Lonesome cowboy? Rethinking Bush's legacy

It's not surprising that many think George W. Bush will be remembered as one of the worst presidents in American history. There's the war in Iraq. A faltering economy. A fall in global opinion. And, for some, a smile that seems to smirk.

But one of the architects of Bush's presidency -- first-term speechwriter David Frum -- argues in a new article in Foreign Policy Magazine that contemporary critics are all wrong about Bush. Sounding like the podium-pounder on a college debate team, Frum takes issue with these oft-heard sentiments:

First, that the Iraq War has made America less safe.

Prove It. In the two decades leading up to Bush’s presidency, the United States and its allies were struck by a rising number of increasingly ambitious, aggressive, and deadly terrorist attacks. But, following the invasion of Iraq, former state sponsors of terrorism have toed the diplomatic line, and the U.S. homeland has enjoyed near immunity from acts of international terrorism.

Second, that Bush's "cowboy" military adventures have hurt the U.S. abroad.

Many have argued that the Bush administration somehow squandered Europe’s goodwill toward America by going it alone in Iraq. It would be far more accurate to say that American unilateralism is a symptom of alliance troubles rather than a cause.

Finally, that the next president will undo much of the Bush policies.

Unlikely. No doubt, the next president will try hard to distance himself from his predecessor. But whatever change a President McCain or a President Obama brings, much of his policies will still follow Bush’s lead. U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq will move more slowly than most expect, and pressures on Iran will continue to intensify.

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press

Comments

[Michael Corcoran]

Will be interesting to see how Bush's foreign-policy legacy stands-up, no? When Truman left office, his approval rating was 22%, and the U.S. was mired in the Korean War. He re-emerged as one of our top 10 in the 70s after the combination of Watergate and American's declining strength.

Still, as we needed Eisenhower after Truman, perhaps we especially need Obama now. Every time demands the right person...we can put 'bad cop' American away and roll out the 'good cop....'

As Obama says, perhaps you have to use a scalpel, and not a hatchet to assess the legacy? The hatchet job works now for political purposes, but it'll be interesting to see what kind of surgery historians perform in 20 years.

[Gary Kettas]

Bush's Legacy of the Unforeseen Collapse of the United States of America!?!?

While I certainly don't fault President Bush whatsoever for playfully behaving like a good natured good humored down to earth human being at times during his presidency, I feel he is entirely responsible for the possibly irreversible horrendous drastic plundering downturn and downfall this country is facing now in 2009 during the inauguration of America's new 44th President-elect Barack Obama.

History will probably never properly report and convey the truly devastating real-life pain and suffering suffered here at home in America as well as abroad in Iraq and other place by thousands of lives lost and disabled and resources squandered and destroyed far exceeding the original terrorism tolls of 9-11 tolls. This extremely egotistical self-righteous stubborn smug selfish smartalec 43rd President has likely made some of the worst most exacerbating home and abroad world upheavaling decisions which have likely set the entire world back in its struggles toward global peace and cooperation among human civilizations and likely set the unforeseen downfall of America irreversibly in motion as there never was any Constitutional guarantee of the eternal future existence of The United States of America.

While President Bush concluded his presidential service in 2009 with his life well intact and protected, countless innocent, poor, weak, unprotected, voiceless humanbeings at home and abroad paid the ultimate price of life with their own premature untimely deaths instigated and exacerbated by the reckless brash decisions, actions, Can of Worms and Pandora's Box instigated and fostered by President Bush. He's ignored compassionate moral pleas to commute excessively harsh prison sentences against border patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean and leaving America's borders, illegal immigration influx, fallen economy and countless destitute homeless citizens as unprotected, vulnerable and helpless as never before. The growing numbers of American poor, weak, disabled, unprotected, innocent, helpless, voiceless and resourceless will be the ultimate deplorable disgraceful legacy of our 43rd President in my book.

In all fairness on a very different issue of a very noble, commendable humanitarian cause, President Bush, Tom DeLay and other Republican members of Congress fought and tried valiantly for saving and sparing the helpless life of brain damaged accident victim Terri Schiavo for Terri's parents' sake from the most unconscionable inhumane barbaric disgraceful "forced NATIONAL execution method of death by fluid and food deprivation by the United States Justice Department" for which I whole heartedly applaud and commend their compassionate efforts to help Terri Schiavo's parents who so desperately begged our nation's Justice Department to allow their daughter's life to remain alive in the parents' own custody from the needless destruction and execution that unforgiveably took place. A really petty small minded victory for America's ultimate executioners, the U.S. Department of Justice.