Officially, his presidency has almost two more years to run. But is George W. Bush already irrelevant?
That’s the question posed by Howard Kurtz in his Washington Post column — and answered in the affirmative with a litany of media voices proclaiming “the Decider” down for the count.
Tom Friedman of the New York Times, for example: “The American people basically fired George Bush in the last election. We’re now just watching him clean out his desk.”
Well, maybe. How will Bush’s last days in office compare with those of other unpopular war presidents, such as Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson?
Posted by Dave Knadler
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76 Comments
I would not be counting him out. I remember in 2004 people saying we only have to put up with him for four more years. What damage could he do? OK basicily the same damage he did in the prior four years! He still has the power to do what ever he want until the last day he is in office.
That is of course unless he uses the power he has to declare himself President till the war on terror ends. How long has it been said the war on terror will last?
writerdog – I don’t think he has that power. I believe a war, or at least Martial Law would need to be in place here in the States for that to happen. But don’t quote me on that.
PS – glad to read your wife is better.
Sorry, George Bush is no Harry Truman. Forget that and I’m a moderate Republican.
‘George Bush’ and ’shrinkage’ in the title of the thread. Were truer words ever spoken?
Dave Knadler better watch out: the minions of Commander Flightsuit will be gunnin’ for him. ‘Liberal media’ and all that.
Gallup has him at 65 percent disapproval which is one point less than Nixon’s worst.
Stick a fork in him, he’s done.
Does the Eagle quote anyone besides NY Times or Washington Post or LA Times? Do they ever quote the New York Post or other papers of that ilk? Just wondering…
I imagine the Bush Presidency will be recorded in his last days by the bias of the newspaper conservative or liberal.
We will see what the historians will write about this administration without any interference of the current political climate.
Tom Freidman? CNN’s Bill Schneider?Another non-story. The real story would be if Freidman or Schneider got off the Lib train instead of driving it.
I quote the LA Times and the WaPo regularly.You twits scroll over it cause it’s some eeevil lib cutnpaste.
You’d rather read one paragraph of over the top insults than anything intelligent.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/07/AR2007020702317_pf.html
Veterans Group Speaks Out on WarCongressional Democrats Let VoteVets.org Talk for Them, Bluntly
By Lyndsey Layton and Jonathan WeismanWashington Post Staff WritersThursday, February 8, 2007; A04
When Iraq war veteran Jon Soltz accused Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of “aiding the enemy,” the Democratic senators gathered around him yesterday did not wince. Nor did Democrats object when Soltz, the chairman of a group called VoteVets.org, called President Bush and Vice President Cheney “draft dodgers.”
In the United States Congress, where decorum usually holds sway, Soltz and his small band of veterans are saying things many Democrats would like to express but can’t. And as the politics heat up over the Iraq war, Democratic leaders increasingly are being drawn to Soltz and his angry soldiers.
VoteVets.org appears to be the most active group trying to influence the debate about the president’s plan to send 21,500 more troops to Iraq. Last month, it dispatched veterans to the home states of Republican senators waffling over resolutions on the war. Next, it ran a stark television ad on Super Bowl Sunday that drew national attention. And this week, group members crisscrossed Capitol Hill, trying to persuade lawmakers and their staffs to oppose the troop increase.
Their efforts are supported by a coalition of liberal groups that blocked the president’s 2005 plan to privatize Social Security. But this new campaign could prove more difficult.
The veterans are selling a blunt message: The Bush strategy in Iraq is a failure, and adding troops sends more young men and women to their deaths. If you care about the military, they told lawmakers, vote against the troop increase. Legislators who are stalling debate on the matter are “cowards,” they said.continued……
Here woody woody, here boy!Come and get it.Some more evil lib stuff from the WaPO.
If you don’t like what they are saying, you can give your standard answer:mumble…mumble…AIR AMERICA!
JM thinks he can ignore facts if they come from one of America’s three major dailies.
Meanwhile, he asks why The Eagle can link to more stories by the supermarket tabloid owned by a radical right-wing partisan, Rupert Murdoch (also Fox News).
Gee, JM, maybe it’s because the Post is a POS yellow press organ for propaganda and no intelligent reader values it.
BTW, are you white or black today?
Let’s see, it’s Friday . . . so I’m thinking “white.” It’s Tuesdays and Thursdays that you’re black.
“…veterans are saying things many Democrats would like to express but can’t.”
Why can’t they? What’s stopping them? If the war is as unpopular as you people think, why don’t they go for it?
They SHOULD say it, but they know as soon as they do, the reich-wing will assail them for “wanting Al Qaeda to win,” just like you do all the time, Peckerwood.
You’re right. They should have the guts to express the will of the majority.
The RepubliCONs have no compunction about expressing the will of a small and shrinking MINORITY.
Cap’n,
I’m not much of one for speculating on the identity of other posters and the use of aliases, but I believe you are correct.
JM, are you Eier? And since the poster named Eier claimed the mantle of blackness to lend himself credibility in commenting on racial matters, if you are Eier, JM, are you white or black?
Typical for the dems to be cowards. What else could it be? Afraid of a little critisism?
It’s not unlike name calling through the internets.
You have swerved off course again. The military code of justice has nothing to do with what we are talking about.
Much like name calling, but if that’s all you got…
This last election made Bush a LAME DUCK – big time!
fleeeeeetwoooooood,
The USCMJ has everything to do with veterans. Heard of the backdoor draft? Yesterday’s veteran is today or tomorrow’s active-duty service personnel.
Since that’s the case, recent and not-so recent veterans have a direct disincentive to voicing their opinions: namely, they may be called up, in which case such opinions can come back to haunt them while serving.
I’d say you need to think about this, fleeeeeeeetwoooooood, but that would just add to the list of things you need to do.
here woody….LA TimesThe Bush Back-date Gate. HA!
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bushfam9feb09,0,2095254.story?
Bush’s uncle linked to options lawsuitDefendants’ backdating benefited a board he was on, the SEC alleges.From Times staff and wire
February 9, 2007
WASHINGTON — President Bush’s uncle William H.T. “Bucky” Bush was among directors of a defense contractor who together reaped $6 million from what federal regulators say was an illegal five-year scheme by two company executives to manipulate the timing of stock option grants, court documents show.
The youngest brother of former President George H.W. Bush, he is the second Bush family member whose name has surfaced in stock options scandals this month.
He was an outside, nonexecutive director of Engineered Support Systems Inc. of St. Louis, a supplier of military equipment and electronics that financially benefited from the Iraq war. It was acquired last year by another defense contractor and has been under federal investigation on suspicion of options backdating.
In a civil suit filed Tuesday, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused the former chief financial officer and former controller of enriching themselves and others with backdating.
Bush and the other board members were not accused of any wrongdoing.
Bush made about $450,000 in January 2005 by exercising his company stock options and selling shares, his SEC filing shows. When questioned by a Times reporter about the sale at the time, he said he had not pulled any strings in Washington to win Iraq war contracts.
He was not immediately available to comment Thursday, a family spokesman said.
Last week in an unrelated case, Marvin Bush, the current president’s youngest brother, was named as a defendant in a suit charging that officers and directors of HCC Insurance Holdings benefited from backdated options.
Marvin Bush, now an advisory director, was a director when some of the backdated options were issued. According to the complaint, Marvin Bush made $2.2 million on the questioned options. The class action was filed in U.S. District Court in Houston on behalf of HCC stockholders.
More than 100 public companies are under investigation by the SEC and the Justice Department on suspicion of improper options backdating.
Note: CF has once again proven that liberals are incapable of healthy debate without profanity and name calling.
Bush and the other board members were not accused of any wrongdoing.
Is this the headline, then?
Um, Golf, what did you add to this debate?
Pot, meet kettle.
KSGolfnut,
Hope your ‘choice’ of heterosexuality is workin’ good for you today!
My only point was that your leaders are afraid to say what this group is saying. I was just wondering what they were afraid of. I don’t know where the code of justice comes in or why you even bring it up.
Name calling, personal attacks, profanity …
They just emasculate your position and dilute the debate.
I put the odds at 50 50 that bush will do something to suspend the next election.
Junior,I put the odds at 10,000 to 1 that you’ll never say anything positive about republicans or business owners.
woody, why doesn’t the GOP repeat everthing BillO and limpballs are saying?Cowards?Afraid to tell the religous right that they are a joke to the GOP and used as puppets?I brought it to ya’ without vitriol, from the newsources you prefer.Your rebuttal? NONE.
When you get done with the LA Times article about Bush corruption, we can scoot on over and look at how much the Bush family cost the taxpayers in the S & L scandal.The over-all cost was over one trillion dollars, but those wonderful Bush boys only cost us two or three BILLION.God bless their wittle conservative hearts.
Can anyone think of something positive that Bush did over the past year? Conservatives will say that he helped kill thousands more brown skinned people but I’m trying to think of something a sane person would consider positive.
Anyone?
Goofnut
For your 10:10 post?
I refer you to your 9:59 post.
And no I have nothing positive to say about Republicans.
Balls, my state rep is an (R).He’s a good guy with a brain.Votes with moderate GOP (if any) and dems.The man that owns my company is a great guy.Very generous to the community.Paid for everyone here to have christmas week off, even though he’s Jewish!
Doug, he did cut loose some money to fight aids in Africa.That’s the only thing I can think of that I applauded.
Tracy – glad to hear all of that. And I’m not shy to positively comment on (D)s when it is merited.
There are Jews in SE Kansas? I’m shocked. Oh wait, we had a Jewish family in Neodesha, too. They owned a furniture store. It was the only place in town open on Christmas.
Junior,I didn’t post anything at 10:10.
From JR:
“I put the odds at 50 50 that bush will do something to suspend the next election.”
ROFLMAO!!!!
Good God; is there ever a time, JR, when you DON’T think the sky is falling?
CF asks “if you are Eier, JM, are you white or black?”
cue the crickets: chirp, chirp, chirp . . .
I’m sure there are many ways under which a slight majority of people might accept Martial Law. One would be if several “attacks” were perpetrated on our fair country. Remember how everyone came together after 9/11, calling for the bloodshed of somebody?
Whether it will ever happen is questionable, but it could. And that, my friends, is the scary part. That’s what you should be afraid of.
Bush is still killing our troops. And his G-D Zionist buddies are loving every minute of it.
What gives the Jews { 2% of our population } the right to have their own country, completely paid for by the US taxpayers?
{ Over 1.6 trillion dollars since just 1973 }
A country which is openly bigoted { Jewish only } and which violates international law, the Geneva Conventions and common decency against its neighbors daily?
Okay, once again.Just for the record.I brought good stuff from the WaPo and LA Times, didn’t cuss and be a meany lib.Did all the stuff woody complained about, and how much response do I get?Credibility woody……Blog cred.oh wooooody!Ready to talk about the Bush family popularity?What about the S & L scandal?
Shit Ed.Bush, his boys, and GOP buddies cost us all that much just in the S & L scandal alone!
Tracy
Most American Jews want nothing to do with Zionist-Israel and all the trouble they cause. It gives the American Jews a bad name, and they catch a lot of the heat for all the rotten things which the Zionist-Jews are doing in the Middle East.
Ed, Okay.And the Bush boys still cost us billions.
Tracy
The Zionist-Jews are sucking enough money out of our Treasury to give every man, woman and child in the US free health-care and a new car every year.
And none of our soldiers would have to die or have their arms and legs blown-off to do it either.
It’s time to pull the gloves off and tell those Jews that they’re not worth it anymore and they can take their anti-Semitism, their Pity-Parade, their terrorism and the rest of their slogans and shove it all up their collective asses.
traci-
The following was my response to your earlier post and link. Am I missing something?
“…Bush and the other board members were not accused of any wrongdoing….”
Is this the headline, then?
Posted by: fleettwood | February 09, 2007 at 09:53 AM
Nice try, Ed. Foreign aid to Israel for 2007 will total about $2.4 billion. Since 1979, the average aid to Israel has totalled $3 billion per year.
$2.4 billion certainly won’t buy a new car for every man, woman and child in the US. Health care for all would be completely out of the picture.
I do not support an Israel first foreign policy, but distorting the facts does not help your debate.
I see Ed is back. Why in the world hasn’t he been run off?His bile is a bit much.Ed = swastika dude
Laugh it up GMC.
I don’t mean that bush specifically might work to suspend elections. He isn’t smart enough to try it. But his handlers might try it.
I know that you GMC see Democrats and Republicans as two sides of the same coin. And that’s true to a certain extent.
But the neocons and the PNAC crowd that made bush? They aint about politics or party or patriotism.
As they erase our borders and globalize our economy, they are all about profit. And I don’t think they will let much of anything, even the Constitution get in their way.
One item last year: a 13 billion dollar loan which will never be paid back. When loans come due they are always converted to grants.
It’s all there.
That’s just the first drop in the bucket.
You knew your numbers were a lie when you wrote them.
Stop with the name calling, you stupid piece of shit.
“Stop with the name calling, you stupid piece of shit.”
And what name did I call you, Ed.
Just curious.
By the way, Ed, here is the link for the figures….
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3362402,00.html
George Bush is the worst president ever, and our congress during his first 6 years was the worst ever.I hope has a life that is filled with misery, despair, and dissapointment.
The problem is GS that this administration has shown they can play loose and liberal with many laws and rules of order. Some time ago a spokesman for the administration brought up the subject of Lincoln and suspending voting during the Civil war. Bush has been testing many of the boundaries set for a war time President. Of course the problem may lie in that we are not at a declared war, a authorization of force does not a declaring of war made.
It would be a future I hope to never see, but if he can twist the event just right he could declare a state of Martial law in this country. Another major terrorist attack could be used to throw this country into that state.Much has been made about there not having been another attack in five years. But terrorism experts that have been studying Al-Qaeda point out that Al-Qaeda tends to made plans several years in advance. Wanting to set the scene just right for Maximum casualties and destruction. 9-11 was planned several years in the works.
To be frank, I think many of the top elite of the Bush Administration were just caught off guard by the reaction of the people. President Bush was riding so high on a wave of popularity and receiving cart-blanch after 9-11. That they just thought it would not end, enabling them to put many of their pre-conceived plans into action. To expand the powers of the Presidency beyond what seem reasonable or prudent.
It maybe doubtful that he could pull it off, but there is a possibilities if the cards would be played right he could suspend voting by 2008 and even declare himself President for the duration.BTW Fleetwood, I would like my war porn back in the near future. There is nothing like “The battle of the Bulge” to get me in the mood to take the ridge!
Repost…….
“Stop with the name calling, you stupid piece of shit.”
And what name did I call you, Ed.
I am sort of waiting for an answer here, Ed. Could it be possible that you just made that up?
he could suspend voting by 2008 and even declare himself President
Talk like that makes you look like a loonie tin foil hat type. It’s just crazy talk. you’ve never struck me as the type. Do you think that myself and people like me would go for that?
We had an election during the War Between the States for goodness sake.
ws-I called him a swastika dude. Our posts were next to each other. Maybe his saliva got in the way while he was spitting on about the evil Jews and couldn’t see.
BDP fleet,
“CNN’s Bill Schneider?Another non-story. The real story would be if Freidman or Schneider got off the Lib train instead of driving it.”
Whooaa!! You believe Schneider is “lib”??? He’s a Resident Fellow at the right-wing AEI.http://www.aei.org/scholars/scholarID.53,filter./scholar.asphttp://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Enterprise_Institute
So what. You ever watch him?What a flamer.
He’s a big Lib, alright. He’s got the tin foil hat to prove it.
“In a September 15 report for “The Situation Room,” CNN reporter Bill Schneider wondered if the current decrease in gas prices has been timed to help Republicans in the midterm elections. He ominously asked:
Schneider: “The drop in prices may last a couple of months, long enough to get through the November election. Could that be what the oil companies want?”"
You’re linking to the published foreign aid, which is the smallest way the yids drain the US Treasury.
They are creative, that’s for sure. One example: They manufacture artillery shells and sell them through a dummy company for zillions of dollars to the Pentagon, then Rumsfeld used to give the shells back as part of a “defensive exercise” or “project”{ The shells never left Israel, other than sailing through the air on their way to a refugee camp in Gaza }.
It is true Fleet that some things would have to happen before it could ever happen. The reference to the Civil war was that Lincoln’s advisers made the suggestion to him to be consider but eventually Lincoln decided against it. But like I said things have changed and it would not be probable but still possible.
The issue of the general domestic wiretapping, banking tracing even though such banking practices are not done by the terrorists and many aspects of the Patriot act shows that President Bush is not governed by reasonability in his actions. But no it would not be likely that he will declare himself President for the duration, suspend voting or declare Martial law He could he if he desired though and may if the conditions become ripe.
many aspects of the Patriot act shows that President Bush is not governed by reasonability in his actions.
Hogwash. If I heard Pelosi and Reid get more into a huff than they are, I might think you are on to something. If it was like you say, they would be. It isn’t, they aren’t. We have been over this on this blog. I consider myself a Libertarian in many ways. In the old days, I didn’t want a cop in my house without a warrant because of… well you know why. Now, it’s because of the principle of the whole thing (4th amendment), but the phone and banking things are prudent in times of war.
If he wants to be president after ‘08, I’ll join with you and capn and jr and cosmos and tracy and ws all the rest.
Hey, Ed F’Mann, as a man of partial Jewish heritage, it pleases me no end to advise you that it is my firm believe that you are 99.99% full of shit.
Scientists the world over are trying to determine what the other 0.01% may be.
But thank you so much for your apology – although, I have to decline. Apology not accepted.
I do wish you are great day and can only hope that you meet a horrible and painful set of circumstances in the very near future.
Then I hope that a nice, Jewish Doctor has the opportunity to save your miserable ass.
Will you turn him down because he is Jewish, Ed?
Will some folks here sit down and check their blood pressure? Have a beer, for goodness sake!
According to some here, Bush supposedly could “declare himself President for the duration, suspend voting or declare Martial law He could he if he desired though and may if the conditions become ripe.” W-dog’s words, but a sentiment expressed by others.
P-lease.
This is tin-foil tripe of the silliest kind. Can you imagine ANY reasonably conceivable scenario where that is remotely possible? I sat here and tried. I can’t.
A 9/11-type attack? Not a chance.
A war with Iran (God, I hope not)? Nope.
A “48 Hours” type suitcase nuke, perhaps more than one? Martial law, perhaps. In the effected areas, it might be for a time necessary. But suspending of elections? Nah. Even at the height of the Civil War, in circumstances far more dire than these, we had elections.
A general nuclear exchange? Maybe; but there are plans in place (Cold War era) for orderly transfer of power even in just such a circumstance. And the likelihood of a general nuclear exchange is miniscule, at best.
No, this kind of speculation is honest-to-god tinfoil hat stuff. Worse, it plays into the “Bush as Fascist” nonsense.
I would have thought W-dog is smarter than that. JR generally is, but then JR tends to believe that EVERYTHING is a crisis, and the sky is always falling.
Get a grip, folks. Worry about real issues, rather than blather on about speculative nonsense.
And WS -
We’ve found something else we agree on. Ed’s a racist piece, and full of it. You can fill in the rest. And I’ll spot you the remaining .01%.
Truth be told, the various scenarios that WE bloggers have brought up regarding possible attacks at home and abroad are very real possibilities.These will not however deter the ending of the Presidency of GW Bush in January of 2009.Truth be told, such scenarios would however guarantee the election any of the current anti-war candidates to be impossible.
Bush is a terrible President. He shouldn’t have been elected in the first place, but people did elect him.
Now that being said. I don’t think he will bring down the country like leftist say he will. His stance against terrorist is pretty admirable. His tax cuts were good, but his spending is a wreck.
His leadership skills suck. His public speaking isn’t persausive. Many of his selected personnel for various post are patronaged. His lack of understanding the critical issues people care about, such as illegal immigration, energy cost, health care cost is a huge hamper. His knowledge on foriegn affairs is a bit misguided.
He isn’t very competent.
Hey Clark, Does your mother know that you’re playing with her computer again?
My mother died in 1958, F’Mann, but thanks for asking.
Bush is the absolute worst President in my life (I was born when Ike was Prez) and one of the worst in history. I think only Hoover was worse. The sooner he is gone the better. Anybody would be better. Until then his ability for further damage must be limited by Congress.
You guys all need to cool it with the anti Jew stuff. Like many people I have issues with Israel and with AIPAC. In fact I think both are responsible for lots of trouble in the world. But you cannot blame all the Jews for that. Did you know that the Jews in the USA are among the most charitable and giving people?. My doctor is a Jew and he has no problem treating me- a Christian nor would he have any problem treating a Muslim. Not all Jews think alike. Get to know some before you bash them.
Kev – very well said. We must separate our political views on Israel/AIPAC/CUFI from Judaism per se. Locally, the Synagogues have traditionally ‘taken over’ things like meals on wheels at Christmas to allow Christians who volunteer there to take the day off with their families.
I still remember the dark days back down your way when the Atlanta Synagogue was bombed (KKK). Let’s hope our political differences never get to that.
And don’t forget – Jesus was a Jew.
PS – among my fellow environmental activists I count Christian, Jew, Muslim, and many others. We are more alike than we are different.
Shalom, salaam, peace …
Here’s what set-off the crackpot Zionists on this blog.
Right way it’s attack the messenger and not the rotten things…
“Tracy
Most American Jews want nothing to do with Zionist-Israel and all the trouble they cause. It gives the American Jews a bad name, and they catch a lot of the heat for all the rotten things which the Zionist-Jews are doing in the Middle East.
Posted by: Ed Friedemann | February 09, 2007 at 02:39 PM”
“I think only Hoover was worse.”
A better case could be made for Buchanan or Carter (20% interest rate?)
“Anybody would be better.”
Don’t exaggerate or nothing.
The highest open-market interest rates occurred under Reagan, not Carter. The jacked-up bank posted prime was bogus; lawsuits subsequent to the period revealed many ’sub-prime’ loans being made. Since the Prime is supposed to be the lowest rate for most credit-worthy that showed it to be bogus.
Not even Hoover was worse than Bush 2.
Not only is Bush the worst president but the most dangerous president ready to use atomic weapons, as he believes himself to be the messiah.
That answers the questions of why he is unable to see the obvious.
He is a delusional mental case.
We can hope that reality catches up to him before he acts out his derangement.
BDP fleet,
You FORGOT to include the answer to Schneider’s question,http://blogs.kansas.com/weblog/2007/02/george_bush_and.html#comment-60138278
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0609/18/cnr.03.html“SLOCUM: Eight-one percent of [oil companies] money goes to members of the Republican Party.”
It’s not proof… but it is very “suspicious”.
The right-wing Washington Times calls Schneider “the nation’s election-meister”. Don’t you respect Rev. Moon’s media? Why would they call a “lib” that?
I don’t really blame Carter or Reagan for the high prime or the horrible recession back then. Both were necessary “medicine” to ring rampant inflation out of the US economy. While the medicine tasted bad, it worked and inflation has been history since then. If nothing had been done, inflation would probably relegate our currency to third world status. And my fear is that we may see a return of the bad old days if the Congress does not reign in Bush’s massive spending and deficits.