Historians mark Herbert Hoover’s presidency with terrible judgment and specifically “Black Tuesday” which is generally viewed as the start of the “Great Depression” -- the economic disaster which led to enormously widespread and lingering harm across the whole land.
Historians will mark George W. Bush’s presidency with terrible judgment and specifically 9-11, generally viewed as the start of our “War on Terror.” But they will also mention the economic meltdown of 2008.
Each of these events occurred 235 days into that president’s tenure in office.
Almost as though these were not FAILURE presidents, their supporters mouth rationalizations for the incompetence and outright national harm and abject degradation dealt our country. Both were Republican “gifts” to the country which certainly begs the question: Why can’t Republicans discover how fundamentally flawed is (and has been) their criteria for nomination and candidate selection? Why don’t they learn there’s something demonstrably wrong with their ideological foundation? I think when we throw in Richard Nixon, and yes, Ronald Reagan as well, and then assess the damage done to our economy, our deficits, and the Republican party’s record for dishonorable election cheating and outright disdain for honesty and fairness, we must conclude there must be something genetic that sets a citizen against the honor of his/her own country (irrespective of platitudes and favorite pronouncements).
So let us note some of George W. Bush’s record, and thereto his likely legacy. His record incorporates lies and failures such that listing them all goes way beyond any single opinion piece such as this. Entire volumes and libraries will be required for adequate treatment of everything.
By the way, speaking of books, can anyone here imagine how Bush’s “autobiography” can ever be accomplished without a ghost writer --one who is literate enough to succeed in interpreting in written form Bush’s spoken “memories”?
First, here are some of Bush’s failings. They do extend well beyond his flailing “War on Terror” which has ranged from sad incompetence to ridiculous mistakes in “reading the results.” He has failed miserably in staff and cabinet appointment decisions, Iraq strategies, supply of timely suitable equipment to our military, treatment and help for our war-wounded and PTSB veterans, prisoner treatment policy, U.S. citizen’s rights in various phone-call messaging, Katrina hurricane aftermath response. He has failed to capture, and bring to justice, Osama Bin Laden, the leader of those who attacked us on 9-11. He has failed in garnering the good will and support from other nations of the world. He has scorned (and shown nothing but contempt for) the importance and viability of the United Nations.
Now, about the innumerable lies Bush has told over the span of his failed regime, we’ll not be able to include them all and, I’ve no doubt as you see those below, others will jump to mind. These lies are taken from the speech that Bush gave to take us into war. Naturally, we can also show other instances of lies, however these were from a single speech.
Lie #1. “For more than a decade, the United States and other nations have pursued patient and honorable efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime without war.”
Lie #2. “The Iraqi regime … has uniformly defied Security Council resolutions demanding full disarmament … “
Lie #3. “Peaceful efforts to disarm the Iraqi regime have failed again and again because we are not dealing with peaceful men.”
Lie #4. “The Iraq regime continues to possess anc conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.”
Lie #5. “[Iraq] has aided, trained and harbored terrorists, including operatives of Al Qaida.”
Lie #6. “America tried to work with the United Nations to address this threat because we wanted to resolve the issue peacefully.”
Lie #7. “These governments [that is, the Security Council majority] share our assessment of the danger, but not our resolve to meet it.”
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