What is the Bush legacy?
Assembled here are lists of the "accomplishments" for President George Walker Bush during his 7 years as president. One wonders what his Presidential Library will have as its record of accomplishments. Here's a short list:
* Increased the National debt from $5.9 Trillion to $11.5 Trillion dollars. Biggest spender in history, surprising most Conservatives.
* Devalued the dollar by 76% from Nov. 24th 2001 exchange rate was 1Euro = $0.8382 dollars. Now Nov. 20, 2007 1 Euro = 1.4787 Dollars
* Unemployment rate at the beginning of this Bush's term was 4.0% and at the end of his term it is projected to be 5.0%
* Price of Oil has gone from $22/barrel to $98/barrel. Secretive Energy Policy meeting between VP Cheney and a few select corporate heads, which are still secret today.
* U.S. Military was whole at the end of the Clinton Presidency. Now it is fundamentally broken.
* We had not been attacked on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor 1942. Sept. 11th, 2001 was on the Bush watch and during the first 6 months of his Presidency was warned by Richard Clarke and others about pending attacks on the U.S. by Osama Bin Laden, which were ignored.
* War with Iraq by choice.
* Scooter Libby, under the direction of Vice President Cheney, pushes a campaign to discredit Ambassador Joe Wilson and expose his wife Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA undercover agent. It has now been confirmed by Scott McClelland that President Bush was a part of the cover-up when he told Scott to lie to the public in Press Briefings on the matter, which involved also Karl Rove. (See Scott's upcoming book when it is released in April 2008)
* First mishandling of a major natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, by FEMA and an incompetent head appointed by the President, Michael Brown.
* Allowing for the mismanagement of the Iraq war first by Administrator Paul Bremer and then by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
* An abandonment of the Middle East Peace process fro 7 out of the 8 years of his Presidency, after endorsing a 2 State solution for Israelis and Palestinians early in his presidency.
* Has abused the office of the President by having over 850 Signing statements attached to legislation he disagrees with and has instructional implications for government employees not to follow sections of the law the President disagrees with, similar to a line item veto, except many Constitutional lawyers believe it is unconstitutional.
* Approves the use of Torture for the first time in history as he defines a new term, "enemy combatants" and redefines what is and what isn't torture, which the definition has also been kept secret.
* Abu Grahib prison atrocities, shocking the world but most likely endorsed by Donald Rumsfeld and some would add clearly violations of the Geneva Convention treaty.
* Guantanamo Bay prison camp for enemy combatants and the ending of Habeas Corpus claims for those prisoners and others deemed so by the President.
* Firing of 8 U.S. Attorneys, which appears to be done for Political motives, and politicizing the Justice Dept. under Alberto Gonzales.
* Bedside visit by Alberto Gonzales and Andrew Card to get John Ashcroft to sign papers for Illegal Wiretapping while Ashcroft was in Intensive care in the hospital.
This is a good first list. With one year left in office, I am sure more will be added. I can't wait to see his Presidential Library of how he sees his own legacy. You know it will be pure fiction and be based upon one common trait he has shown for over 30 years, that of "Denial".
* Increased the National debt from $5.9 Trillion to $11.5 Trillion dollars. Biggest spender in history, surprising most Conservatives.
* Devalued the dollar by 76% from Nov. 24th 2001 exchange rate was 1Euro = $0.8382 dollars. Now Nov. 20, 2007 1 Euro = 1.4787 Dollars
* Unemployment rate at the beginning of this Bush's term was 4.0% and at the end of his term it is projected to be 5.0%
* Price of Oil has gone from $22/barrel to $98/barrel. Secretive Energy Policy meeting between VP Cheney and a few select corporate heads, which are still secret today.
* U.S. Military was whole at the end of the Clinton Presidency. Now it is fundamentally broken.
* We had not been attacked on U.S. soil since Pearl Harbor 1942. Sept. 11th, 2001 was on the Bush watch and during the first 6 months of his Presidency was warned by Richard Clarke and others about pending attacks on the U.S. by Osama Bin Laden, which were ignored.
* War with Iraq by choice.
* Scooter Libby, under the direction of Vice President Cheney, pushes a campaign to discredit Ambassador Joe Wilson and expose his wife Valerie Plame Wilson as a CIA undercover agent. It has now been confirmed by Scott McClelland that President Bush was a part of the cover-up when he told Scott to lie to the public in Press Briefings on the matter, which involved also Karl Rove. (See Scott's upcoming book when it is released in April 2008)
* First mishandling of a major natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina, by FEMA and an incompetent head appointed by the President, Michael Brown.
* Allowing for the mismanagement of the Iraq war first by Administrator Paul Bremer and then by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
* An abandonment of the Middle East Peace process fro 7 out of the 8 years of his Presidency, after endorsing a 2 State solution for Israelis and Palestinians early in his presidency.
* Has abused the office of the President by having over 850 Signing statements attached to legislation he disagrees with and has instructional implications for government employees not to follow sections of the law the President disagrees with, similar to a line item veto, except many Constitutional lawyers believe it is unconstitutional.
* Approves the use of Torture for the first time in history as he defines a new term, "enemy combatants" and redefines what is and what isn't torture, which the definition has also been kept secret.
* Abu Grahib prison atrocities, shocking the world but most likely endorsed by Donald Rumsfeld and some would add clearly violations of the Geneva Convention treaty.
* Guantanamo Bay prison camp for enemy combatants and the ending of Habeas Corpus claims for those prisoners and others deemed so by the President.
* Firing of 8 U.S. Attorneys, which appears to be done for Political motives, and politicizing the Justice Dept. under Alberto Gonzales.
* Bedside visit by Alberto Gonzales and Andrew Card to get John Ashcroft to sign papers for Illegal Wiretapping while Ashcroft was in Intensive care in the hospital.
This is a good first list. With one year left in office, I am sure more will be added. I can't wait to see his Presidential Library of how he sees his own legacy. You know it will be pure fiction and be based upon one common trait he has shown for over 30 years, that of "Denial".
Labels: legacy, President Bush, VP Cheney
posted by Charles Amico at 3:09 AM
3 Comments:
Once thing I am sure of is that this President has no concept of accountability. It would behoove Bush to follow his father and keep quiet when he leaves office. Although, I understand he wants to build a Freedom Institute. Let’s just hope we won’t see him on the world scene continuing to tout his version of freedom and democracy–one that brings death and violence to innocent civilians under the guise of liberation. I never understood using Iraq as a battle ground to fight terrorist so that we don’t have to fight them at home. I’m sure the Iraqis appreciate Americans using their country for war games. Let’s just hope that disenchanted refugees from our misadventure in Iraq don’t show up on our soil seeking to pay us back for our gift of liberation.
Charles,
You've nailed it again.
Sadly though this is not just Bush's legacy but the legacy of the American people who allowed this to happen.
The 2000 and 2004 elections should have never been close enough to still. But, Americans voted more out of fear and self interest than from a perspective of what was good for the nation and the world.
Future generations may look on our generation in the same manner as we viewed Germany society in the thirties.
It is time We The People take our country back!
See No Evil
http://illuminated1.blogspot.com/
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