Posted on 04/26/2013 6:19:21 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Bush’s legacy keeps getting worse
By Eugene Robinson, Published: April 25
In retrospect, George W. Bush’s legacy doesn’t look as bad as it did when he left office. It looks worse.
I join the nation in congratulating Bush on the opening of his presidential library in Dallas. Like many people, I find it much easier to honor, respect and even like the man — now that he’s no longer in the White House.
But anyone tempted to get sentimental should remember the actual record of the man who called himself The Decider. Begin with the indelible stain that one of his worst decisions left on our country’s honor: torture.
Hiding behind the euphemism “enhanced interrogation techniques,” Bush made torture official U.S. policy. Just about every objective observer has agreed with this stark conclusion. The most recent assessment came this month in a 576-page report from a task force of the bipartisan Constitution Project, which stated that “it is indisputable that the United States engaged in the practice of torture.”
We knew about the torture before Bush left office — at least, we knew about the waterboarding of three “high-value” detainees involved in planning the 9/11 attacks. But the Constitution Project task force — which included such figures as Asa Hutchinson, who served in high-ranking posts in the Bush administration, and William Sessions, who was FBI director under three presidents — concluded that other forms of torture were used “in many instances” in a manner that was “directly counter to values of the Constitution and our nation.”
Bush administration apologists argue that even waterboarding does not necessarily constitute torture and that other coercive — and excruciatingly painful — interrogation methods, such as putting subjects in “stress positions” or exposing them to extreme temperatures, certainly do not.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
the author is a loon
Isn’t he the queer Episcopal priest?
I read a wonderful piece praising President Bush on how he handled Katrina. The shock is that the article was written by Donna Brazile. BTW Eugene 43 now has a higher favorable than Obama.
Anyone who thinks getting doused with water or putting a pair of panties on someone’s head is considered torture loses me.
Torture to me is having finger nails pulled, cigarette burns, drilled knee caps, or as we did in WW II tie the individual to a steam radiator to get them to confess. (Oooops, that was under FDR, so it was alright then.)
I don’t know what rock this guy lives under, but the Sarin gas Assad (supposedly) is/has used was announced to be from Hussein’s Iraq.
It’s been a few years since we’ve seen this bad of a case of BDS.
Robinson is owned by the DNC and is in total fealty to Obama. He’s completely devoid of anything resembling credibility.
Hey folks its the Washington post trashiest newspaper in DC not fit to wrap trash in
Eugene Robinson once had a sane thought but quickly put it out of his mind.
As it becomes more and more apparent that obama has failed, there will be more and more attempts to push the blame onto W.
I doubt they will have that much success.
George W. Bush’s approval rating just hit a 7-year high. Here’s how.Posted by Chris Cillizza and Sean Sullivan on April 23, 2013
Christian Science MonitorDays before the official opening of his presidential library, George W. Bush is experiencing something of a comeback when it comes to his public image.
Almost as many people (47 percent) approve of how Bush handled his eight years in office as disapprove (50 percent), according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. That’s the highest approval rating for Bush since December 2005. Bush’s approval dipped all the way to 23 percent in Post-ABC polling in October 2008 and was just 33 percent in January 2009 when he left office. (His approval rating was below 40 percent for 26 consecutive months before his term ended, the longest streak of sub-40 presidential ratings since polling began in the 1930s.)
And, what’s fascinating is that it’s not just Bush’s overall job approval numbers but the intensity measures. In the new Post-ABC poll, 34 percent say they “strongly” disapprove of the job he did while in office; that’s the lowest strong disapprove number for Bush since January 2005.
Bush’s biggest gains over the past few years have come among seniors (30 percent approval in 2008, 57 percent approval today), non-college whites (34 percent in 2008, 57 percent now) and moderate/conservative Democrats (10 percent in 2008, 33 percent now).
Who hasn’t changed their views of Bush? African Americans (90 percent disapproval in 2008, 84 percent disapproval now) and Democrats (90 percent disapproval in ’08, 73 percent now).
Here’s a chart — courtesy of the good people at Capital Insight — detailing the comparison between Bush’s aggregate 2008 numbers and his showing in the new Post-ABC poll across a variety of subgroups.
Click here to read the rest of the article.
Not that we need proof, but doesn't this ice it that Robinson is a BDSer extraordinaire?
Bus’s chief legacy is radicalized islamism throughout the middle east and beyond. Heck of a job.
By Eugene Robinson, Published: April 25
In retrospect, George W. Bush’s legacy doesn’t look as bad as it did when he left office. It looks worse.
Mr. Robinson please take your meds for BDS!!! Bush been out of office for 5 years now...
Why it’s the old mush mouth Gene Robo...this bigot must mean that Bush’s Legacy, mush head Obama is getting worse and worse.....yep that’s what he talkin’ about!
Sadly, many of our FRiends here at FR suffer from raging BDS.
Monkey shines.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
