The Legacy of George W. Bush
Do the times make the man or does the man make the times? Such a question is especially important to contemplate when thinking of the legacy of George W. Bush as he leaves office today. There is no doubt that the 43rd president was reviled by many during his eight years in office. Yet most of the foreign policy decisions that made Bush so hated were implemented in response to the greatest attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor: the 9/11 Twin Towers attack.
After that attack, the President stated in no uncertain terms that things had changed. No longer would America simply react to terrorist acts as it did to the bombings of the World Trade Center, the Khobar Towers, the American embassies in Africa and the USS Cole. In response to the 9/11 attacks the President ordered the U.S. military to Afghanistan where it defeated the Taliban and installed a democratic regime. In addition, the U.S. invaded Iraq after President Bush determined that it was a threat to American security. Also as a result of the 9/11 attacks, suspected terrorists captured on the battlefield were jailed in Guantanamo Bay and surveillance of terrorist communications and financing was enhanced. Many of these decisions were unpopular, but were born out of necessity. While people may disagree with some or all of Bush's responses to the attacks on the Twin Towers, few can suggest plausible alternatives to fighting the war on terror.
Finally, it is clear that Bush's "surge" in Iraq was a huge success. Bush decided to send more troops to Iraq in spite of opposition from within the military and massive opposition from the media and the American left. The influx of additional American troops has stabilized the country, decreased American and Iraqi deaths, and wiped out large parts of the Al-Qaeda infrastructure in that country. Iraq now has a great chance to be a peaceful and prosperous nation. Bush should be given significant credit for making the tough decisions necessary to bring peace to Iraq.
While the times certainly seem to have made the foreign policy part of George W. Bush's presidency, it is equally apparent that Bush himself defined the domestic part of his presidency. Bush had a few domestic successes during his eight-year tenure, including two quality Supreme Court appointments, several free trade agreements and tax cuts that greatly expanded federal revenues.
However, from a conservative prospective, his domestic policy has been disastrous. The size of government has increased astronomically, spurned by massive increases in education, agriculture, and health care spending, with few results. He added a new entitlement program, Medicare Part D (prescription drugs for seniors), that will add billions to the federal deficit in the next several decades, imposed ineffective steel tariffs that almost started a trade war, and created a new federal bureaucracy in the Homeland Security Department. Most recently Bush abandoned his supposedly conservative principles to bail-out American banks that made bad business decisions. He also supported bailing out the Big Three cars manufacturers, Ford, GM, and Chrysler for equally bad decisions. In addition, Bush failed to stand up to big spending Republicans during his eight years when he could have vetoed dozens of large spending bills. All of these decisions have left the country more in debt than it has ever been. These and other mistakes will leave the Bush legacy severely tarnished. While Bush should be commended for keeping the country safe from foreign threats, his domestic decision making has left the economic stability of America in serious doubt.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
After that attack, the President stated in no uncertain terms that things had changed. No longer would America simply react to terrorist acts as it did to the bombings of the World Trade Center, the Khobar Towers, the American embassies in Africa and the USS Cole. In response to the 9/11 attacks the President ordered the U.S. military to Afghanistan where it defeated the Taliban and installed a democratic regime. In addition, the U.S. invaded Iraq after President Bush determined that it was a threat to American security. Also as a result of the 9/11 attacks, suspected terrorists captured on the battlefield were jailed in Guantanamo Bay and surveillance of terrorist communications and financing was enhanced. Many of these decisions were unpopular, but were born out of necessity. While people may disagree with some or all of Bush's responses to the attacks on the Twin Towers, few can suggest plausible alternatives to fighting the war on terror.
Finally, it is clear that Bush's "surge" in Iraq was a huge success. Bush decided to send more troops to Iraq in spite of opposition from within the military and massive opposition from the media and the American left. The influx of additional American troops has stabilized the country, decreased American and Iraqi deaths, and wiped out large parts of the Al-Qaeda infrastructure in that country. Iraq now has a great chance to be a peaceful and prosperous nation. Bush should be given significant credit for making the tough decisions necessary to bring peace to Iraq.
While the times certainly seem to have made the foreign policy part of George W. Bush's presidency, it is equally apparent that Bush himself defined the domestic part of his presidency. Bush had a few domestic successes during his eight-year tenure, including two quality Supreme Court appointments, several free trade agreements and tax cuts that greatly expanded federal revenues.
However, from a conservative prospective, his domestic policy has been disastrous. The size of government has increased astronomically, spurned by massive increases in education, agriculture, and health care spending, with few results. He added a new entitlement program, Medicare Part D (prescription drugs for seniors), that will add billions to the federal deficit in the next several decades, imposed ineffective steel tariffs that almost started a trade war, and created a new federal bureaucracy in the Homeland Security Department. Most recently Bush abandoned his supposedly conservative principles to bail-out American banks that made bad business decisions. He also supported bailing out the Big Three cars manufacturers, Ford, GM, and Chrysler for equally bad decisions. In addition, Bush failed to stand up to big spending Republicans during his eight years when he could have vetoed dozens of large spending bills. All of these decisions have left the country more in debt than it has ever been. These and other mistakes will leave the Bush legacy severely tarnished. While Bush should be commended for keeping the country safe from foreign threats, his domestic decision making has left the economic stability of America in serious doubt.
Any comments or questions can be received at whyyouareaconservative@gmail.com
~ The Conservative Guy
posted by The Conservative Guy at
12:33 PM
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