Opinion of George W. Bush

[Sic Semper Fascistis]

Seriously though....a genuine person who I tend to believe did believe in what he was doing.

I have to vote HP regardless of intentions because his presidency was a disaster....but it's more because he's not a "freedom fighter" than anything else. I don't think he's a particularly terrible person.

Yeah, and that makes him even more of an HP. Really, the kind of persons who believe in what they do while doing so much evil are just idiots. The real disasters in the world are caused by mad/stupid people, more than evil ones.

[Franzl]

Seriously though....a genuine person who I tend to believe did believe in what he was doing.

I have to vote HP regardless of intentions because his presidency was a disaster....but it's more because he's not a "freedom fighter" than anything else. I don't think he's a particularly terrible person.

Yeah, and that makes him even more of an HP. Really, the kind of persons who believe in what they do while doing so much evil are just idiots. The real disasters in the world are caused by mad/stupid people, more than evil ones.

No, I disagree. That may make people more dangerous, but it certainly doesn't make them more horrible people.

[Mint]

Seriously though....a genuine person who I tend to believe did believe in what he was doing.

I have to vote HP regardless of intentions because his presidency was a disaster....but it's more because he's not a "freedom fighter" than anything else. I don't think he's a particularly terrible person.

Yeah, and that makes him even more of an HP. Really, the kind of persons who believe in what they do while doing so much evil are just idiots. The real disasters in the world are caused by mad/stupid people, more than evil ones.

No, I disagree. That may make people more dangerous, but it certainly doesn't make them more horrible people.

Except he clearly had serious personality flaws. His dealings with allies and congress showed a lot of belligerence and an obvious sense of entitlement. His 'humor' the few times he showed it was generally mean spirited - remember Karla Faye Tucker or looking for WMDs under the desk? And he showed a complete disinterest in the world around him most of the time. He was intellectual incurious  and narcissistic and a narcissist, basically.

[nclib]

Bad policies on every dimension, lacks intelligence, lacks compassion, is spoiled. Certainly an ultra-Horrible Person.

[Mint]

Bad policies on every dimension, lacks intelligence, lacks compassion, is spoiled. Certainly an ultra-Horrible Person.

[segwaystyle2012]

Looks better and better the more I see of Barry H.

[You kip if you want to...]

He's did what no president could do in 150 years in reaching James Buchanan levels of fail.

[Bo]

He's did what no president could do in 150 years in reaching James Buchanan levels of fail.

Carter?

[k-onmmunist]

He's did what no president could do in 150 years in reaching James Buchanan levels of fail.

Carter?

Carter was awesome.

[RIP Robert H Bork]

He's did what no president could do in 150 years in reaching James Buchanan levels of fail.

Carter?

Carter was awesome.

lol, fail

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Have you ever watched one of those old cheesy movies set in a travelling circus? One complete with an agressive and gruff lion tamer (Cheney) with actual real fierce lions (Pearle, Wolfowitz), three piece Jugglers to keep the audience entertained unless they nod off (Rice and Powell), Clowns with ridiculous large shoes and unfunny jokes (Rumsfeld and Gonzalez), tight rope walkers (Paulson and Gates) and an old timer who always seems to hang around the group but seems to have no apparent purpose and spends most of his time doing things for no apparent purpose (Ashcroft). And in that movie there is the always the announcer, the head of that big top, old, deprecit and nearing retirement and his time is up and mired in scandal and always some young kid starting out who magically and mysteriously by some great hollywood-produced force by the end of the movie replaces the old man to become head of the big time, lord of the circus, the prince of clowns and everyone lives happy ever after.

Well America, you have been living that movie, you've seen it your self. The production values are never great on these things and it is all a bit cliche and trite, the characters being so badly written and all. However the only thing different from that regular ur-film is that there was no happy ending and we saw not the romance of getting to the top of a young, ambitious lad but its actuality - the what happens next. That, and it was directed by David Lynch.

[Psychic Octopus]

I don't think that Bush reached Buchanan levels of failure. Okay, his presidency may have been a failure, but Buchanan sat by in a helpless state in which the nation split apart and embarked on a years-long civil war. There is a difference, as in 2019, 10 years after Dubya will have left the presidency, there will likely be no (visible) trace of his failure in America, whereas in 1871, there still was traces of Buchanan's failure.

[Bo]

I don't think that Bush reached Buchanan levels of failure. Okay, his presidency may have been a failure, but Buchanan sat by in a helpless state in which the nation split apart and embarked on a years-long civil war. There is a difference, as in 2019, 10 years after Dubya will have left the presidency, there will likely be no (visible) trace of his failure in America, whereas in 1871, there still was traces of Buchanan's failure.

Wrong. We will still likely see very high deficits and debt in 2020, in large part due to Bush's reckless spending and the financial crisis that he helped cause, as well as due to the aftereffects of Bush's policies.

[paul718]

HP. 

But I find the villification of George W. Bush to be played-out and boring.  I think he was responsible for the poor economy in his second term, to about the same degree as I think he was responsible for the good economy in his first.  As for foreign policy, I think it's good that we'll have two allies in the heart of the Middle East.  And his performance regarding the "surge" was exemplary, showing the type of determination I appreciate in a Commander-in-Chief. 

However, a gazillion dollar deficit and thousands of American lives aren't worth any of it.  Again, HP.

[James Rivington]

He's did what no president could do in 150 years in reaching James Buchanan levels of fail.

Carter?

Carter was awesome.

lol, fail

Carter was awesome

[segwaystyle2012]

HP. 

But I find the villification of George W. Bush to be played-out and boring.  I think he was responsible for the poor economy in his second term, to about the same degree as I think he was responsible for the good economy in his first.  As for foreign policy, I think it's good that we'll have two allies in the heart of the Middle East.  And his performance regarding the "surge" was exemplary, showing the type of determination I appreciate in a Commander-in-Chief. 

However, a gazillion dollar deficit and thousands of American lives aren't worth any of it.  Again, HP.

You summed it up better than anyone else in this thread.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Carter was awesome.  Sure, he was a bit of a Debbie Downer... but he told it like it is.

But America wanted its b movie star to come in and dismantle our industrial infrastructure all while channeling vast sums of middle class money back to the rich.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

People here are really grasping for straws to defend Dubya. This creep lied through his teeth to send thousands of people to their deaths. He is a truly horrible person on every level.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Carter was awesome.  Sure, he was a bit of a Debbie Downer... but he told it like it is.

But America wanted its b movie star to come in and dismantle our industrial infrastructure all while channeling vast sums of middle class money back to the rich.

Well Carter was certainly better than Bush and Obama.

[Saxwsylvania]

The very definition of a political moderate, who was hated from the very beginning by our very pleasant liberal friends.

[Vepres]

his foreign policy in his second term was pretty good

What.

Yes, WTF?

Name what he did wrong? All his mistakes and failings were in the first term.

Iraq largely stabelized, and he handled Iran and North Korea just fine, and I imagine that Obama's foreign policy decisions, were he President at the time, wouldn't have been much different in the end.

Seriously, many people here are so closed-minded.

BTW, I also disagree with those who say Bush was stupid or narcissistic. People can be very intelligent and still be poor decision makers, and doing what you believe in is not narcissistic. Many of the left-wing here want Obama to ignore the polls and stay the course on healthcare, surely you wouldn't call him narcissistic?

Seriously, for all his faults, Bush did have his good moments.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

his foreign policy in his second term was pretty good

What.

Yes, WTF?

Name what he did wrong? All his mistakes and failings were in the first term.

Iraq largely stabelized, and he handled Iran and North Korea just fine, and I imagine that Obama's foreign policy decisions, were he President at the time, wouldn't have been much different in the end.

Seriously, many people here are so closed-minded.

BTW, I also disagree with those who say Bush was stupid or narcissistic. People can be very intelligent and still be poor decision makers, and doing what you believe in is not narcissistic. Many of the left-wing here want Obama to ignore the polls and stay the course on healthcare, surely you wouldn't call him narcissistic?

Seriously, for all his faults, Bush did have his good moments.

Um, the entire post-9/11 Bush presidency was marked by belligerence and and possibly the most reckless foreign policy in U.S. history.

[segwaystyle2012]

his foreign policy in his second term was pretty good

What.

Yes, WTF?

Name what he did wrong? All his mistakes and failings were in the first term.

Iraq largely stabelized, and he handled Iran and North Korea just fine, and I imagine that Obama's foreign policy decisions, were he President at the time, wouldn't have been much different in the end.

Seriously, many people here are so closed-minded.

BTW, I also disagree with those who say Bush was stupid or narcissistic. People can be very intelligent and still be poor decision makers, and doing what you believe in is not narcissistic. Many of the left-wing here want Obama to ignore the polls and stay the course on healthcare, surely you wouldn't call him narcissistic?

Seriously, for all his faults, Bush did have his good moments.

Um, the entire post-9/11 Bush presidency was marked by belligerence and and possibly the most reckless foreign policy in U.S. history.

Carter's and Johnson's were worse. I'd also argue that Wilson, Hoover, and FDR had worse foreign policies.

[Mint]

Name what he did wrong? All his mistakes and failings were in the first term.

Iraq largely stabelized, and he handled Iran and North Korea just fine, and I imagine that Obama's foreign policy decisions, were he President at the time, wouldn't have been much different in the end.

Saying 'less people are dying' isn't the same as 'the war was won.' At best it's just seen temporary improvement while Afghanistan continues to deteriorate (that and the surge failed at achieving any political solution). And we've seen zero progress at all in Iran or North Korea, the former is more authoritarian not less and the latter pretty much openly spits in our face with tests. The only positive thing I can say is we didn't actually attack either as some people feared we might.

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Plenty of people on the left here have called out Obama for his personal failings but that has nothing to do with what we're talking about here. Bush was someone who said things like 'god told me to invade Iraq' and actually seemed to believe them.

[paul718]

People here are really grasping for straws to defend Dubya. This creep lied through his teeth to send thousands of people to their deaths. He is a truly horrible person on every level.

What did he lie about?