In last week’s farewell press conference, President George W. Bush acknowledged a few mistakes during his tenure. But Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative National Review, has 10 more for him to ponder: Not getting Congress to buy in to his detention policy right after Sept. 11. An ineffective management style that lacked accountability. Not replacing CIA Director George Tenet after Sept. 11. Deferring to generals. Not taking charge during Katrina. Being too accommodating of the GOP Congress. Not reading enough history. Refusing to settle internal fights within his administration. Underestimating the power of explanation. Ignoring health care reform too long. “Oddly enough for a president denounced as an executive monster by his perfervid critics,” Lowry writes, “many of Bush’s mistakes involve not being active enough or taking a stronger hand.”
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35 Comments
Oh sure, the liberals at the liberal National Review are unfairly criticizing Bush. Bush addressed Katrina and bravely made the right decision. Some would have wanted him to land his plane in New Orleans but he’s the decider and bravely chose to land in Baton Rouge. That’s the decisions a true leader makes. What would have Gore done? Sat by on vacation with McCain playing a guitar while New Orleans drowns?
Bush, you did heckuva job, nothing to complain about. As Ann Coulter says, history will judge you right.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/SNLs_Weekend_Update_mocks_Ann_Coulter_0118.html
The “MBA President” ran the government exactly the way the executives ran Enron, Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, AIG, et al…
Or how that guy ran Arbusto, who was that?
Is that the same National Review that threw all sorts of support towards Bush and defended his every move(ment). The headline shouldn’t say “where Bush went wrong”, it should say ‘Where CONSERVATIVES went wrong”. He didn’t do any of this alone.
Too active and not active enough – the Bush residency. It was a sad sight to watch.
It appears it was more important to the Eagle Editors to bash Bush that put a thread about Martin Luther King, Jr. on MLK day.
Interesting how the msm ignores anything positive done by the Bush administration. Like the billions spent on AIDS research and providing medicines in Africa. By one estimate, those actions have saved millions of lives–possibly as many as 10 million.
But..that gets ignored.
Fairness is obviously not an American trait anymore.
“Regular” snarks –
“It appears it was more important to the Eagle Editors to bash Bush that put a thread about Martin Luther King, Jr. on MLK day.”
You’re perfectly (well, not “perfectly,” given your brain damage) capable of trashing Martin Luther King over on the Open Thread. Have at it, “Regular!”
Bush has ruined the USA. He came to office during peace time with a budget surplus and a booming economy. He left us in two wars with a budget deficit and a depression. He is a failure. He did not follow Ronald Reagan’s conservatism and ruined my Republican party.
Raptor: We are not alone in suppling HIV monies/aid in Africa, but where we are unique is that our monies are tied to abstainence only programs as the only way to prevent the spread of HIV, and that program is run by evangelicals. Save for high risk areas like protitution no money can be spent on prevention amongst consenting lovers, such as condoms, nor is family planning permitted to be taught.The monies you describe is a continuation of a committment of some standing not a new dedication. We used to contribute $5.4 billion, Bush raising it to $6 billion which is an inflation adjustment only, so it wasn’t a burst of generosity but maintaining the status quo. Bush has undone much of the work by the UN by dictating that condoms may not be used and if they were used/supplied/distributed in prevention the spread of HIV, that country had some funds cut off. Having said that almost 1 million African now live with a “chronic condition” rather than a death sentence by reason of drugs the international community has supplied of which Americe tops the list, and has done so all along.
“Kansas values” Regular hates environmentalists, and hates the idea of a more sustainable lifestyle on our Earth.
And Regular loves to take quotes out of context.
Maggotpunk posted January 19, 2009 at 6:24 am
Or how that guy ran Arbusto, who was that?
—————
Wasn’t he nic-named ‘You are busto!’ back then, for nearly bankrupting that company?
So in Africa, bush succeeded spending more money, less effectively, that’s the story of his admin.
Looks like there’s no love lost around the world, either.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090119/pl_nm/us_bush_world_editorials_4
This is a guy who said his greatest accomplishment as president was catching a fish
I think Bush first showed he was in trouble when he picked Cheney, assuming that was his decision. From that point on, they were headed towards the Dark Ages , and probably beyond.
BUSH’S SECRET NAME REVEALED!!
“We call him Whistlefoot. He’s shot himself in the foot so many time, when the wind really blows , he sounds like a cross between a calliope and a screaming banshee! On his last day in office ,it can be told “, a Secret Service source revealed.
Where Bush went wrong was in assuming he could lie to the American public and get away with it. Again and again!
Bush’s first mistake was running for office, any office.
His second mistake was serving in office.
He would have been a lot happier owning the Texas Rangers and playing golf.
So would the rest of the world have been . . .
CapnAmerica posted January 19, 2009 at 11:58 am
He would have been a lot happier owning the Texas Rangers and playing golf.
So would the rest of the world have been . . .
—————-
Yes, those were much happier days for him, and the world. . .
http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/georgewbush/ig/100-Bush-Pictures/Bush-Nose-Pick.htm
I figure Shrub would have run the Texas Rangers into the ground on the level of the Cleveland Spiders.
He traded away Sammy Sosa to Chicago, after all.
He’s got the reverse Midas touch: Everything he touches turns to s#it.
Where bush went wrong was being born of third base, and assuming he’d hit a triple.
I read the article by Rich Lowry that provides the lead-in for this thread, and think it is mostly arm-chair quarterback b/s. There are always things that, in hindsight, could have be done differently.
The only thing with merit in Lowry’s article for which Bush should count as a mistake is this:
“Underestimating the power of explanation. By temperament and ability, Bush was more a “decider” than a “persuader.” He’s not naturally drawn to public argument, giving his administration its unfortunate (and not entirely fair) “my way or the highway” reputation at home and abroad.”
There is really no excuse for failing to communicate, especially in a high-level leadership position.
CapnAmerica posted January 19, 2009 at 11:58 am
“He would have been a lot happier owning the Texas Rangers and playing golf.
So would the rest of the world have been . . .”
_______________________________________________________
There you go with that “Yoda-speak”…”So would the rest of the world have been . . .”
c_o and Capn – a match made in AGW.
He was just a decider who made poor misguided decisions. And, once made was irdetractible in his wisdom.
Bush will not be remembered as a President for the people, but as a lackey for Big Business, and other special interests.
Here’s a yahoo poll on rating bush’s presidency. Looks like 51% saying he’s a failure.
http://post.polls.yahoo.com/quiz/quizresults.php
I think this one will let you vote and view results on bush the failure.
http://js.polls.yahoo.com/quiz/quiziframe.php?poll_id=40748
Israel to pull out by Obama’s inaugaration, I knew they were taking advantage of a bush freebie.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090119/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_palestinians_842
Eight Years in eight minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtnE4C9Gv5U
Hard to gloss over that record!
gster
Posted January 19, 2009 at 11:11 am | Permalink
BUSH’S SECRET NAME REVEALED!!
“We call him Whistlefoot. He’s shot himself in the foot so many time, when the wind really blows , he sounds like a cross between a calliope and a screaming banshee! On his last day in office ,it can be told “, a Secret Service source revealed.
—
LOL
brian_nuevo
Posted January 19, 2009 at 1:07 pm | Permalink
I read the article by Rich Lowry that provides the lead-in for this thread, and think it is mostly arm-chair quarterback b/s. There are always things that, in hindsight, could have be done differently.
The only thing with merit in Lowry’s article for which Bush should count as a mistake is this:
“Underestimating the power of explanation. By temperament and ability, Bush was more a “decider” than a “persuader.” He’s not naturally drawn to public argument, giving his administration its unfortunate (and not entirely fair) “my way or the highway” reputation at home and abroad.”
There is really no excuse for failing to communicate, especially in a high-level leadership position.
—
Really great point, that there is no excuse for failing to communicate. And you’re right: especially as POTUS.
There have probably been ten gazillion PhD’s theses written since political scientist Richard Neustadt first asserted in 1960 that “the power of the presidency is the power to persuade.” I bet no more than 0.001% of those theses disagree with Neustadt’s conclusion in his 1960 book, Presidential Power, either.
“The power of the presidency is the power to persuade.”
Duh.
The president relies on moral suasion as the source of his real power. Those presidents who were most effective since 1960 – JFK and Reagan, for example – had a talent for moral suasion in spades.
I’m sure Bush would be incapable of reading a PhD thesis, much less producing one, but I don’t really feel like I’m out on a limb when I say you can include Augustus Stupidus in that 0.001% anyway.
You’re right, brian: there’s no excuse for it. If the POTUS does fail to communicate, you can bet your bottom dollar he will be ineffective in office…and not much loved, either.
On where President Bush went wrong with Katrina Joe Scarborough stated it very well.
By Scarborough’s own admission he defends Bush every chance he has. But where Bush failed was this: “the response of the locals, Mayor and Governor was miserable at best. People were dying and abandoned for too long. But where George Bush failed was he is the President of the United States and seeing the failure of the locals he should have acted sooner. It took fourteen days for him to kick in, making excuses like people were throwing rocks at the responders and threatening them so they could not get in there. Now from day one the reporters made it to everywhere there was a story. Scarborough and his wife themselves drove from their home in Florida to New Orleans and arrived the day after Katrina hit N.O.
He saw a little girl begging for water and people wandering the streets looking for help.
AS the President he should have seen the need and stepped in since those below him were not. as the President it is his duty to act in such a failure to take action. It should have not taken fourteen days before he stepped up.”.
“many of Bush’s mistakes involve not being active enough or taking a stronger hand.”
I heard conservative criticism on NPR today that Bush used his presidential powers too often.
I tend to agree with the above writer, but also concede that Bush made all types of errors. He was very consistent that way.
Don’t forget your ceremonial flush at 11:00 a.m. CST!
Actually, Bush’s going wrong started before he was born, when he managed to get his silver spoon in the wrong end. It’s been there ever since!