The classlessness of the previous two posts causes me to link to this assessment of Victor David Hansen who takes a longer view than the addlepated Bush haters. Thousands of Americans and literally millions of Africans are alive who would be dead because George W. Bush was President. Our relations with the world's largest democracy, India, long strained are closer than ever. The most implacable and enduring foe of America since the end of the Cold War, save China, is gone and replaced by an America friendly elected government. Had Bush been heeded on Fannie and Freddie we might not be in this mess, but the Democrats needed their slush fund.
The Nixon, Ford and Carter presidencies, especially back to back were all worse for this country by any measure than Bush's tenure. Johnson was like Bush, a mixed bag. The one termer GHWB and Clinton the Impeached can hardly match up to this President.
The question is, what will Obama reverse if it was all bad choices? Medicare paying for prescription drugs? AIDs relieve to Africa? Free trade with third world nations? A tilt toward India away from Pakistan? The Patriot Act? Over and over again Obama will, because those choices were necessary endorse the Bush decisions. He will accelerate the foolish spending of the Bush years and push left on any defense of unborn human life or defense of marriage. His cabinet is unlikely to be as scandal free as Bush's.
I wish President Obama well. I hope the world is less dangerous in his time and the economy less volatile (and I do not forget that the Bush tax cuts saved us from the Clinton bubble though I'm sure the great historians posting below do). That is what we do on inaugaration days. Or that's what Americans used to do before the Left went mad and told itself any slander was fine against its foes.
Update: Bill McGurn argues that Bush hatred in the beltway is driven by his victories in the teeth of their contempt, not his failures.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123241360913796235.html
Further Update: From Jay Nordlinger on the singing coyly noted by CRH. "Now I know what the Left means when they call for a classless society."
1 comment:
And how many Afghans and Iraqis would be alive rather than dead if Bush hadn't been President?
And while PEPFAR (AIDS "relieve", as you put it) was the perhaps the singular accomplishment of the 8 year Bush reign of terror and fear, putting the civil liberty threatening Patriot Act in that list flies in the face of reality. If he hadn't done so much damage to the economy and to the reputation of the US around the world, Bush would already have been forgotten. Na na na na, na na na na, heyyayay good bye!
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