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01-18-2009, 10:32 AM
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#1
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Conservative Resistance
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Norwood,NJ
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Thanks Bush
Since Bush will be leaving office very soon, I wanted to take the opportunity to show my thanks to him. I think that it's clear that he has made multiple mistakes, and sometimes I thought he was just fat out wrong on a couple issues. But I'm thankful that he was president these past 8 years, and here's why.
I'll go down a list of issues that I'll grade him on. I'd like to see what you guys think as well.
National Security - A
This will be the main part of his "legacy." I bet every single person on this board expected there would be another attack after 9/11. He did what it took to stop further attacks. He set up a very efficent and effective infrastructure to intercept and stop funding to and from terrorist organizations, and prevent firther attacks. And everything that he did was legal.
Iraq - B
It didn't go perfectly, but we have won in Iraq, despite people trying to undermine and assault the troops and the Commander-in-Chief. I think history will judge the decision to go into Iraq much more fairly than now. It's hard to say what the world would be like if we didn't go, but it's one less dictator that we'll have to deal with. As the years go on, we will also have a strong ally in the Middle East, other than Israel, which will be incredibly helpful in the future. Oh yeah, and we liberated 50 million people.
Afghanistan - C
We should have waited until we were finished in Afghanistan before we went into Iraq. We need way more troops there. We'll see what Obama does.
Economy - C
I would have given him an A until a few months ago. His tax cuts created millions of jobs and lead 52 months of uninterrupted economic growth. But his massive spending and his failure to use free market solutions has made him look like a joke. I know all of these bailouts is more so because of Paulson and Congress, but he allowed all of it to happen.
Other foreign policy - A
He has handled North Korea, Russia, and Iran very well. There was a time about a year or two ago that looked like the 3rd World War was coming, but he has dealt with all of them effectively.
Africa - A++
Bush doesn't get much publicity for this, but he's done more for Africa than any other person in history. I didn't even know this until last year, when I had a 33 year old African woman in a class of mine, and she told us about it. After doing a little bit of research, he has tripled funding to Africa. According to the NY Times, 1.4 million Africans have received life saving treatment from American funding. That number was only 50,000 before his initiative.
Illegal Immigration - D
He's been terrible on immigration policy. That's really all I can say.
Bottom line is, you may not have agreed with his decisions on tough issues, but at least he has made those tough decisions, and stuck with them. I have an incredible amount of respect for the man. He's very classy and has more character than Obama will ever have.
Let the bush bashing begin.
__________________
2003 Ford SVT Lightning
Last edited by jec1521 : 01-18-2009 at 10:37 AM.
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01-18-2009, 10:35 AM
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#2
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This thread really isn't a very good idea, it's going to turn into a pissing contest... and history will make of Bush what it will.
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01-18-2009, 10:42 AM
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#3
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Conservative Resistance
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Norwood,NJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by corporationpaintball
This thread really isn't a very good idea, it's going to turn into a pissing contest... and history will make of Bush what it will.
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I don't care. Any point that I just made, I can defend.
__________________
2003 Ford SVT Lightning
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01-18-2009, 11:10 AM
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#4
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Smarter than you
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Yeah. PEPFAR is one of those unsung successes of the Bush administration.
If 9/11 hadn't happened, I think Bush would have been a great domestic President. Instead, he was forced to be a foreign policy President, which he has handled competently, though not without mistakes.
Bush was a tax cutter, deregulator, free trader, and wanted to expand legal immigration and grant amnesty to illegal immigrants. These are all great ways to ensure a prosperous home. But 9/11 literally did change everything, and he embarked upon two wars (both of them in our interest, if we succeed), and foreign distractions ultimately destroyed Bush's initial domestic policy. And halfhearted attempts to pass them through (SS reform, 2006 immigration bill) mostly stalled. The high point of Bush's domestic agenda was the 2003 Bush tax cuts.
Bush's foreign policy: A-
Bush's domestic policy: C-
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01-18-2009, 11:26 AM
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#5
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^ rather be Waterboarding
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If Bush did nothing else, he got us a couple good SCOTUS justices... if he would not have been pres, the people would have probably lost the heller case and we would be losing a lot of our second amendment rights. Possibly some of our 1st amendment rights as well (if a case had been brought forth).
__________________
"I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them." -- Thomas Jefferson
"A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity." -- Sigmund Freud
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01-18-2009, 11:33 AM
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#6
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That is my foot!
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I'm sure he would have been a great domestically focused president but he unfortunately was not ready to handle an attack on American soil. Unlike FDR, Bush did not integrate American citizens into the war effort and therefore allowed humongous conflict to arise within the nation as our people were fighting overseas, badly in need of support at home. Bush's knee jerk response was to tell all Americans to simply go back to their lives and live like nothing had happened or else the terrorists would win. This was the wrong idea. He needed to step up and announce that all Americans must do their part now in the war against terror. I think that mindset of "don't worry the government will take care of it" was his biggest mistake and it lead him down a slippery slope of more mistakes caused by the same attitude. He failed as a leader to get Americans energized, motivated, and behind the war effort. That has been my major qualm with him.
__________________
OG FEP Quest|G-Frame'd Pneumag|UL'd 07 PMR
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01-18-2009, 12:23 PM
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#7
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Conservative Resistance
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Norwood,NJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by warbeak2099
I'm sure he would have been a great domestically focused president but he unfortunately was not ready to handle an attack on American soil. Unlike FDR, Bush did not integrate American citizens into the war effort and therefore allowed humongous conflict to arise within the nation as our people were fighting overseas, badly in need of support at home. Bush's knee jerk response was to tell all Americans to simply go back to their lives and live like nothing had happened or else the terrorists would win. This was the wrong idea. He needed to step up and announce that all Americans must do their part now in the war against terror. I think that mindset of "don't worry the government will take care of it" was his biggest mistake and it lead him down a slippery slope of more mistakes caused by the same attitude. He failed as a leader to get Americans energized, motivated, and behind the war effort. That has been my major qualm with him.
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That's a very interesting POV. Never thought of that. But who is to blame for the divisiveness in the country today? I would say it is the liberal left, not Bush. It is hard to gather the people against one cause when 75% of the media is calling him a war criminal.
__________________
2003 Ford SVT Lightning
Last edited by jec1521 : 01-18-2009 at 12:27 PM.
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01-18-2009, 12:26 PM
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#8
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blah
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: MS
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National Security A? Im pretty sure 9/11 happened on Bush's watch, which constitutes and F. Economy C? The economy is tanking, though it wasnt all his fault, he did nothing to help it, F. He did some good work in Africa though.
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01-18-2009, 12:28 PM
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#9
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☻♦♣b
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Austin 49
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jec1521
Since Bush will be leaving office very soon, I wanted to take the opportunity to show my thanks to him.
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I often thank people by giving the report cards as well.
__________________
"Originally posted by Bronk0
Everyone put something in your sig about it...
like PORN THREAD 10/24/04: I was there. "
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01-18-2009, 12:29 PM
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#10
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Miami
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Thank you for the work President Bush.
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01-18-2009, 12:29 PM
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#11
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Front Lean and Rest
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Maine
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LOL, Foreign Policy an A?
Thanks bush for restoring the image of America internationally, thank you for preserving our civil liberties, thank you for your respect of the constitution, habeus corpus, and most of all thank you for assembling an incompetent administration that played you as a pawn.
Thanks! Also, thank you partisan OP, for you make up the quarter of the population that blindly supports the president because he has an R next to his name. Lastly, great job on nailing Obama somewhere in this thread to!
Drill baby, drill!
Last edited by Paint Freak 98 : 01-18-2009 at 12:33 PM.
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01-18-2009, 12:30 PM
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#12
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Conservative Resistance
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Norwood,NJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ClintonBaller2
National Security A? Im pretty sure 9/11 happened on Bush's watch, which constitutes and F. Economy C? The economy is tanking, though it wasnt all his fault, he did nothing to help it, F. He did some good work in Africa though.
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You are right, but I'm looking at this from a post 9/11 perspective. I don't judge him for not stopping 9/11. I judge him on how he responded.
Just because the economy is tanking now, you can't just forget that he got us out of the recession that he inherited, and also got us out of the economic effect that 9/11 had. Like I said before, 52 months of uninterrupted economic growth. That's the longest ever, IIRC.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paint Freak 98
LOL, Foreign Policy an A?
LOLOLOL.
Partisan douchebag!
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*other* foreign policy. Iraq and Afghanistan have their own section.
__________________
2003 Ford SVT Lightning
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01-18-2009, 12:34 PM
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#13
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Front Lean and Rest
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Maine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jec1521
*other* foreign policy. Iraq and Afghanistan have their own section.
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YEAH HE DID REALLY WELL WITH CONFLICTS IN GEORGIA, IRAN, PAKISTAN, and NK! goood jobbb bush!
read my edited post above.
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01-18-2009, 12:37 PM
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#14
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Conservative Resistance
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Norwood,NJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paint Freak 98
YEAH HE DID REALLY WELL WITH CONFLICTS IN GEORGIA, IRAN, PAKISTAN, and NK! goood jobbb bush!
read my edited post above.
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I think he did. I don't know why you put Georgia in that category, but Iran, Pakistan and North Korea have been pressured very effectively by this administration. There was a lot of talk about North Korea and Iran wanting nuclear weapons. No so much anymore.
__________________
2003 Ford SVT Lightning
Last edited by jec1521 : 01-18-2009 at 12:41 PM.
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01-18-2009, 12:38 PM
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#15
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Conservative Resistance
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Norwood,NJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paint Freak 98
LOL, Foreign Policy an A?
Thanks bush for restoring the image of America internationally, thank you for preserving our civil liberties, thank you for your respect of the constitution, habeus corpus, and most of all thank you for assembling an incompetent administration that played you as a pawn.
Thanks! Also, thank you partisan OP, for you make up the quarter of the population that blindly supports the president because he has an R next to his name. Lastly, great job on nailing Obama somewhere in this thread to!
Drill baby, drill!
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Ha, and I'm the "partisan douchebag"
One question for you, when has anybody in this country been denied habeus corpus?
__________________
2003 Ford SVT Lightning
Last edited by jec1521 : 01-18-2009 at 12:40 PM.
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01-18-2009, 12:40 PM
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#16
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Front Lean and Rest
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Maine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jec1521
Ha, and I'm the "partisan douchebag"
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I'm sick of you idiots thinking you need to paint Bush as a good president because everyone hates on him. Sure, maybe everyone hates on Bush slightly more then he deserves, it however, does not make it ok to paint Bush anywhere near as a good president. The man has failed at everything besides Africa, which I don't really care about at the present moment.
So, yes Bush is underrated, but idiots like you are going to make him look overrated.
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01-18-2009, 12:42 PM
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#17
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Conservative Resistance
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Norwood,NJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paint Freak 98
I'm sick of you idiots thinking you need to paint Bush as a good president because everyone hates on him. Sure, maybe everyone hates on Bush slightly more then he deserves, it however, does not make it ok to paint Bush anywhere near as a good president. The man has failed at everything besides Africa, which I don't really care about at the present moment.
So, yes Bush is underrated, but idiots like you are going to make him look overrated.
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You're the one making things up. Give me one time somebody other than an enemy combatant was denied habeas corpus?
__________________
2003 Ford SVT Lightning
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01-18-2009, 12:43 PM
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#18
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Front Lean and Rest
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Maine
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jec1521
You're the one making things up. Give me one time somebody other than an enemy combatant was denied habeus corpus?
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Other than an enemy combatant? Say that sentence out loud. An enemy combatant? Don't they deserve habeus corpus, and after all, they have no frickin country to fight for.
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01-18-2009, 12:44 PM
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#19
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That is my foot!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jec1521
That's a very interesting POV. Never thought of that. But who is to blame for the divisiveness in the country today? I would say it is the liberal left, not Bush. It is hard to gather the people against one cause when 75% of the media is calling him a war criminal.
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Bush made these leadership errors even before the bleeding heart media starting attacking him though.
__________________
OG FEP Quest|G-Frame'd Pneumag|UL'd 07 PMR
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01-18-2009, 12:48 PM
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#20
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Conservative Resistance
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Norwood,NJ
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Paint Freak 98
Other than an enemy combatant? Say that sentence out loud. An enemy combatant? Don't they deserve habeus corpus, and after all, they have no frickin country to fight for.
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Well, habeas corpus is granted in the constitution when it says
Quote:
The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.
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What he did was completely constitutional. You're trying to make it seem like he had no regard for the constitution and other laws.
Quote:
Originally Posted by warbeak2099
Bush made these leadership errors even before the bleeding heart media starting attacking him though.
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I don't know about that. Many people thought he stole the 2000 election and held a negative view of him from the beginning. That's just a theory though.
__________________
2003 Ford SVT Lightning
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01-18-2009, 12:55 PM
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#21
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AH MOTHERLAND!!!!
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: NYC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by warbeak2099
I'm sure he would have been a great domestically focused president but he unfortunately was not ready to handle an attack on American soil. Unlike FDR, Bush did not integrate American citizens into the war effort and therefore allowed humongous conflict to arise within the nation as our people were fighting overseas, badly in need of support at home. Bush's knee jerk response was to tell all Americans to simply go back to their lives and live like nothing had happened or else the terrorists would win. This was the wrong idea. He needed to step up and announce that all Americans must do their part now in the war against terror. I think that mindset of "don't worry the government will take care of it" was his biggest mistake and it lead him down a slippery slope of more mistakes caused by the same attitude. He failed as a leader to get Americans energized, motivated, and behind the war effort. That has been my major qualm with him.
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I've said the same thing in previous threads over the years. By not getting the the American Public in on the war effort, and by telling them to live their lives, he gave them opportunities to see what had happened and to uncover all the mistakes that he had made. he basically shot himself in the foot, ensuring that he would not be a very popular president
__________________
"Originally posted by §Galactus§if i had a horse, i would put armor on it. and i would wear armor, and ride around collecting taxes and tributes from the serfs."
"Originally posted by §Galactus§You should sig me again. That way, when everyone looks at your signature, they would be like "Holy **** that dude is so awesome he got sigged twice" It would be espically awesome if you sigged this post. So that people who read your sig will be confused as well as amazed
I know, right?
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