George Bush's Legacy

mysteryman wrote:

cicerone imposter wrote:
From Rama's post, above: "My fellow citizens: Not only can we win the war in Iraq, we are winning the war in Iraq."
President George W. Bush
Dec. 18, 2005

We've been "winning" this war for three years now. How come our soldiers are still being shot at and getting killed?

Do you have any idea how dumb that question is?

We started winning WW2 in late 1942 or early 1943, but our soldiers still got killed.
Just because we are winning doesnt mean that soldiers arent going to die.

So US soldiers were still getting shot and killed in late 1945 and early 1946?

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And that would include 1947 and 1948 - after we won the war.

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The legacy of George W. Bush is not something many would be proud of. Political leaders are often judged in the media for their actions at a particular point in time and thus it's always hard to make a proper assessment of the legacy without stepping back and seeing the man in the broadest perspective.

OK, I just took a few steps back. Frankly, the legacy shows little of a statesman and more of a man with a low political intellect and a propensity to resolve most things he doesn't understand through the use of military power. His two major military adventures in Iraq and Afghanistan are political, military and social disasters. He has done nothing worthy on the domestic front. What ishis legacy, really?

Yet leaders like to leave with a last hurrah - it's sort of expected of them. Ideally he would be well advised to announce something meaningful: a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan, something both existing governments there have been asking for (admittedly the Iraqis more than President Karzai). But then this is asking too much and I am not sure Mr. Bush even realizes that he has U.S. troops in a foreign land. At times it seems that he sees the world as his own oyster, so it doesn't matter where his fleets go or on whose soil his soldiers set foot.

The interesting part of the legacy that could have been is that the U.S. might have led the world towards peace and prosperity, acting as an honest broker amongst nations that are in conflict. It could have used its might in such a productive manner that it could seriously have changed the world. This vision needs statesmen and this is where Mr. Bush falls miserably short. The U.S. is a great nation, and I have met some remarkable Americans who have passion for positive change and feel the need for positive leadership. However, as political processes go, we are stuck with what we have.

I somehow cannot see George W. Bush doing anything monumental to make a difference to his legacy, perhaps because in his own mind he might be thinking that he is the best President the U.S. has ever had. Nevertheless, this is a legacy that has been cast and it will have some who will admire the man and some like me, who feel that it has been a failure.

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/anwer_sher/2008/07/a_bush_legacy_that_might_have.html

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Operation Iraqi Freedom was carried out with a combination of precision, and speed, and boldness the enemy did not expect, and the world had not seen before. From distant bases or ships at sea, we sent planes and missiles that could destroy an enemy division, or strike a single bunker. Marines and soldiers charged to Baghdad across 350 miles of hostile ground, in one of the swiftest advances of heavy arms in history. You have shown the world the skill and the might of the American Armed Forces.

This nation thanks all of the members of our coalition who joined in a noble cause. We thank the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland, who shared in the hardships of war. We thank all of the citizens of Iraq who welcomed our troops and joined in the liberation of their own country. And tonight, I have a special word for Secretary (Donald) Rumsfeld, for General (Tommy) Franks, and for all the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States: America is grateful for a job well done.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/05/01/iraq/main551946.shtml

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Quote:

By one count, the president has publicly vowed to "solve problems, not pass them on to future presidents and future generations" upwards of 400 times.

As the clock starts to run out on Bush's presidency, we know, of course, that the opposite is true. Global warming, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, a weak economy not only is Bush passing monumental problems onto his successor, he's created new ones that didn't exist when he got there.

This is especially true when it comes to the federal budget. Bush inherited the largest surplus ever recorded ($128 billion), but his fiscal legacy is a painful one.

The White House on Monday predicted a record deficit of $490 billion for the 2009 budget year, a senior government official told CNN.

The deficit would amount to roughly 3.5 percent of the nation's $14 trillion economy.

The official pointed to a faltering economy and the bipartisan $170 billion stimulus package that passed earlier this year for the record deficit.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said Bush "will be remembered as the most fiscally irresponsible president in our nation's history," adding, "If they gave out Olympic medals for fiscal irresponsibility, President Bush would take the gold, silver and bronze. With his eight years in office, he will have had the five highest deficits ever recorded. And the highest of those deficits is now projected to come in 2009, as he leaves office."

Wait, it gets worse.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/07/28/quite-a-fiscal-legacy/#more-31388

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Bush said "each life is precious," but he loves to execute people. You know; it's difficult, but somebody's gotta do it! ..
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Bush OKs execution of Army death row prisoner

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer 41 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday approved the execution of an Army private, the first time in over a half-century that a president has affirmed a death sentence for a member of the U.S. military.

With his signature from the Oval Office, Bush said yes to the military's request to execute Ronald A. Gray, the White House confirmed. Gray had had been convicted in connection with a spree of four murders and eight rapes in the Fayetteville, N.C., area over eight months in the late 1980s while stationed at Fort Bragg.

"While approving a sentence of death for a member of our armed services is a serious and difficult decision for a commander in chief, the president believes the facts of this case leave no doubt that the sentence is just and warranted," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

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Ramafuchs wrote:

I don't think Bush needs to strengthen his legacy. It has already been deeply engraved in the history of the Middle East. George W. Bush has in fact ruined the Middle East.

Yeah, things were so nice in Afghanistan and Iraq before Bush sent in the troops.

If only things coulda stayed as they were, with the Taliban and Saddam the butcher still in power.

W really messed things up. Now Iraqis and Afghanis have the idea that they should be able to vote for their own government.

Of all the crazy ideas.

If only we could go back to the good ole days of Saddam gassing the Kurds and running his enemies thru the plastic shredder.

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I'm not sure about our need to attack Afghanistan, because of the Taliban, but Iraq was and is an unnecessary war that's draining our military and treasure. Democracy has never come from the outside.

By some estimates, we've been responsible for the killing of over 100,000 innocent Iraqis, and the migration of over 2 million of their citizens - and we were not received or welcomed as liberators as Chaney and Rummy stated. We are now seen as occupiers by not only Iraqis, but many in the Middle East.

When a country has a tyrant for their leader, it's really none of our business; there are multitudes of tyrannical governments in this world - including China and Zimbabwe. They execute their citizens fighting for democracy, and our government doesn't so much as make a squeak.

Iraq was never about democracy; it's about their oil.

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real life wrote:

Ramafuchs wrote:
I don't think Bush needs to strengthen his legacy. It has already been deeply engraved in the history of the Middle East. George W. Bush has in fact ruined the Middle East.

Yeah, things were so nice in Afghanistan and Iraq before Bush sent in the troops.

If only things coulda stayed as they were, with the Taliban and Saddam the butcher still in power.

W really messed things up. Now Iraqis and Afghanis have the idea that they should be able to vote for their own government.

Of all the crazy ideas.

If only we could go back to the good ole days of Saddam gassing the Kurds and running his enemies thru the plastic shredder.

Just a primer.

Quote:

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Another little primer.

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cicerone imposter wrote:

Bush said "each life is precious," but he loves to execute people. You know; it's difficult, but somebody's gotta do it! ..
******************

Bush OKs execution of Army death row prisoner

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer 41 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - President Bush on Monday approved the execution of an Army private, the first time in over a half-century that a president has affirmed a death sentence for a member of the U.S. military.

With his signature from the Oval Office, Bush said yes to the military's request to execute Ronald A. Gray, the White House confirmed. Gray had had been convicted in connection with a spree of four murders and eight rapes in the Fayetteville, N.C., area over eight months in the late 1980s while stationed at Fort Bragg.

"While approving a sentence of death for a member of our armed services is a serious and difficult decision for a commander in chief, the president believes the facts of this case leave no doubt that the sentence is just and warranted," White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

After reading the entire AP article, do you really have a problem with this, or are you just complaining because Bush authorized the execution?

BTW, the last President to authorize a military execution was a democrat, his name was John F Kennedy.

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I thought it was Eisenhower?

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Another compassionate conservative being investigated for corruption.
*********************

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Last Update: 12:24 PM EST
The Caucus
Sen. Stevens Indicted in Corruption Inquiry
By KATE PHILLIPS
Senator Ted Stevens spoke to reporters on Capitol Hill in April.

A federal grand jury has indicted longtime Senator Ted Stevens, Republican of Alaska, on corruption charges after more than a year's investigation, a federal law enforcement official said.

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cicerone imposter wrote:

Another compassionate conservative being investigated for corruption.
*********************

Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Last Update: 12:24 PM EST
The Caucus
Sen. Stevens Indicted in Corruption Inquiry
By KATE PHILLIPS
Senator Ted Stevens spoke to reporters on Capitol Hill in April.

A federal grand jury has indicted longtime Senator Ted Stevens, Republican of Alaska, on corruption charges after more than a year's investigation, a federal law enforcement official said.

Let's hurry and get this dealt with. After a few years in the can he'll be tops on the list for conservative presidential material come 2012.

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McGentrix wrote:

I thought it was Eisenhower?

It was Eisenhower who approved the hanging of U.S. Army Private John A. Bennett, but he was executed in April, 1961 and Kennedy was President at the time of execution.

However, guilty Ronald Gray is (And I believe he is guilty) George Bush the lesser seems to get a thrill about signing warrants of execution (Re Carla Faye Tucker), unless he's personally connected to the condemned's family. His practice as Governor of Texas (152 Death Warrants Signed), and POTUS (approving CIA assignation, extraordinary-ne torture-interrogation) stands as evidence and legacy.

IMO even though Clinton was not a great POTUS, history will raise his laurels simply because of the practices of his successor.

Rap

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Bush signs new rules, roles for spy agencies

40 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - An administration official says President Bush has approved an order revising the rules governing spying, both in the United States and abroad, and lays out each of the 16 agencies responsibilities.

The executive order maintains the decades-old prohibitions on assassination and human testing.

The order has been under revision for more than a year during a national debate about the proper balance between civil liberties and security, spurred by both the 9/11 attacks and Bush's warrantless wiretapping program. It was first created under the Reagan administration in 1981.

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Quote:

George Bush the lesser seems to get a thrill about signing warrants of execution

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McGentrix wrote:

Quote:
George Bush the lesser seems to get a thrill about signing warrants of execution

Geeze, surprise of surprises, an ignorant dickhead!

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George Bush's Legacy

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