Posted on 12/01/2018 9:27:34 PM PST by Yomin Postelnik
A few exceptional things stand out about President George H. W. Bush. First and foremost, the Soviet Union, which was on its last legs after 8 years of Reagan-Bush, finally collapsed under his watch. The Evil Empire falling with Dukakis as its main foe seems improbable at best.
He was an example to society and to the next generation. He was also the first to battle someone who ended up eroding societal values and that too is a great credit to him.
He recognized the danger of Iraq. Saddam Hussein had the fourth most powerful army in the world and was a menace to his neighbors and a murderer of millions.
From a spiritual aspect, the Messianic Era, when "nations... will beat swords into plow shears," happens in stages (there can be a 40 year initerval, or less based on merit, between the initial miracles and the manifestation of the eternal redemption). In 1991, when the US under Pres. Bush's leadership, diverted funds to feed the starving Kurds in the aftermath of the Gulf War, the Lubavitcher Rebbe pointed out how this was the first time ever that nations would feed another nation's hungry with absolutely no benefit to themselves at all. This, he said, was the beginning of this prophecy. This happened under a president who made kindness his mission, President George H. W. Bush.
Saddam's containment was also of profound spiritual benefit. During the last weekend of the war, the Rebbe commented on the rumor that Saddam had fled his palace. He specifically said that it's a rumor (untrue at the time), but one with significance. When the speech was being published the Rebbe edited the draft, writing next to those words, "od chazon lmoed," it will come to pass in the appropriate time, something that seemed improbable, as the war was winding down.
Saddam was no puny enemy, as people made him to be for the purposes of dishonest politics. Aside from the 2 million he killed in the region, he was also cutting 10k and 25k checks to suicide bombers in Israel. His attempted assassination of by then former President GHW Bush showed that he was capable of trying to transfer or spread such havoc to America and GHWB's son, 43, was right for calling the danger what it was.
The Rebbe also explained at the time that the famous quote of our Sages, that Tzur, the principal city of Babylon, was built from the destruction (gold, silver, marble, etc.) of Jerusalem, is applicable to our times in reverse. When evil in the place of Babylon is eradicated, Jerusalem is built up materially and spiritually. Indeed, Saddam was finally captured on Yud Tes Kislev (the holiday of the 19th of Kislev, which focuses on spreading Chassidus, a remarkable part of Torah, which concentrates on developing ultimate fear and love of G-d and understanding that which we can understand of His interactions in the world) in Iraq during the 9th hour of the night (G-d runs the world differently with each hour). Fourteen years later, on Yud Tes Kislev in the 9th hour of the night in Jerusalem, Israel was declared by the leading nation of the world, Pres. Bush and Pres. Trump's America, as the eternal capital of the world. The word "eternal" is itself a clear recognition of G-d Almighty by the world, another part of the prophecy of the complete and eternal redemption. This process started under President Bush 41's watch.
When leadership was removed from the WW2 generation, the world lost competent leadership and elders who youth naturally respected. The world would have been much better off keeping that generation in charge for as long as possible.
Not sure what our nearly 30 year project in Iraq has achieved. The country now is simply a colony of Iran.
There might be some darker things about GHW Bush that most of us don’t know about.
Bush’s loss to Clinton was handing the reins of power to his “other son.” All part of the globalist plan.
The Berlin Wall fell before Bush had been in office for a year, the collapse of the Soviet Union had been going on for some time. Dukakis would have done nothing, which is what Bush did.
He recognized the danger of Iraq. Saddam Hussein had the fourth most powerful army in the world and was a menace to his neighbors and a murderer of millions.
Bush's response to Iraq's military buildup before the invasion on the Kuwait border in 1990 was muddy at best.
Saddam was no puny enemy, as people made him to be for the purposes of dishonest politics. Aside from the 2 million he killed in the region, he was also cutting 10k and 25k checks to suicide bombers in Israel. His attempted assassination of by then former President GHW Bush showed that he was capable of trying to transfer or spread such havoc to America and GHWB's son, 43, was right for calling the danger what it was.
And yet it took another decade to remove him from power and that removal caused a vacuum that has been filled in the region by Iran which is even more hostile to the West than Saddam's Iraq.
GHW Bush voted for Hillary. Hard for me to think much of him even though I would like too.
Kemp should have been Reagan’s VP.
Also please note that Bush I stuck it's nose into Somalia in Christmas of 1992, which was exacerbated by Clinton and now we have tons of Somalian refugees flooding Minnesota and Maine who refuse to assimilate.
Kemp placed 4th in the primaries behind Dole and Pat Robertson (Of 700 Club fame).
Bush was trying to inject both some youth in his campaign with Quayle and firm up Midwest support.
Thanks for posting something positive.
One of my deepest complaints about Free Republic is that it is so cynical about historical conservatism.
Bush Sr. was great in his time.
For those who are around 5 years after Trump is done, there will be people on Free Republic ripping him to shreds for not being whoever the 2029 standard of conservatism is.
That really should not matter. Our side would do well to develop some unity and applaud the things we DO like with regard to the historically conservative things Presidents do.
The appointment of Thomas and sticking with him is probably one of the most important things to happen to the Supreme Court for conservatives — next to Scalia.
Bush broke the Vietnam syndrome that was one of the most important dogmas of the Left that demonized and demoralized our armed forces. Bush won a major war for the first time since Vietnam. That was a huge shift in our hard power to the positive.
A Dukakis election, G-D forbid, would have emboldened the Soviets. The man was not perfect, but 41 did many good things. Jeane Kirkpatrick summed it up best, essentially that Jimmy Carter wasn’t an international threat (didn’t worry about American exceptionalism), but Dukakis was.
The chaos in Iraq and the formation of ISIS was a direct result of pulling out and the Dems’ recklessness. ISIS was foreseeable just by looking at what happened to Afghanistan after it was left in a vacuum.
There were big problems later on with his relationship with his former foe, the worst example of anyone to ever hold that office, Mr. Clinton. One thing that the WW2 generation was not good at was recognizing the brute nature of the hippie hedonists. He treated them with decency and assumed they were decent. On this, he was unfortunately wrong, as we know all too well. But I think it stemmed from his nature of decency and he humanly/mistakenly thought that most others were like him. It’s a big mistake, but not a negative reflection of character.
I was going to make some comments, but you covered the main points I was contemplating. For what it’s worth, well stated and done Snickering Hound. /NO SARC
Thank you. It’s well considered and written. I’ll reread and contemplate the words with more focus.
Thank you Sir. Those are some very good points, especially the end of the Vietnam syndrome, indeed. Kids at the time will remember a sense of decency that hasn’t been seen on the public stage.
He didn’t recognize the nature of the hedonists brutes on the other side. But that was a reflection of his very different character.
He wasn’t the warrior against the left that we need now. But his accomplishments were incredible and his personality and example are also needed today.
There is a lot to criticize Bush for, but still, he was better than any Democrat.
That's because Bush was NOT conservative, he was a N.E. moderate in Texan camouflage.
His criticism of Regan's tax cuts as "vodoo economics" was not just primary campaign bluster, Bush meant it.
That's why he soon violated his "read my lips, no new taxes" pledge.
The Gorbachev reforms that would ultimately fail were well underway years before Bush took office.
The 1991 Russian coup collapsed without any help from Bush, it wouldn't have turned out any differently under Dukakis.
The chaos in Iraq and the formation of ISIS was a direct result of pulling out and the Dems’ recklessness. ISIS was foreseeable just by looking at what happened to Afghanistan after it was left in a vacuum.
Bush 43's 2008 surge in Iraq worked but by then it was far too late.
Obama had campaigned on removing US troops from Iraq and that was one of the few promises he actually fulfilled with disastrous consequences.
There were big problems later on with his relationship with his former foe, the worst example of anyone to ever hold that office, Mr. Clinton. One thing that the WW2 generation was not good at was recognizing the brute nature of the hippie hedonists. He treated them with decency and assumed they were decent. On this, he was unfortunately wrong, as we know all too well. But I think it stemmed from his nature of decency and he humanly/mistakenly thought that most others were like him. It’s a big mistake, but not a negative reflection of character.
He believed the Clinton's were Washington Establishment and members of the Ivy League much like himself.
As for Bush's personal decency, he had at least one mistress (Jennifer Fitzgerald) and you can actually Google for pictures of him groping women.
The only thing Poppy was "great" in was belatedly using the veto pen AFTER breaking his No New Taxes pledge.
The appointment of Thomas and sticking with him
Thomas did his own work and shamed the Senate. Bush had very little to do with his confirmation. Did he make any public statements defending him?
Bush I was a globalist who destroyed the Reagan Revolution. Quite possibly the 3rd or 4th worst President of the 20th Century, after Carter, Wilson, and LBJ.
Should have NEVER intervened in that s--thole.
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