Posted on 01/03/2009 3:10:51 PM PST by Welcome2thejungle
As GWB prepares to leave office, I think history will treat him much as it does now Harry Truman: A plain spoken humble man who made the really tough decisions and left office with abysmally low poll ratings. There were four major policy decisions of GWB I personally never liked:
1) No Child Left Behind--Whatever happened to the concept that public education is supposed to be a state and local issue, not a federal issue, at least according to the U.S. Constitution? Besides it was way too costly.
2) Prescriptions Drugs Medicare Part D--How much is this greatest entitlement program since the Great Society going to end up costing?
3) The Kennedy-McCain immigration amnesty bill. Thank God this pig never got off the ground. When are we going to stop rewarding law-breakers for their ILLEGAL behavior?
4) The $700 billion Wall Street Bailout. If policymakers in Washington ever got around to figuring out that THEIR policies caused this mess to begin with, they would understand that the real answer to fixing the problem is for the federal government to stop excessive spending and to get their own house in order. The government could begin by privatizing Fannie and Freddie and by getting out of the housing and mortgage markets altogether--two businesses it should have never gotten into to begin with.
Now, on to what I liked:
1) GWB cut taxes. Yee ha! This kept the economy growing throughout most of his administration even in the wake of the horrendous 9/11 attacks on our soil.
2) Keeping us safe: It is no accident that there have been no further terrorist attacks on our country since 9/11 thanks to GWB going on offense and streamlining government bureaucracy to fight international terrorism. I don't care how many terrorist thugs they water board at Gitmo, I want my country protected. Besides the Geneva Convention protects conventional POWs, not these terrorist bastards who know no rules or boundaries of civilized behavior and norms.
3) Liberating two countries and 50 million people from the yoke of the world's most murderous and savage tyrannies. Saddam Hussein received his just reward on GWB's watch. Thank you Mr. President for removing this thoroughly evil terrorist supporting despot!
4) Appointing conservative judges like Alito and Roberts to the Supreme Court. We will need them now!
5) Pursuing pro-life policies at the federal level.
6) Restoring the dignity, honor, integrity, and decorum of the White House after eight long years of interns, lies, stained dresses, cattle futures,questionable pardons, and pilfering of the Bonnie and Clod administration.
I can think of one president who signed liberal abortion laws (in California), raised taxes, and signed an amnesty granting immigration bill--we now regard him as our patron saint--Ronald Reagan. Hopefully my fellow conservatives will find in it there hearts to cut the current president the same slack as they cut for RR. Some say GWB's greatest fault was his obvious distate for tooting his own horn. I say it was his greatest attribute--contrast this to the egomaniac narcissistic gasbag replacing him. Believe me, it will wear thin!
RR knew more than most that politics is a less than perfect profession, and that the people it attracts even more so. RR once said that politics is the world's second oldest profession. With this thought in mind, let us remember the real GWB the way he really was: A truly kind, warm hearted, honest, plain spoken, simple man, truly humble and low key--Laura too. God bless them. Even though I didn't support all of GWB's policies, I thought he added a sense of dignity and grace to 1600 Pennsyvania Avenue. I will miss him. God Bless you, sir!
Free Ramos and Compean!!!!
Bush gave us the first real federal legislative rollback of abortion.
Bush completely destroyed the regime of Saddam Hussein and gave us a democracy on the borders of Iran and Syria, despite many calls to give up.
Bush finally stopped the gutting of our military, and now we have next generation weapons such as the F-22 and F-35 fighter and MRAP vehicles.
Bush appointed John G. Roberts to the Supreme Court, a constitutional scholar and important counterweight to Ginsburg.
Bush cut taxes and ensured an economic recovery after the tech bubble collapse.
Bush provided our law enforcement agencies with the systems and institutions that they need to keep us safe, such as the establishment of the Department of Homeland Security and the passage of the Patriot Act.
Bush NATIONALIZED the mortgage industry, the auto industrty, banks and anything else he can think of.
PLUS HE PARDONED A CONVICTED DRUG DEALER CAUGHT WITH 32 pounds of pure cocaine.
Tell me how much did George get paid for that pardon?
(1) refused to enforce U.S. immigration laws, secure the Mexican Border, and halt illegal immigration;Bush should revere Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Warren Harding, U.S. Grant, and perhaps a small number of other presidents. If it were not for them, history might well record that he was the worst president in U.S. history.(2) spent more of the American taxpayers' hard-earned money than any president since Lyndon Johnson;
(3) increased the size, grasp, reach, and appetite of the Frankenstein's monster known as the Federal Government, that sucks the life's blood out of the American people and the United States itself and serves as a cashcow for corrupt politicians and the parasites who keep them in office;
(4) handed Congress to the depraved, parasitic, decadent Democrats on a silver platter in 2004, and the entire United States government to them in 2008.
:)

All of your points are good but W sat like a sissified idiot while the media dumped all over him about Katrina. He should have scheduled a one hour press conference and blasted the crybabies who did nothing and pointed fingers at fema and him. Also, putting the weakling dork McClellan in as Press Secty and leaving him there failing over and over speaks for itself.
Harry Truman only bombed once; Bush keeps doing it again, and again and again and...
Bush’s absolute refusal to live by and defend conservative principles has created the perfect storm of the red tide which will attempt to spend us into insolvency for at least the next 2 years. It will take decades to recover from what the Democrats are about to do to this country, if recovery is even possible. This is Bush’s legacy.
the crybabies who did nothing and pointed fingers at fema and him
and you guys are any different? how?
He hated admirals and generals and military officers in general was paranoid and a nit picking little turd.
That is insecure instead of unsecured. Sorry about that.
Too bad he screwed up the country in the bottom of the 9th.
I agree with every point you’ve made and then some. He has also thoroughly trashed the Republican brand even worse than Richard Nixon ever did. What do Republicans stand for any more? In the public’s mind, Republicans are now seen as incompetent and wasteful of taxpayers’ money. Bush has completely overturned all of Reagan’s herculean efforts to convince people that government is part of the problem, not the solution. Because of Bush, it is now perceived as acceptable to have Washington do everything from running schools to paying for prescription drugs to bailing out failing private enterprises with taxpayers’ money. How are the Republicans going to stop the Democrats from implementing socialized medicine, and greater government control of the economy and everything else? The party has lost all standing and credibility on these issues largely because of Bush. How are Republicans going to stop the appointment of liberal judges who will further erode our individual liberties? This is a disaster all around.
The successful effort to stop terrorist attacks in the U.S. is probably due more to the dedicated efforts of the FBI and CIA and local law enforcement than anything Bush has done. And why all this obsession with his physical fitness? We get his reports on how he often he has been on his mountain bike or “working out.” Frankly, I’m tired of his accent, his smug self-confidence, and his unwillingness to admit mistakes and change direction until somebody smacks him over the head with a two by four. This cost Republicans control of the Senate for sure.
Pack up fast and leave, Bush. And stay far away from Republican politics. We don’t want you or need you. You’ve done enough damage to last a couple of life times.
We are different because we are conservatives. Which Bush isn’t, and at this point any person supporting that socialist piece of trash is not a conservative, IMHO.
We are different because we are conservatives. Which Bush isn’t, and at this point any person supporting that socialist piece of trash is not a conservative, IMHO.
6) Restoring the dignity, honor, integrity, and decorum of the White House after eight long years of interns, lies, stained dresses, cattle futures,questionable pardons, and pilfering of the Bonnie and Clod administration. “
____________________
Probably going to start seeing this start up all over again.
LOL. Love the graphic, atomic_dog.
We haven’t been through another election cycle yet. 2010 will tell us how Bush will be remembered. If the Republicans continue their painful losing streak, there won’t be many Bushbots left anywhere...
Oh, please. Buhs's actions and inactions caused damage to the economy and the American culture. You can't actually be trying to equate the damage caused by Bush to our complaining on a public forum.
We can do this all night. You'll run out of positives before I run out of negatives.
This is one of the highlights of his tenure....it pissed off the teachers unions (accountability, and all such nasty diversions...), and has actually forced some improvement.
Federal money has long been involved, and always will be...anybody that thinks that's gonna change is from another planet. Bush put some teeth into the doleout. Good for him.
Great president. Did what had to be done while taking flak from all corners. You always knew what he stood for. Well done President Bush.
the crybabies who did nothing and pointed fingers at fema and him
and you guys are any different? how?
***********************
I for one never ever blamed Katrina on W or FEMA. What appalled me was his acceptance of the false hatred and blame toward him. There is a time to fight back and that was one. W showed horrible judgement in all of this and played right into the hands of the left. For starters, he could have ordered Gonzalez (AG) to immediately begin a massive investigation into where the federal funding went for the unbuilt levees, just for starters. He never used the power of the Fed to do what was right.
Two times? All together now, second round (crab, crab, yell, scream, grumble...). Please, enough is enough! Can’t you.. uh.. “so called critics” find it in your little hearts to go find another thread to gripe on?
I know that you’re the perfect, pure, virginal conservatives, and all that. We don’t need an endless dirge on why you hate Pres. Bush, and why he’s not a perfect conservative saint like you are!
You’re not convincing Pres. Bush’s supporters to go along with you, so maybe it’s time to stop? It’s just not cutting it!
I’m afraid I can’t agree with you there. Most everything that is going wrong in our country today is the DIRECT Result of Clinton. Clinton’s high taxes and bullying of the banks to lend to deadbeats lead us to the economic crisis we have today. War is sad but necessary. September 11 was Clinton’s fault- Let’s not sugar coat it any more. And September 11 is the reason we are having to fight this war. President Bush did the best he was able to given what was handed to him and he cleaned up a lot of Clinton’s mess. It was just too much for him. What a job we’re going to have in 2012. It truly scares me
I have NO doubt the direct reason of this garbage is Clinton.
But this did NOT force Bush to become a Socialist at the last minute.
While some uninformed will blame Bush for the bailout, the rest of us are cognizant that this little manufactured crisis gone viral, has, as of October, 2008, put Pelosi in the Queen of America seat - she has held the govt under threat of house arrest/martial law ever since.
Some have spoken out about it, some on the House floor even; (one offrecord and unidentified representative even dared to claim he would be shot) most have not said a word. Noone questioned her ability to declare such, and noone jumped up and down over the outrage; it's much to easy to point at republicans who cowered in silence, afraid for their own freedom.
I would not be surprised to learn some time in the far future that Bush was indeed, threatened with house arrest, especially in light of Josh Bolton's claim that nation-wide martial law was threatened by Pelosi if McCain did not return to Washington DC, as Bolton reported. It would sure explain his agitation, detachment and relative silence.
The fact that Pelosi demanded the bankers meet with her before they ever saw Paulsen's door, told part of the story. The fact that she instructed the ENTIRE dem caucus to vote no on the bailouts, told more, and the fact that not one rep has made more than an obligatory peep since being barred from meetings, tells the rest.
My senators and my representatives didn't stand by Bush, but by God, I will. jmo moo
P.S. less than 200 miles of border fence to go:
Here are some articles that detail what has been completed (of the 700 miles total), and types and descriptions of fencing used:
http://www.kdbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=9557225&nav=menu608_1
With 500 miles complete...Another 100 miles are expected to be in place by January 20th when Barak Obama takes office. That will leave just 70 miles for the fence to be completed.
http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/programs/border-fence-southwest.shtm
Fence completed as reported on December 18, 2008: 278 miles of pedestrian fence; 248 miles of vehicle fence
Proposed fence to be completed by December 31, 2008: 370 miles of pedestrian fence; 300 miles of vehicle fence
(also, pictures of vehicle fence contrasted with pedestrian fence construction)
http://www.kvia.com/Global/story.asp?s=9500900
ElPaso fence: The new fence is much more daunting than the old eight-foot fence. At 18 feet high, it can be a pretty intimidating climb
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-09-10-border-fence_N.htm
The overall plan for security on that border includes additional Border Patrol agents, more enforcement of immigration laws, the fence and a high-tech virtual fence with surveillance technology (Boeing has the virtual tech contract)
http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/29/nation/na-border29
A line of towering steel now slices for about 32 miles through a sea of sand from San Luis to the Tinajas Altas mountains. The fence, built to prevent incursions on the Barry M. Goldwater Range, is now the longest on the border, more than twice as long as the 14-mile fence separating San Diego from Tijuana.
St Luis: That route is now blocked by two new layers of fencing: a 15-foot-high steel-mesh secondary barrier and a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire
Bush isn’t any kind or type of conservative, he’s a left-wing RINO as are his cult of personallity followers. They are truely the suffers of BDS as they are unable to grasp the truth of how Bush has betrayed our country, our constitution.
I was one of Bush's most enthusiastic and loyal supporters when he was first elected, and I voted for him both times. However, WestSylvanian is right; his administration has been a disaster.
Ohhh... So now I’m a left-wing RINO now! Oh most holy, pure & and virginal conservative, do enlighten me!!!
Get over yourself!
I can't say I was that big of a W supporter. I did vote twice for him, plus twice for governor and twice for GHWBush. I mostly vote against democrats, not especially for republicans. I never vote third party.
I deeply regret both GWB and GHWB will/do reside in Texas. Wish they would go live in kennebunkport. LAURA can stay!
You do have a point.
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