Not that he didn’t make his share of mistakes – all presidents make mistakes and wartime presidents make more – but it always seemed to me that when the Arab Springtime was poised to flourish, and President Bush’s approval ratings seemed like they wouldn’t sink, when it became clear that Bush meant what he said about freedom and the human spirit, he had to be taken down. And that was accomplished; it was a group effort. It’s difficult to find a positive word written about him or his policies in any news report after that. Seriously. Go look.
Offered without apology:
History will show that George W. Bush was Right
by Andrew Roberts
The American lady who called to see if I would appear on her radio programme was specific. “We’re setting up a debate,” she said sweetly, “and we want to know from your perspective as a historian whether George W Bush was the worst president of the 20th century, or might he be the worst president in American history?”
“I think he’s a good president,” I told her, which seemed to dumbfound her, and wreck my chances of appearing on her show.
In the avalanche of abuse and ridicule that we are witnessing in the media assessments of President Bush’s legacy, there are factors that need to be borne in mind if we are to come to a judgment that is not warped by the kind of partisan hysteria that has characterised this issue on both sides of the Atlantic
Go ahead, Impeach Bush; Try him.
READ THIS: The WSJ’s The 9/11 Presidency. It is a concise and accurate, excellent overview of the Bush presidency, and it is a must read. Even the haters should read it, if for not other reason to see what they’ve missed bitching about.
I don’t expect the haters to get it. No scales falling from eyes, no epiphanies. Not needed. But at least be honest and don’t lie to me or to yourself by suggesting that this policy is anything like “change” from what President Bush has already been saying and doing.
The very continuation by Democrats of Bush’s policies will be grudging, if silent, acknowledgment of how much he got right.
And sorry, no matter how badly you want to blame Bush for the bursting of the housing market, you can’t do it without looking at the Democratic policies that Bush tried to warn us all about. You can’t talk about it without mentioning Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and the legislation – written in the 1990′s – that demanded sketchy loans be made in the first place.
Or, as Richard L. Connor says here in History May See Lincoln-Like Greatness in George W. Bush:
And the economic woes of this country — just like other monumental, sea-change problems — did not simply appear one day or go away the next. Sure, this happened under his watch but the seeds for our mortgage, home loan crisis and those of the domestic automobile industry collapse were sown long before Bush first took office.
Indeed.
Yeah, times are tougher, now. But President Bush never did get credit for the 52 months of uninterrupted (and huge) growth, or the great unemployment numbers we had between the recession at the start of his presidency and the recession at the end of it. He never got credit for much of anything, simply because some people were too spiteful and dishonest to give it.
So, I’ll give him credit, now. He deserves some.
An exhaustive and definitive look at Bush’s humanitarianism.
How George W. Bush became an African hero. Why he will be remembered there.
IMDB: So, Where’s the recognition?
Are you kidding? This is George W. Bush we’re talking about. Remember when President Clinton went to Africa, we had ten days of non-stop coverage that included maps of his routes and his rest stops. When Bush went to Africa last February, there was so little coverage most of us didn’t even know he was there. Wrong party. No credit allowed. And this is why the craft of journalism is quickly evolving.
I suspect there are more people out there than we know who simply haven’t the guts to buck the “conventional wisdom” and admit, as Andrew Breitbart does, that they still like the guy.
It’s always easier to be with the jeering crowd than to stand aside from it. But Chesterton said it better:
“A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it. ”
Text of Bush’s Farewell Address here
Gateway Pundit has an excellent round-up in gratitude.
Michelle Malkin notes, the AP could not manage even one gracious headline to an outgoing president who has borne a heavy burden and been much maligned. Narrow, agenda-driven, petty and infantile. Unprofessional. The LA Times, too.
From Pianogirl, who says a commenter at another site wanted to see Bush go out like this (language warning; you’re warned).
From a reader who wishes anonymity, what she wishes he would have said tonight.
Hmmmmmm…you could say Bush DID say exactly that, but in his own way, with this action.
Meanwhile, of course, the same phoneys who – four years ago – suggested Bush should serve cold chicken and pound cake at a “brief” inaugural ceremony are not batting an eye at Obama’s “most expensive ever” inaugural while we’re in economic straits or (in their words) “a depression.” You know, the one we’re going to spend our way out of.
I don’t begrudge Obama his inaugural. But once can’t help noticing how small, petty, selfish, ungracious and mean-spirited these people have always been to Bush. Hypocritical asshats. Nothing will change them, by the way. After Obama is installed, they will still be small, petty, selfish, ungracious, miserable, mean-spirited, hypocritical asshats. They’ll have to work harder to keep at it, but they’ll manage. Projecting hate is all they know, anymore.
Also – (continually updated) :
Kim Priestap: Bush more concerned about getting results
American Thinker: Who made the world safer?
Steve Shippert: If America Does Not Lead…
Kyle-Anne Shiver: Why Bush Reminds me of Lincoln
Ace has a great post 9/11 moment (part of this great DVD).
Steve Shippert: a different moment
Countries that will Miss George W. Bush
DJ Drummond: A Better Man than his Detractors
David Warren: We Owe a Debt to Bush
Jay Ambrose: The Truth Will Out With George W. Bush
Medved: The Right Standard for Judging George W. Bush
Jay Nordlinger: A look back
Lisa Fabrizio: George W. Bush, Winner
Some betrayal
A Bush Thank-a-thon here and here
More…
I LOVE these pictures from Africa!
New Wineskins: History will begin in 6 days
Thank you for this review of what this dear man has done for us and the world over the past 8 years. I only wish my lib friends would read this with an open mind and a grateful heart, but I know they won’t. I’ll stick the link in my political folder just in case it’s needed down the road.
How this great and good man was able to endure the nay-sayers of unreasoning and baseless hatred who afflicted almost his entire (if not his entire) presidency is a testament to the strength of will and character he has consistently maintained within himself.
He will be missed. He will eventually be vindicated. But not so long as some of these dimwitted haters have assumed room temperature.
I have no doubt that history will be kind to President Bush, and I think he takes a lot of solace in that certainty himself. His critics, fortunately for them, will largely be forgotten by history.
Everybody wins!
Thank you Anchoress.
It still puzzles me how most of the most vicious and vociferous haters still cannot stop (ugly article in Slate today).
I believe the evidence is that George Bush is a good man. And that time will be kind in that regard, unless we all fall into the pit.
I have a Thank You President Bush bumper sticker on my car because I believe he and his team have kept us safer.
Thanks again.
We have a saying, here in Texas…no brag, just fact. I sent him and his wife a handwritten thank you note. My heart welcomes them home next week.
GREAT PRESIDENT.
Sorry, but the mistakes thing, the need to reference something to placate the conception this was not a perfect Presidency is not needed in my humble opinion.
When will the MSM press ask Obama about his mistakes?
Probably never…
So many really good people, have been so swayed even without realizing it, by the Partisans in the press and the Democrats manufactured fashion.
Yes, I do realize many in the USA are not paying attention, some simply are not that informed.
But the overt slant, push, etc., of the ugly and deceitful, who tried for 8 years to debase a Republican in Office has taken it’s toll on this Country.
So did the effort to hide the massive malfeasance of the Clintons…
Today, some of the biggest liars are taking power, often pushing the most mindless policy, including a disastrous choice for Secretary State who recently claimed she was ‘dodging sniper fire’.
No, President GW Bush was truly a GREAT PRESIDENT.
In contrast to the prior 8 years of negligence, compared to the corrupt Administration who appeased a killer named Arafat, the same one’s who enabled the dictatorship in North Korea, and the same who made it their policy lie about the genocide in Rwanda, the Bush Administration seems near as perfect as one can be.
The reality is, in the face of overwhelming bias, manipulation, fraud, undermining, etc., the Bush Administration led to the liberation of MILLIONS in Iraq and Afghanistan (as well as Liberia and Haiti).
After 9-11, the Bush Administration greatly reduced the monstrous threat of al Qaeda.
The Bush Administration was the first to fund Stem Cell Research, provided needed Tax Relief, produced serious Tort Reform – Bankruptcy Reform, filled the Courts with many sound Judicial Appointments including Supreme Court Justices Alito and Roberts, etc.
The Bush Presidency did more for Immigration – Border control than probably the last 4 Presidents combined.
President Bush was a major success, as he did indeed return the integrity to the White House as he promised.
The Partisans supporting the Democrat Party have succeeded in dehumanizing the opposition.
Now it is quite acceptable in a American Popular fashion to hate Republicans, and some feel it is attractive to offer the most ugly bigotry that often resembles the sickening expression of the fascists from the early 1930′s.
This mindless hatred, encouraged by the Leadership of the modern Democrat Party, has produced a horribly distorted view of reality.
The unethical Media Partisans are mostly to blame for aiding to the manipulation.
It is sad, and there will be an even bigger attempt to cast this gross delusion upon future views of history.
After the failure of Carter and the enormous negligence of the Clintons, the Partisans seem compelled to lie.
The question is, will they succeed?
They may feel empowered now, even having won control of Washington with the help of the deceit, but will it be enough to continue the ‘con’.
Will Americans accept it, as they seem to have today?
We shall see…
Don’t chemical weapons qualify as Weapons of Mass Destruction?
I realize that when most people think of WMDs, they think of nuclear capability. But chemical weapons can be used to exterminate whole populations of people.
Numerous caches of chemical warfare components were found in Iraq by US troops. I clearly remember this being reported by the mainstream media. I also clearly remember Saddam Hussein’s massacre of the Kurds approximately 20 years ago. Thousands upon thousands of Kurds died immediately from exposure to chemical weapons; thousands more suffered horribly before succumbing to the effects of the gas.
My point is: WMDs WERE found in Iraq, just not nuclear WMDs.
Since chemical weaponry can rain down mass destruction just as easily as conventional arms or nuclear arms, the intelligence community was not incorrect. I’m not sure why President Bush would feel obligated to backtrack on this issue unless he was defining WMDs as strictly nuclear.
Thank you Anchoress for the post. I agree with everything you said. I think Bush was maligned not only by the left, but by many on the right who resented his independence.
I will miss him.
The two proudest votes I have ever cast were for W. I have a feeling they may be the proudest votes I will ever cast.
I salute the man with all my heart.