THE BUSH LEGACY
My only dissappointment with the Republican convention was the absence of George Bush and the minimizing of Bush throughout. I understand the political expediency of putting distance between Bush and McCain. The only hope Democrats have of winning is to convince people they are still running against Bush, but Bush deserves more than just a passing mention as his presidency comes to a close.
This plain spoken, “regular guy” was a president of purpose and conviction. In spite of vicious attacks against his character, intelligence and intent, he pushed forward with the agenda he thought was best for America. He was a leader in the truest sense of the word. I would like to have seen a Bush presidency without 9/11, but it was indeed the events of that fateful day that cast his presidency.
But what a remarkable job he has done. I’m not trying to gloss over any mistakes that were made. There were mistakes, but Bush’s mission of protecting us from futher attacks, refocusing our government to the reality of the new world and avoiding a total economic collapse, those missions have indeed been accomplished. (As a brief aside, there is very little that the United States government can do to affect the economy positively or negatively. Market forces drive the economy and the best the government can hope to do is nudge it in a certain direction. Believing otherwise is one of the great lies that all politicians, liberal and conservative tell to remain in office.)
The daunting challenges that faced America after 9/11 shifted our entire country into a new paradigm. But when the rest of us settled back into our normal lives, George Bush had to press forward and when pressing forward became unpopular, Bush continued steadfastly in his efforts. No one can argue these facts. America has not been attacked since 9/11 and our enemies have tried. Our government is now refocused to the reality of global terror. Our economy is ihurting, but compared to other times in our nations history, our economy is performing amazingly well, especially in light of the events that have attacked our economy to the core. 9/11, Katrina, oil prices. the mortgage crash. These elements, all beyond our control, could have sunk our economy and may still, but under Bush’s leadership we have been weathering these storms beyond anyone’s expectations.
My friend Emory sent me a link to this story about Bush recently. It describes one of the forgotton elements of Bush’s presidency and that is it’s humanitarian reach into Africa. Bush’s fight against AIDS, hunger, disease and civil war across the African continent has built a lasting legacy for America. While his critics focus on the war in Iraq, Bush has quietly and without seeking fanfare, directed America’s resources towards saving lives and building hope for those in need.
I have been a staunch defender of Bush and I still believe that his workman like leadership during the last 8 years have saved this country from ruin. Who knows how history will look back on the Bush presidency, since history is always subjective. As for me, my grandchildren will know that George Bush was a courageous leader, a caring man and a great president.
God bless George Bush.
Zack Says: September 5th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Good job Buck!
I have one small disagreement. The Government CAN influence the economy…. if it stands in the way! You can levy only so many taxes on a business until they’re either run it out of business, or out of the country.
I am simply amazed that Obama gets away with promising to increase taxes on big business AND keep more jobs at home!? He can’t do both. Both GM and Ford lost billions last quarter. Obama “promises” (I think it’s more like threatens) to insist on higher emission standards and higher fuel mileage, and don’t forget higher taxes on them. Oh yeah, that’ll brighten-up the conversation around the kitchen table….if you speak Korean or Chinese! And how exactly does he plan on keeping those jobs here? Using the military? Opps I forgot, he plans to cut, in his words “10’s of billions” from defense. The Army won’t be able to take GM!
The Other Side Says: September 5th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
how can buck say that bush has “saved this country from ruin”? do you mean the surplus he inheirited and turned into a record defecit? or the fact that he had intelligence about an al-qeada attack on america using airplanes and failed to heed the warning. its amazing to hear people say that because america hasn’t been attacked since 9-11 bush is amazing at protecting us. bush has done a terrible job at protecting america.
vandamonium Says: September 6th, 2008 at 10:20 am
I agree with everything you said. As a twenty rear veteran of the marines I can’t imagine after retiring almost 20 years ago how the shape of the military would be today were it not for the Bush administration. I think he has done a great job and will be remembered as such on down the road.
The Other Side Says: September 9th, 2008 at 12:13 am
i respect vandamonium’s service to our country, but s/he is wrong about bush and the military. two wars, walter reid, not supporting the new gi bill, the amount of mental illness and suicides because of the wars, many tours of duty overseas, stop-loss, the unprecidented use of the national guard and the treatment of vets when they return home point to incompitence from people who never served in the military.
Zack Says: September 10th, 2008 at 3:15 am
Hello…anyone remember the internet bubble under Clinton? Stocks selling for 150.00 that had a value of 4.00? Remember that bubble busting? The economy heading for the tank BEFORE Bush was elected?? And still, STILL, the economy has grown more in the last eight years than it did under Clinton. And the unemployment rate has averaged lower under Bush than Clinton! Do your homework people, before you leave your fly open on websites.