The Bush Legacy!

[GHook93]

It is funny that Bush keeps saying that history will remember him kindly. I beg to differ. I think the history is going to put him up their with Buchanan and Carter int he worst President talks.

His legacy:
(1) The Mortgage, credit and banking meltdown.
(2) Gas crisis - Largest increase in gas prices since the '70s, which is squeezing the American people.
(3) Stock Market Crash - 777 points in day!
(4) Record foreclosure and car repo rates
(5) High unemployment
(6) Officially became 2nd to China in manufacturing goods
(7) Record trade deficit
(8) Record Federal Debt
(9) The record bailout plan
(10) Largest increase in spending in US history
(11) Poor handing of 9/11! Went from world sympathy (heck even Iran was helping us) to not getting OBL, to the increased failure in Afghanistan to the huge blunder of invading Iraq
(12) Katrina
(13) Single handlily destroying the Republican party
(14) Delivering the country to a radical socialist and Congress and Supreme court who will facilitate his agenda

Did I miss anything. Honestly I can't find one good thing the man did or could do before his term is up

[Okieslims]

I agree. He has been one of the worst presidents ever. Now I know that the dems started the ball rolling on our current loan market melt down.. but Bush had 4 years in which he could have done anything he wanted.. the house was red.. he could have stopped this from happening. Those that failed to act, are as guilty as those that did. Add to that all his mishandlings from the war ro allowing mnba representatives(who contributed heavily to his campaign) to write the new bankruptcy reform laws... the same dead beat company that purposely targets people that they believe can not pay on time so that they can make loads of money from late charges and over the limit fees. You'll see them on every college campus giving out free shirts in exchange for students applying for cards.

I'm ranting now..lol..it happens.

I kind of wish Ron Paul would have gotten the nomination for republican candidate. McCain is not going to make the changes necessary for us to get back on the right track.. and while I believe Obama will get us moving in that direction, I think Ron Paul would have done the best job at repairing the country in this harsh and desperate time.

Bush's legacy will be a bad one. He left a giant scar on our country in his wake.

That said, he had a lot of help in destroying the republican party. Just putting him on the cover is the easy way out. He had support from the majority of his party the entire time he was in office.

[barts]

Bush will be recalled as, perhaps, the worst President in American history, unless, of course, McCain wins the election. However, I would add that Bush is nothing more than the inevitable culmination of the Reagan Revolution.

[Jack]

I can't believe someone actually managed to make Nixon look "not that bad after all".

[GHook93]

Quote by: barts Bush will be recalled as, perhaps, the worst President in American history, unless, of course, McCain wins the election. However, I would add that Bush is nothing more than the inevitable culmination of the Reagan Revolution.

LOL, if someone is to say that Bush is part of the Reagan Revolution, then they have no idea what the Reagan Revolution was!

[Sonart]

[Jack]

I'll see your doctored image and raise with a real one...

[GHook93]

Quote by: Sonart

I still think Carter is up there, but Bush is leading the race to crappiness! A list of things left unresolved under Bush:
(1) Healthcare
(2) Dependence on Oil
(3) Social Security
(4) The sinking manufacture sector
(5) Illegal Immigration
(6) Education system
(7) The War in Afghanistan
(8) Corruption on Wall Street
And much more!

[lovelylauren26]

are u kidding me?
guys are a bunch of idiots with nothing better to do with ur lives than sit there and point out all of the things Bush has been blamed for. One, they're not his fault. Two, those are obviously doctored biased STUPID pics. And three and finally, u should be praising Bush for putting up with u assholes for however long you're been criticizing him!!!!

[thebuescherman]

Quote by: lovelylauren26 are u kidding me? guys are a bunch of fuckin idiots with nothing better to do with ur lives than sit there and point out all of the things Bush has been blamed for. One, they're not his fault. Two, those are obviously doctored biased STUPID pics. And three and finally, u should be praising Bush for putting up with u assholes for however long you're been criticizing him!!!!

I'm not seeing where you get your name from.

On topic, I think Bush's legacy will be the destruction of the Republican Party. The Elephants have been reduced to rubble!

[lsbskins1]

...and I raise you

1) Signing Statements abuse
2) Torture
3) Virtual destruction of/politicization of Government agencies who's mandate is to be non-partisan watch dogs for the American people
4) Disdain for Habeas Corpus, the cornerstone of the protection of individual freedom


I could go on, but ain't that enough?

[Rog]

Quote by: lovelylauren26 are u kidding me? guys are a bunch of fuckin idiots with nothing better to do with ur lives than sit there and point out all of the things Bush has been blamed for. One, they're not his fault. Two, those are obviously doctored biased STUPID pics. And three and finally, u should be praising Bush for putting up with u assholes for however long you're been criticizing him!!!!

wow so much love! why dont you post some good he did?

[Derek Semeraro]

(1) The Mortgage, credit and banking meltdown.
(2) Gas crisis - Largest increase in gas prices since the '70s, which is squeezing the American people.
(3) Stock Market Crash - 777 points in day!
(4) Record foreclosure and car repo rates
(5) High unemployment
(6) Officially became 2nd to China in manufacturing goods
(7) Record trade deficit
(8) Record Federal Debt
Caused by the market. Not one man.

(10) Largest increase in spending in US history
Senate and House passed this big spending bills.

(11) Poor handing of 9/11!
Well handled. We are winning against Al Qaeda, we eliminated Saddam, and his horrible party, turning Iraq into a peaceful democracy.

(12) Katrina
Natural disaster, act of god. Not his fault.

(13) Single handlily destroying the Republican party
No party can be destroyed with a single hand.

I understand you don't like Bush and you seem to blame him alone for everything, but please, before you continue any further, read a history book.

[lovelylauren26]

thank you derek!!
its about someone said something justifyable!!!!
:]

[Sonart]

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Quote by: Derek Semeraro (10) Largest increase in spending in US history Senate and House passed this big spending bills.

President Bush is the leader of the Republican Party, which was in control of both the House and Senate. He could have vetoed their drunken sailer spending at any time.

Quote by: Derek Semeraro (11) Poor handing of 9/11! Well handled. We are winning against Al Qaeda...

I beg to differ. Despite the Sunni backlash in Iraq, al-Qaeda has regrouped in Pakistan and is now stronger than ever. Afghanistan, which we allowed to flounder in neglect while we bogged ourselves down in Iran, is falling further and further under the influence of a resurgent Taliban.

"CROSS a wide swathe of southern and south-eastern Afghanistan, the Taliban have never looked stronger since they were driven from power by an American-backed alliance in November 2001. And the government of President Hamid Karzai has never looked weaker, controlling only the towns and, during daylight hours, the main roads." -- The Economist, Jun. 2008

Quote by: Derek Semeraro ...we eliminated Saddam, and his horrible party, turning Iraq into a peaceful democracy.

Oh goody! So in exchange for invading and occupying a country that was threatening no one, for reasons that didn't exist, we've created the biggest debt, and the biggest deficits, in U.S. history, with Iraq costing close to $10 billion a month - and counting - with about 35,000 American military killed maiimed or wounded - with no end in sight - with gawd knows how many hundred thousand innocent Iraqis killed because we chose to unlilaterally invade their country, with our Army being worn to exhaustion through repeated rotations, their equipment worn out and needing more and more replacing - with no end in sight - Afghanistan falling further and further behind because we can't get out of Iraq, our allies deserting us in distrust, our enemies emboldened and laughing at us, our once undisputed global leadership and respect in tatters and the American people deeply angry and divided.

But by golly, Saddam Hussein, isn't sticking his tongue out us any more.

Quote by: Derek Semeraro (12) Katrina Natural disaster, act of god. Not his fault.

3 days before Katrina landed, Bush attended a briefing - by video - in which he was clearly informed and warned in no uncertain terms that should Katrina hit New Orleans and the levies fail, it would very likely be a catastrophic 100 year disaster.

"Transcripts of the briefings, first reported by The Associated Press and also obtained by Knight Ridder, show that Bush was told in stark detail about Katrina's potential deadly impact and that he heard a top hurricane expert express "grave concerns" about the ability of the levees to withstand what turned out to be a catastrophic hurricane. They also show that Bush asked no questions."

And yet we know that, despite these warnings, Bush did absolutely nothing until days later and...

"Bush, in post-hurricane comments, insisted that his administration had no warning that the levees were in danger."

Which, of course, is entirely typical of Bush, since he also completely ignored the warnings of his Senior military about the hazards of invading Iraq, he ignored written warnings from his combined intelligence that Iraq would very likely become a guerilla war, incite the muslim world and bring outsiders, and to create conflict between Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites, and despite these warnings, the Bush League -- in an unbelievable example of gross criminal negligence -- made NO PLANS WHATSOEVER for the occupation of Iraq, completely assuming that we would be withdrawing our forces within 3 to 6 months.

Quote by: Derek Semeraro (13) Single handlily destroying the Republican party No party can be destroyed with a single hand.

George W. Bush, with approval ratings only just slightly higher than Richard Nixon's 24%, is making a heckuva go at it.

It's now anticipated that Republicans are not only going to lose the White House in two weeks, but to suffer significant, double-digit losses to the Democrats in both the House and Senate. He could have vetoed their drunken sailor excesses at any time.

What would YOU blame that kind of political disaster on, Derek? Bad luck???

Quote by: Derek Semeraro its about someone said something justifyable!!!!

Odd... I don't see supporting sources in anything you or Derek have written. What does "justifiable" mean to you, exactly?

.

[StevenBee]

History does not look kindly upon leaders who advocate, justify and spin torture.

It's not "water boarding" it's "water treatment"... see? No torture here. We're doing their hair. *AUCHEWITZ* - gesundheit!

Considering the huge advance in civilization that was ushered in by the creation of the United States - the humanist ideals and rationalism it was founded on, the achievements produced within it... It is so sad how heinously history will paint your country because of this leader and his administration.

[gallo]

Quote by: Sonart ...with our Army being worn to exhaustion through repeated rotations,...

Indeed. I am acquainted with several people who were career Army who decided to call it quits. I know three who were West Point graduates. One was an armor officer who left as soon as he had completed his 5 year obligation. Two others were Army Corp of Engineers. They were both among the first troops into Afghanistan. They then served two tours in Iraq because their obligation was extended a year (to 6 years) by the "stop loss" program. They both left the Army and pursued other careers - one now has a master's degree in physical therapy and treats our returning wounded soldiers. Along with these two officers, there was a SFC with over 20 years of service (a veteran of Desert Storm) who had intended to complete 30 years. He also served a tour in Afghanistan and two tours in Iraq. He retired upon return from the last tour. That engineer unit, by the way, was placed on 90 day notice for redeployment to Iraq on the day it returned from its last tour.

[GHook93]

Quote by: lovelylauren26 are u kidding me? guys are a bunch of idiots with nothing better to do with ur lives than sit there and point out all of the things Bush has been blamed for. One, they're not his fault. Two, those are obviously doctored biased STUPID pics. And three and finally, u should be praising Bush for putting up with u assholes for however long you're been criticizing him!!!!

I am a fiscal conservative and I plan on voting mostly red come Nov 4th. Was it all his fault? Absolutely not! Did it happen on his watch? YES. Like it or not he did nothing to minimize this damage. The housing bubble burst was predicted by economist for years! He did nothing when the R controlled Congress. Sadam might have been a lot of things and most of them bad and Iraq does seem much calmer, but even many rightwingers see that going into Iraq might have not been the best thing! Sadam at least created a buffer to the Iranian influence.

[Sonart]

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Quote by: GHook Sadam at least created a buffer to the Iranian influence.

George Bush Sr., James Baker and Brent Scowcroft clearly warned that we should not leave Iraq completely defenseless, lest, as GHook said, we left Iraq vulnerable to destabilizing Iranian influence and a civil war for Shiite dominance -- backed, of course, by the hand of Iran.

Which is exactly why Bush Sr. didn't pursue Saddam to Baghdad at the end of Desert Storm...

...besides the obvious, of course, which is that he knew we'd end up exactly where we are now... bogged down in an endless guerilla war. He said so in his 1998 book, A World Transformed.

"Trying to eliminate Saddam... would have incurred incalculable human and political costs."

As indeed, it has.

"We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect rule Iraq ...there was no viable "exit strategy" we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been self-consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."

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[Derek Semeraro]

Quote by: Sonart . President Bush is the leader of the Republican Party, which was in control of both the House and Senate. He could have vetoed their drunken sailer spending at any time. Remember, we elected congress. Congress elected Bush. Therefore we were responsible for bringing Bush into power. We the people could have done more to stop this drunken sailor spending. As long as we put our special interests above the needs of our country, we will continue to have drunken sailor spending. Oh goody! So in exchange for invading and occupying a country that was threatening no one, for reasons that didn't exist, we've created the biggest debt, and the biggest deficits, in U.S. history, with Iraq costing close to $10 billion a month - and counting - with about 35,000 American military killed maiimed or wounded - with no end in sight - with gawd knows how many hundred thousand innocent Iraqis killed because we chose to unlilaterally invade their country, with our Army being worn to exhaustion through repeated rotations, their equipment worn out and needing more and more replacing - with no end in sight - Afghanistan falling further and further behind because we can't get out of Iraq, our allies deserting us in distrust, our enemies emboldened and laughing at us, our once undisputed global leadership and respect in tatters and the American people deeply angry and divided. But by golly, Saddam Hussein, isn't sticking his tongue out us any more. Eliminating Saddam Hussein wasn't enough. We needed to remove his awful party, turn Iraq into a peaceful democracy, so no tyrant will ever rise from it. The failed mindset that we need to wait until problems start before solving them was the same ignorance and isolationism which made us suffer severe consquences in WW1 and WW2. George W. Bush, with approval ratings only just slightly higher than Richard Nixon's 24%, is making a heckuva go at it. You'd have to be a fool to judge a president by his in-term approval rating, honestly. Approval ratings fluctuate as sample polls do. It's now anticipated that Republicans are not only going to lose the White House in two weeks, but to suffer significant, double-digit losses to the Democrats in both the House and Senate. He could have vetoed their drunken sailor excesses at any time. Yes, the Democrats control congress, yet the only person being held responsible is one republican. These sample polls made by biased news stations mean nothing at all. At the end of the day, a president will be chosen by rigged voting machines and the electoral college. And, at the end of the day our future president will basically just do what their advisors and lobbyists tell them too. What would YOU blame that kind of political disaster on, Derek? Bad luck??? Odd... I don't see supporting sources in anything you or Derek have written. What does "justifiable" mean to you, exactly? Source: Read any American history book. The president doesn't, never had, and never will have absolute power over a country. A president cannot pass a single law without approval of congress. A congress cannot be elected without the approval of the people. Every person needs to be held accountable for their own actions instead of passing the buck to someone else. .

My arguments are bolded in the quote