 

[Loren Booda]

jimmysnyder

I'll help you pack.

Good intentioned but ambiguous wording concerning a passionate subject.

 

[Futobingoro]

Typical of why this country has failed, clearly a Bush supporter.

I hope this isn't "us vs. them" rhetoric. It would be quite ironic.

In spite of all the grim predictions of many of the people in this forum (economy crashes, imminent security breaches, Iraq's plummet into civil war and the creation of a 1984-esque totalitarian state), the United States has not deteriorated into a place not worth living in.

Seriously, it's summer. Go out and have a picnic, hit the beach or go on vacation like almost everyone else. That doesn't mean you have to ignore things you disagree with. All I'm saying is that a lot of the gloomy people in this country are making themselves more gloomy than they need to be. It's one matter to disagree with the current government, but it's something entirely different when you shout from a mountaintop about how depressed you are about the future of the country, and then point out all the people who are now just as depressed as you are.

No matter how narrow the odds, a person who thinks he has a good idea should always be in an optimistic and constructive mindset. It's those who eventually develop defeatistism who are selfishly lying in wait just so they can say, "I told you so." When asked why they don't continue their efforts they usually say, "At this point it isn't worth it anymore." Perhaps those who think the fates of their fellow Americans "aren't worth it" don't deserve to be happy after all.

 

[edward]

Or sit back and watch "The Bush Family Fortunes" as seen on the BBC

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8187301869971500776&q=bin+laden+family+bush+family&total=156&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Or watch a much shorter program about How the 04 election was stolen, First boradcast on BBC and Later on PBS.



Or get a quick laugh out of this:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1898524803699317196&q=bush+apec+opec&total=6&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Typical of why this country has failed, clearly a Bush supporter.

Keep up the good work and maybe you will alienate another third of the country [along with most of the rest of the world]. Then you won't be worried about the civil war in Iraq as you'll have one at home.

According to post #60 you lost all faith in this country not so much because of Bush but rather the people who voted for him. That would be me. So don't tell me I alienate you, you alienate me.

When you say practical, I assume you mean when the money is right. Just so you'll know, I lived in Japan for 9 years on a whim. In my opinion, I have the courage of my whims more than you do of your convictions.

I can't wait for you to tell us which new country you are willing to die for. Perhaps we'll invade it and you'll get your chance. In the meantime chew on this. The people didn't vote for Bush, they voted for Kerry. Bush won in the electoral college. In going you will increase the average intelligence of both our countries.

 

[blazes816]

I am new to politics. I haven't read, or listened to anything political, pretty much ever. So I don't know what Bush has done that was wrong. I've heard a few different things that make no sense to me.

A) Bush is stupid.
- Did he not graduate from both Yale and Harvard? I know a lot of extremely smart people that have a very hard time speaking to people and sound like idiots

B) He declared war without congress
- There hasn't been a declared war since WWII.

C) He lied about weapons of mass destruction
- But I've seen and heard people such as Gore, Kerry, and Clinton say that they too believed there were WMDs in Iraq.

I'm not saying I like him, I'm saying I don't know why not too. I'd love to hear your responses.

 

[Pre-AlgebraDude]

Worst president in U.S. history, known for one of the biggest military blunders, wreck of a foreign policy, and all-around clueless rube from The Lone Star State. And to the one who said Nixon was worse, however crooked he might've been, Nixon was actually quite good at handling foreigners. By the way it will take us years to recover from the huge blow Bush has dealt our economy. You know the national debt is over $8 TRILLION (and very rapidly approaching $9 TRILLION?!)?! That made me SICK when I read that...

 

[edward]

I am new to politics. I haven't read, or listened to anything political, pretty much ever. So I don't know what Bush has done that was wrong.

I'm not saying I like him, I'm saying I don't know why not too. I'd love to hear your responses.

The responses you are asking for have been posted hundreds of times over on this forum. So let's cut to the chase You need better sources of information.

Try starting here, and don't turn around and say that you don't have the time to watch.
If you truly want to know the truth , you will find time.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html

There are getting to be more spooks on this forum than at cemetery.