AEI Scholar: ‘Bush’s Legacy May End Up Better Than You Think’
AEI Scholar: ‘Bush’s Legacy May End Up Better Than You Think’
Not only are Bush administration officials rushing out to rewrite President Bush’s legacy as a strong, capable leader, his conservative allies are beginning to jump to his defense as well. Kevin Hassett, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) — one of Bush’s favorite think tanks — has a column today for Bloomberg News in which he writes that the “argument for his [Bush's] eventual vindication is stronger than many might expect.” Hassett specifically points to Bush’s record on terrorism:
On the home front, to virtually everyone’s surprise, we’ve avoided a terrorist attack since Sept. 11. [...]
So it is hard to argue that Bush’s policies were a failure. The unpopular war may have trashed his party, but it didn’t have the same effect on the country.
Hassett acknowledges that Bush’s “accomplishments were few” on the economic front, but he says that this fact absolves Bush of any responsibility in the economic crisis:
The insignificance of Bush’s economic policy, though, might work to his advantage. We are in the midst of the worst recession of our generation, yet it is hard to attribute this crisis to anything that Bush actively did. If his large deficits produced skyrocketing interest rates that crushed the economy, then the argument that Bush caused the mess we’re in might hold water. If he was the one who deregulated the financial sector, then we could justifiably blame him for our predicament.
Similarly, Bush’s Counselor Ed Gillespie wrote a piece for RealClearPolitics yesterday titled, “Myths & Facts About the Real Bush Record.” Gillespie also tried to absolve Bush of any blame for the economic crisis, saying that “the President and his Administration have responded to aggressively” to “the current economic challenges.” But Bush’s inaction on the economy is precisely what helped throw the country into recession. Bush “ignored remarkably prescient warnings” about the collapse of the financial system and eliminated key financial checks and regulations.
As the New York Times reported recently, as early as 2006, Bush and his top advisers “dismissed warnings from people inside and outside the White House that housing prices were inflated and that a foreclosure crisis was looming. And when the economy deteriorated, Mr. Bush and his team misdiagnosed the reasons and scope of the downturn.”
In the last line of Gillespie’s piece, he writes, “And one last fact: Our homeland has not suffered another terrorist attack since September 11, 2001. That, too, is part of the real Bush record.” Matt Yglesias takes issue with Gillespie’s comment:
This is like saying that except for the Great Depression, Herbert Hoover had a good economic record. … Nine or so months later by far the largest terrorist attack on American soil was perpetrated. That’s a fantastically enormous failing. If you only look at Bush’s final seven years, you’ll see that he was as good as every other president at preventing terrorist attacks. And if you include his entire presidency, you’ll see that he was by far the worst.
Despite Hassett and Gillespie’s revisionist efforts, Americans may unfortunately find that Bush’s legacy is even worse than they think.
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“On the home front, to virtually everyone’s surprise, we’ve avoided a terrorist attack since Sept. 11″
That is taking equivocative reasoning to absurd levels.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:05 pm“On the home front, to virtually everyone’s surprise, we’ve avoided a terrorist attack since Sept. 11.”
…He just lost an entire American city to, you know… natural causes.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:07 pm. . . except 9-11, Iraq, torture, Scooter Libby, Walter Reed, Katrina, US Attorney Scandal, financial meltdown, NSA wiretapping, and the failure of the Bush tax cuts for the richest of the rich–things went pretty well.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:08 pmAfter one of the biggest government failures protecting it’s citizens, they honor Bush with preventing another attack?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:08 pmWTF?
Why does the right consistently honor failure?
And for everyone’s friggin’ information, the anthrax attack happened after 9/11.
So did the Washington DC area sniper shootings.
The “no attacks after 9/11″ ideology should be permanently put to sleep!
There is a terrorist attack in the U.S. on his watch. He gets credit for the fact that there hasn’t been another one since? Funny how that works. Truly child-like in it’s simplicity.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:09 pmOnly in the minds of conservatives….
….everyone else with more than two brain cells, not so much….
…he is the record holder for ‘Worst President Ever’…
…any future President is going to be hard pressed to beat him for that distinction.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:11 pmPSSSSSSSSSST AEI,…..BUSH IS GOING TO BE HANGING FROM A ROPE THIS TIME NEXT YEAR…..AND YOU AND YOURS MIGHT JUST BE TOO.
RIGHT THAT IN YOUR HISTORY BOOKS.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:11 pmMaybe “our” homeland hasn’t suffered another attack since 9/11. That’s little consolation to the other countries that suffered attacks, such as Madrid, London, Bali and Mumbai. Bush did a fine job of stirring up the pot of hatred around the world and as for this economic recession, Bush did his best in making sure his buddies got their share of the taxpayers money. These talking heads that are trying to improve Bush’s image won’t have a lasting effect because history will show Bush as a failure. He will be blamed for everything because it is the simple truth.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:13 pm“The unpopular war may have trashed his party, but it didn’t have the same effect on the country.”
We haven’t even begun to feel the effects of the new entire generation of “terrorists” Bush’s war has created.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:13 pmSorry for the OT, but BREAKING NEWS: Bush has issued 19 pardons; Scooter is not among them.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pmI love the “We haven’t been attacked again ” mime I always think if I am a terrorist I am nothing to get all worked up about going to the US when I’ve had 150 thousand warm bodies served up right next door. Like staying in a hotel why put on your pants to go to the coffee shop when you can have it sent up
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pmI have no doubt that Bush’s legacy is going to better than I think. History will probably find one thing he did well. I haven’t. When you are at zero, one is much better.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:18 pm“Bush’s Legacy May End Up Better Than You Think”
~AEI Scholar
This is the reason why I believe the expression “AEI scholar” is an absolute oxymoron. With emphasis on ‘moron’.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pmOne of the reasons we HAVEN’T had another terrorist attack of the same magnitude as 9/11 is because the terrorists see what a great job we are doing of destroying our own country. Bushco has played right into the hands of Al Qaeda and other hate groups by instigating an unpopular war, destroying our own freedoms, and trashing our own economy. Nothing the terrorists could do would exceed the damage we are doing to ourselves.
Hassett is dreaming if he thinks that the “unpopular” war hasn’t had a negative impact on the country. It’s stretching our military to the breaking point, it’s driving our national debt up past 10 trillion dollars, it has snuffed out 4,100+ more American lives, and it’s served as a recruiting tool that has exceeded the wildest dreams of terrorist groups.
Bush 43. Worst. Ever.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pmYeah, until such time as a Sarin gas attack in the New York subway, or a nuclear detonation in L.A. is tracked back to an independent Al Qaeda cell which was formed as a response to Bush’ unwarranted destruction of Iraq…
Then Bush’ record on terrorism will truly shine through.
(Although, frankly, I believe it’s far more likely that a WMD-based terrorist attack on U.S. soil will come from a purely domestic source, viz. a Christian Fundamentalist group; that’s what happened in Oklahoma City and at the Atlanta Olympics — They are far more likely to have access to WMDs, since they have already completely infiltrated the U.S. military, which holds the largest stockpiles of such weapons in the world).
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pmIf you’re going to give him credit for a lack of further attacks on U.S. soil, then you’ll have to show any plots that were actually prevented. You’d think that if they did stop a terrorist plot, they’d trumpet it to the skies, not only to make them look good but to raise awareness and enhance security. But no. They’ve got nothing.
Bush failed to prevent 9/11.
If you get to pick and choose, then one may as well point out that Bush pardoned a Thanksgiving turkey this year. Exclude everything else as having nothing to do with him, so that one act of humane kindness amounts to a positive legacy. Clearly, such a method of cherry-picking is ridiculous.
The President is responsible for the state of the nation during his Presidency. The state of the nation during the Bush Presidency is the worst it could have possibly been. He did nothing right whatsoever, and there’s an endless litany of things that he intentionally made worse.
That’s the story that history will tell, because the more we find out, the clearer it becomes that the Bush Administration was both evil and incompetent to previously unimaginable degrees.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pmwiley,
thats because it was Bill Clinton’s fault. So is/was the economy, katrina, cheney’s hemmorhoids, the bad weather….blah, blah, blah, blah
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:19 pmUm… Anthrax. I seem to remember that all happening after 9/11. I suppose by “scholar” maybe you meant “idjit”?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:21 pmIf you want to play along in this fantasy land, you’d have to recognize that under Clinton there were 2 pretty major terrorist attacks on American soil. So, you can’t say that Clinton was better than Bush at preventing terrorist attacks. Again, this only applies in the fantasy world of presidents preventing terrorist attacks all day.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:23 pmWhy would terrorists even bother to launch another attack on US soil? I mean, Bush lost an entire city from failing infrastructures. Bush has let levees collapse, and bridges collapse. How could al-Qaeda top watching us destroying ourselves through neglecting our own needs?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:23 pmThese clowns at AEI apparently have a “glass half full” perspective on dummya. personally, i think in the future when historians study this era, they will puzzle over why the American people allowed this assclown to be appointed.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:24 pmHeh. Jumbo Shrimp strikes again!!!
(as in oxymoron)
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:27 pmI got drunk and let my car crash into a family of 4. I got arrested, but that’s totally unfair because I went out driving the next day and didn’t hit anybody. In fact I haven’t hit anybody since… So, it’s like it never happened, right?
wtf
This has got to be meant for self-justification for their terrible policies that Bush implemented because they couldn’t possibly think that anyone else would buy this.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:28 pmThis is the way the U.S. ends
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:30 pmNot with a bang of a terrorist but a whimper of a president.
“So, you can’t say that Clinton was better than Bush at preventing terrorist attacks.”
No, but you could most certainly say that he was much better at hunting down and prosecuting those responsible. What did Bush get us… A driver?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:31 pmPLC,
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:32 pmLove “The Stand” references!
Love it!
Bin Laden has stated his belief that just as the Russian occupation of Afghanistan bled the USSR into collapse the neocon overreaction to September 11 will do the same to the US. Having the goaded the initial US response Osama must have been overjoyed to see the US attack an enemy of al qaeda with no connection to September 11 thus dissipating the global sympathy for the US that followed 9/11. Crediting Bush with “preventing” another attack on US soil, in addition to being factually incorrect (anthrax anyone?) is irrelevant to the damage Bush policies have done to te security of the country and the world.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:33 pm“So, you can’t say that Clinton was better than Bush at preventing terrorist attacks.”
no but, i could make the case the rapukelican controlled congress at the time was more interested in a blowjob than keeping this country safe. anyone remember “wag the dog”?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:34 pmThey must be hallucinating — how can the man who, with his team, nearly brought down the United States, its democratic government, its Constitution, its economy, its military, and its middle class not be among the worst presidents this nation has ever endured? If the AEI people don’t think so, what in the world would constitute a failed presidency? A stained blue dress?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:36 pmIn order to take credit for no terrorist attacks since 911, logic suggests he should then take blame for allowing 911 to happen to begin with. But as anything that can be blamed on this administration, katrina, 911, the recession, etc, etc. Bush passes the buck to “someone over there”. This guy never takes responsibility for any of his actions, no personal responsibility at all, everything is always someone else’s fault.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:37 pmThey continue to delude themselves into 9/11 not happening on Bush’s watch — they continue to tout that there have not been any attacks since then — as if that wasn’t the worst case example of total incompetence and failure.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:38 pmDRxJ, I hate to disappoint but I was actually thinking directly to “The Hollow Men” by t.s. elliot, not “The Stand” and that’s the only line I remember from the poem.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:39 pmHis legacy would have to end up better than I think because I think it was total SH!T!!! Then again, maybe not.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:39 pmHad The Chimperor been president in the 1940’s, he would have attacked Korea for the Pearl Harbor “surprise”, and then declared victory as our troops were hitting the beach in Normandy.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:42 pmTheresa Says
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Sorry for the OT, but BREAKING NEWS: Bush has issued 19 pardons; Scooter is not among them.
__________________________________________________________
It’s still too early for that. If Bush is going to pardon anybody even remotely connected to his administration, or even anyone that he’s ever had contact with, he’s going to do it on the morning of January 20.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:47 pmI enjoy the reference to “scholar”. There are a lot of people that can’t chew gum and think at the same time. Many are “scholars”. A subjective viewpoint can be a dangerous weapon when driven by ego and award.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:52 pmThe republicans are the victims, the liberals are the cause. Just listen to Lush/Weiner/Scam Hannity for 10 minutes and this is what they peddle. Zero responsibilty.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:52 pmWhy do these clowns keep trying to bullshit the whole world?
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:55 pmOn the home front, to virtually everyone’s surprise, we’ve avoided a terrorist attack since Sept. 11. […]
____
Did the bush/cheney administration take office on Sept 12, 2001?
I didn’t think so. So much for the “keeping us safe” argument.
December 23rd, 2008 at 3:56 pmHey GDumbya here’s your legacy, we are now in the midst of the longest recession in a quarter century. A recession that you still do not have the courage to take credit for.
Thanks for the loss of income Chimpy. That’s your legacy, millions of Americans continue to suffer because of you.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:02 pmWe weren’t attacked for 225 years until George W. Bush took office.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:03 pmThe US does not have a HOMELAND. nazi germany had a homeland. communist russia had a homeland. Palestine is trying to develop a homeland.
The US has a country – not a homeland. Why must the ’smart’ amoungst us always tie our identity to a failed state? Why do we appoint ‘Czar’s’? Why the need to attach our nation to terms used by a failed one?
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:03 pmOK, all you NeoClowns and AEI enthusiasts, hold your breath. That’s right. Hold it. Hold it. OK, you’re turning purple and BushitCo legacy still in the shitter, but keep on holding your breath waiting for his legacy to wind up better. Keep holding………..
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:05 pm“The insignificance of Bush’s economic policy, though, might work to his advantage. We are in the midst of the worst recession of our generation, yet it is hard to attribute this crisis to anything that Bush actively did.”
Benign neglect must not and can not be allowed a positive spin.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:08 pmThese guys dont believe this idiocy. They are starting the rewriting of history early. They will just keep repeating this meme until we are sick of hearing it and stop laughing at it then it will eventually become conventional wisdom. We need to keep laughing and keep denying it and keep countering it with the ACTUAL record. Lets not get worn down on this one
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:10 pmYes you can:
Bill Clinton developed the nation’s first anti-terrorism policy, and appointed first national coordinator of anti-terrorist efforts.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:13 pm# Bill Clinton stopped cold the Al Qaeda millennium hijacking and bombing plots.
# Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to kill the Pope.
# Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up 12 U.S. jetliners simultaneously.
# Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up UN Headquarters.
# Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up FBI Headquarters.
# Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
# Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up Boston airport.
# Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up Lincoln and Holland Tunnels in NY.
# Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up the George Washington Bridge.
# Bill Clinton stopped cold a planned attack to blow up the US Embassy in Albania.
# Bill Clinton tried to kill Osama bin Laden and disrupt Al Qaeda through preemptive strikes (efforts denounced by the G.O.P.).
# Bill Clinton brought perpetrators of first World Trade Center bombing and CIA killings to justice.
# Bill Clinton did not blame the Bush I administration for first World Trade Center bombing even though it occurred 38 days after Bush left office. Instead, worked hard, even obsessively — and successfully — to stop future terrorist attacks.
# Bill Clinton named the Hart-Rudman commission to report on nature of terrorist threats and major steps to be taken to combat terrorism.
# Bill Clinton sent legislation to Congress to tighten airport security. (Remember, this is before 911) The legislation was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the airlines.
# Bill Clinton sent legislation to Congress to allow for better tracking of terrorist funding. It was defeated by Republicans in the Senate because of opposition from banking interests.
# Bill Clinton sent legislation to Congress to add tagents to explosives, to allow for better tracking of explosives used by terrorists. It was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the NRA.
# Bill Clinton increased the military budget by an average of 14 per cent, reversing the trend under Bush I.
# Bill Clinton tripled the budget of the FBI for counterterrorism and doubled overall funding for counterterrorism.
# Bill Clinton detected and destroyed cells of Al Qaeda in over 20 countries.
# Bill Clinton created national stockpile of drugs and vaccines including 40 million doses of smallpox vaccine.
# Of Clinton’s efforts says Robert Oakley, Reagan Ambassador for Counterterrorism: “Overall, I give them very high marks” and “The only major criticism I have is the obsession with Osama”.
# Paul Bremer, current Civilian Administrator of Iraq disagrees slightly with Robert Oakley as he believed the Bill Clinton Administration had “correctly focused on bin Laden.
# Barton Gellman in the Washington Post put it best, “By any measure available, Bill Clinton left office having given greater priority to terrorism than any president before him” and was the “first administration to undertake a systematic anti-terrorist effort”.
http://liberalslikechrist.org/about/clinton.html
Interesting that you bring that up. If I were you I’d do some research into the 1993 WTC bombing and who it was that cooked the bomb and replaced the fake bomb (it was part of a sting) with a real bomb. I’d look into the OKC bombing and who was involved in cooking up the bomb and setting the target, changing it from a nighttime attack to a daytime attack on people. I’d look into Eric Holder’s role in covering up certain things about the bombing, and covered up how the FBI, oh, tortured and murdered a few people in cases of mistaken identity.
Or we can live in a fantasy world where presidents chase down evil terrorists and bring them to justice with truth and the American way.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:14 pmAnd let’s not forget, that our dear “legacy” leader sat in a classroom full of children, during the onset of attacks, and
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:16 pmDID NOTHING for 7 full minutes. Thus endangering their lives.
Yeah. Nice friggin’ legacy.
little known fact: ive been leading a 1 man effort funded with my own resources aimed at protecting the entire world from an asteroid bombardment and its been a total success. dont want to give me any credit? have we been hit by any asteroids?!?!?
of course this should always be posted in response to these idiots as well.
Homer: Not a bear in sight. The Bear Patrol must be working like a charm.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:17 pmLisa: That’s specious reasoning, Dad.
Homer: Thank you, dear.
Lisa: By your logic I could claim that this rock keeps tigers away.
Homer: Oh, how does it work?
Lisa: It doesn’t work.
Homer: Uh-huh.
Lisa: It’s just a stupid rock.
Homer: Uh-huh.
Lisa: But I don’t see any tigers around, do you?
[Homer thinks of this, then pulls out some money]
Homer: Lisa, I want to buy your rock.
Perry logan,
Bill Clinton did none of these things. Perhaps, if we believe them, and take people like the FBI and other federal agencies at their word, people that work in these agencies did this.
But of course, Bill Clinton is not a lying philandering piece of sleaze politician. He’s a true American patriot hero.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:17 pmSo, except for the shooting, what did you think of the play, Mrs. Lincoln?
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:17 pmIf history is accurate, it will record the abysmal failure that led the bush administration to totally ignore
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:17 pmthe clear warnings and signals that indicated an attack exactly like 9/11 was about to be carried out.
This has been the ‘no one could have known’ administration.
No one could have anticipated they would hijack airplanes and fly them into buildings.
No one could have known the levees would break.
No one could foresee the financial meltdown.
That’s the legacy of the bush administration. Admitting stupidity while avoiding responsibility; because someone should have known.
They knew, and they did nothing.
Hoenstly, what do you expect Bush, neocons and the far-right to say?
This is soley an attempt to lessen the impact of labeling G.W. Bush the “worse” president in U.S. history.
Regardless, The 9/11 TERRORIST ATTACK happened on G.W.s watch…….and history (present and future) will not be kind to this man or the incompetency of his presidency.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:20 pmHis appointments, with his mandate, ignored and destroyed regulations put in place to keep this from happening…..it doesn’t get much more attributable than that.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:20 pmAEI? Who cares what the biggest pack of traitors in America think? Shouldn’t they be in jail? Maybe a concentration camp?
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:20 pmWe weren’t attacked for 225 years until George W. Bush took office.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:21 pmThe war of 1812!
Pearl Harbor!
WTC 1992
You heard it here first..
Kevin Hassett joins Saturday Night Live’s writing staff for 2009 season.
-AF
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:21 pmAndrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
AEI has scholars?
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:24 pmI’m out of here for a few days. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, & season’s greetings to all. (:-D)
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:27 pmlokidog Says:
Had The Chimperor been president in the 1940’s, he would have attacked Korea for the Pearl Harbor “surprise”, and then declared victory as our troops were hitting the beach in Normandy.
Beg to differ, had Shrub been president in the 40s, we would now be speaking Japanese or German.
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:29 pm9/11 happened on Bush’s watch. Katrina happened on Bush’s watch. The economy’s crash happened on Bush’s watch.
On ship the “Watch Commander” would be court-marshaled. Instead we put him to pasture, like a Hoover.
How can you spin his legacy when people use his name as a dirty word? “You are a Bush manager!” or “You lie like a Cheney!”
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:44 pmThe spoilled bratt’s legacy may end up better than we think if, and only if, it starts with a prossecution for WAR CRIMES! Obama, the world is watching and waiting!Accountability!!!! Universal Accountability!!!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:45 pmAs per 9/11, I haven’t seen any
that is
an
!
December 23rd, 2008 at 4:47 pmHey, the FBI has still not seen any evidence that Osama bin Laden was involved in the 9/11 attacks. Bush blocked an investigation. He would only testify to the commission with Cheney, secretly, with no notes taken, and no oath. WTF! Later he said in a press conference, something to the effect that Now they understand how we do things at the White House.
Indeed.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:13 pmIt’s all about BRAND, baby!
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:16 pmAlejandro,
will do… except, do you have any credible links? all i can find are alex jones (proven to provide misinformation).
“Or we can live in a fantasy world where presidents chase down evil terrorists”
Obviously it’s not them personally… you do know that that’s not what any of us are saying or expecting, right?
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:22 pmRe the Bush legacy: Even a dried up, dusty, ancient, old turd is still a turd.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:33 pmThose that control the information can make it seem any way that they like, but the people know. Just like you cannot unwrite what happened in New Orleans or with the economy, those who lived it know the truth.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:33 pm“AEI scholar”? Isn’t that a contradiction in
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:38 pmterms,like “Madoff’s integrity”, “Dubya’s
intelligence”, or “Cheney’s humility”?
Kevin Hassett says: On the home front, to virtually everyone’s surprise, we’ve avoided a terrorist attack since Sept. 11.
Obviously Kevin Hassett and any other moron who believes this is solely because of the Bush administrations war on terror, the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan all have their heads up their a$$es!
The fact of the matter is that Osama Bin Laden threaten the US of more attacks within our country if our military presence remained in Saudi Arabia. Bush appeased Bin Laden by quitely removing our military from Saudi Arabian soil.
December 23rd, 2008 at 5:52 pmOur marines had Bin Ladens location pinned down in the mountains of Tora Bora but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld inexplicably called off the hounds! Now why would he do that?
Because if we had captured or killed Bin Laden, the Bushites would have a hard time selling the planned war with Iraq to congress and the American people.
Just think, 4000+ US soldiers lives and the lives of hundreds of thousand innocent Iraqi citizens along with billions upon billions of dollars could have been saved if Rumsfeld had not called off the marines that day.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:00 pmWasn’t Bin Laden’s stated plan in attacking us to get us to completely trash our own economy? As a measure of Bush’s response to terrorism, all we have to do is check – how’s the economy doing?
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:08 pm#47: that list is awesome, thanks.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:13 pmIt’s obscene that as so many people face the terror of joblessness and homelessness that all these nitwits are carrying on and on and on about George Bush’s legacy.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:13 pmLet’s take two extremes and then place our bet on which one is more likely. One extreme is that Bush will be viewed as a better president in thirty years than he is now. The second extreme is that he will be tried for war crimes and be executed (hung by the neck until dead, preferably with Cheney as a counter weight).
Which extreme do you think is more likely. Taking these extremes in the order presented, there is a less than zero chance that Bush’s record will improve once his horrible, horrible presidency ends. So, that leaves a 100% chance that he will be tried for war crimes and with luck; well use your imagination.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:16 pmI think Bush’s legacy will be worst President ever. What does AEI think…better than James Buchanan.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:40 pmThe usual b.s. And one thing in particular galls me. The claim that we haven’t been attacked since Sept. 11, 2001 (seven years now). First of all, there also wasn’t an attack on the World Trade Center or another major terrorist attack on the U.S. between early 1993 and Sept. 11, 2001. I count that as 8 years. Guess the Clinton administration was doing something to keep us safe as well…or not? And come on….what about the anthrax attacks (blamed on, frankly, probably an innocent man). And not IN the U.S., but all the other terrorist attacks…Spain, England, India, etc. …oh yes…and in Iraq and Afghanistan.
And this: We are in the midst of the worst recession of our generation, yet it is hard to attribute this crisis to anything that Bush actively did
He and those with his mindset didn’t have to do anything actively….these were sins of omission. Failure to regulate.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:44 pmTypical Republicans refusing to let their boy take responsibility for his disgraceful stint as President. I don’t think most of these guys even believe their own bullshit either.
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:55 pmTrash Heap of History.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:17 pmBush legacy, AEI polesuckers.
Say that after the United Nations trial for the Bush Administration on War Crimes. Now say what you want facts don’t change and with Cheney running off at the mouth and all those involved who will sing rather then to go to jail. Bush Legacy isn’t finished yet. The Shoe Man was just the beginning of the nightmare and Justice to come.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:28 pmAEI is a gang of NeoNazi NeoCons, who praise the Criminal Bush! The Criminal Bush’s legacy will end up worst then you think.
December 23rd, 2008 at 7:57 pmIllegal war, pathological lying, destruction of the Constitution, skyrocketing debt, war profiteering, treaty-breaking, plunging economy, wasted budget surplus, environmental plunder, ruined world relations and one of the most scandal-ridden administrations since Grant place bush at the pinnacle of absolute miserability.
bush will place at the bottom of the pit, when the presidential scholars get around to rating him.
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 pmAnd this coming from this right wing think tank. Well they are not really a think tank. They only think they are. But much if not all that this administration has done, has been suggested and approved by these mindless misfits.
I’ll will take my own judgment instead of theirs. And I will take the judgment of the dozens of scholars that have not had to wait for judgment. When something stinks, it stinks. And removing yourself the mess makes no difference. It still smells to high heaven.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:04 pmAfter chimpy’s disastrous response to 9/11, further attacks weren’t needed. Bush has done damage to our nation OBL could only have dreamed of.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:12 pm“We are in the midst of the worst recession of our generation, yet it is hard to attribute this crisis to anything that Bush actively did.” Duh.
Bush is directly responsible for the current economic disaster. Look at the planning Obama is doing so he can ‘hit the ground running’ to rebuild the economy. Where was Bush when the economy was deconstructing? What a complete failure of an economy under Bush, and the gall to try to exonerate him.
December 23rd, 2008 at 9:57 pmOn the home front, to virtually everyone’s surprise, we’ve avoided a terrorist attack since Sept. 11. […]
That’s a repug way of looking at reality.
OR
We didn’t have a foreign “terror” attack until chimpy’s ass became prez.
OR
These attacks could have been easily avoided if chimpy ass played prez instead of golf.
Now the above two are realities.
What repugs are doing now is playing chimpy’s fluffer.
chimpy’s history will be written with thousands of footnotes listing references to the truth.
chimpy history will mock you. The world mocks you…the shoes mock you.
December 24th, 2008 at 2:46 amTrust me, the historical record will not be kind to Bush. After all, he’s earned it.
December 24th, 2008 at 9:28 amYeah, that’s “Dow 36000″ Kevin Hassett talking. What a freakin’ joke.
December 24th, 2008 at 9:45 am“On the home front, to virtually everyone’s surprise, we’ve avoided a terrorist attack since Sept. 11″, because that`s all they needed, everything that has gone on since is the SHRUBS legacy and it cannot be SUGAR coated.So between his inuaguration and Sept 11th he had a good rating and that`s about it in my mind!!!!!!
December 24th, 2008 at 2:44 pmWe lost the world trade center. Bush didn’t keep us safe. When these a-holes say he kept us safe they are LYING.
Bush’s Legacy is the Worst. President. Ever. Period.
December 24th, 2008 at 8:07 pmYeah, it’s been a huge effort recently. Every GOP Paid moron outlet I can find is talking about how Bush and Cheney are actually great successes… sorry, but the people that would be fooled by this don’t require the effort.
December 25th, 2008 at 9:53 pm