Bush Fades to Black after Eight-Year Mitigated Disaster

National Review Online ^ | January 16, 2009 | Deroy Murdock

[bboop]

On Tuesday I am getting my ingrown toenail fixed. And my legs waxed. And picking up dog poops. And cleaning the garage. ANYTHING but watch the Coronation.

[Moonman62]

3. Still, he's a good man.

The same was said about Carter for many years by members of both parties, but hardly ever anymore.

I've no doubt that, at every juncture, he did what he thought best for the USA.

I have no doubt that W did what was best for Mexico, Africa, and Iraq. He doesn't care much for the common American as Reagan did. He's an elitist and arrogant person who is often wrong and his cockiness prevented him from see his mistakes. He's ruined the GOP and the country.

[Carley]

We took our flag down on election eve and have not reflown the flag.

It breaks my heart to see what has become of America.

[Recovering_Democrat]

bump. the guy makes some good points.

[Delacon]

“This is sophomoric drivel. But then again, most of things are.”

How so?

[DTogo]

Deroy Murdock nail's it!

And there is plenty more he still could have piled on.

[doosee]

All Americans have a right to be grateful to W for his perserverance on the WOT. Beyond that, his eight years was flawed greatly by surrounding himself with losers. George Tenet, Scott McClellan, Minettas??, Andy Card, Colin Powell, and others. Many of his servants served him and the nation poorly but W seemed to tolerate if not celebrate these people.

[Brucifer]

Exactly. If either one of those two idiots were president, the least we would have is several cities in ruins and glowing by now.

[Ditter]

Where would we be if we had 4 years of president gore followed by 4 years of president kerry? I shudder to think about it.

I think President Bush did a great job especially considering the opposition of the democrats the press and the ungrateful conservatives who were mad at him because he wasn't a reincarnated Reagan. The ONLY fault I can find with him is he didn't stand up for himself and fight the lies and smears. He let them stand and too many people believed they were true. God Bless President Bush may he live long enough to finally see his record vindicated.

[okie01]

The same was said about Carter for many years by members of both parties, but hardly ever anymore.

We know Carter better now, I'll grant your point. But I'm comfortable in asserting we won't find Bush to be any different in the future than he is now.

Who would be your 2nd best President, after Reagan, from 1964 forward?

[Moonman62]

Too bad he didn’t spend properly. The growth rate of domestic spending has Republicans labeled as both ‘only for the rich’ and ‘big government’ spenders.

Yep, and look at where all the bailout money is going, big business, instead of fixing the financial system as originally intended.

[mamelukesabre]

But Mccain hated bush. So maybe bush ain’t all that bad, eh?

[the invisib1e hand]

You need to mark this as Bush-Bash Caucus. If I’d seen that disclaimer, I’d have stayed aways. Now I have to go bathe in tomatoe juice and burn my clothes.

[Revolting cat!]

What’s to disagree with, facts are facts, ma’am. What we had here was a failure to communicate and it started right away in 2001, by covering up the trashing of the White House by the Klintonites. As for “better than Goron or sKerry”, remember that US Presidents all move slightly to the other side of the spectrum when taking power (as will Zero, you can bet), and those two clowns would have surely, Shirley, moved to the right, however slightly.

The desperate bushbots here are walking on broken glass saying that he may be a Carter but he’s our Carter. He ain’t mine! The author’s right on the mark.

[Moonman62]

Communications: Bush raised the failure to communicate to a governing principle. This goes far beyond his linguistic pratfalls—such as Tuesday’s reference to helicopter pilots as “chopper drivers.”

That's not so bad. I've heard pilots refer to themselves as drivers. But anyway, W is a terrible communicator.

[Delacon]

“1. He was right on the most important issue of our time — the War on Terror. He has won that war — to date.”

FDR was right on the most important issue of the day which was fascism. Doesn't mean I regard him highly as a president.

[doc1019]

The twin towers was a one-time event. I feel safe when flying. I’m not forced to pray to a pagan god five times a day. Thank you Mr. Bush.

[hinckley buzzard]

The article captures the essence of Bush's failure: he is the elite son of East Coastie patricians. He has his family's distaste for political combat and contempt for the common man. Why else would he abusively allow his nation and its people to be savaged by their enemies, domestic and foreign, without so much as a whimper of protest.

His cavalier dismissal of the consequences of his conduct, "Let history decide," is a slap in the face of every American who has to live with those consequences NOW. We don't have the luxury of waiting on history, or of retreating in affluent, haughty splendor and watching the world go down the drain, courtesy of the 2006 and 2008 electoral malfeasance of the Bush-led GOP.

[okie01]

I agree with much of what you say.

So, after Reagan, who was the 2nd best President from 1964 forward?

Your answer will say a.) much about the general quality of Presidents we've enjoyed over the past 44 years and I suspect b.) a lot about GWB.

[svxdave]

When Jimmy Carter left office, I never thought another Democrat would be elected President. Now that Bush is leaving office, I think that we will never see another Republican President elected ... at least in my lifetime.