Bush's Achievements - Ten things the president got right

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Bush had ten great achievements (and maybe more) in his eight years in the White House, starting with his decision in 2001 to jettison the Kyoto global warming treaty so loved by Al Gore, the environmental lobby, elite opinion, and Europeans. The treaty was a disaster, with India and China exempted and economic decline the certain result. Everyone knew it. But only Bush said so and acted accordingly.

He stood athwart mounting global warming hysteria and yelled, "Stop!" He slowed the movement toward a policy blunder of worldwide impact, providing time for facts to catch up with the dubious claims of alarmists. Thanks in part to Bush, the supposed consensus of scientists on global warming has now collapsed. The skeptics, who point to global cooling over the past decade, are now heard loud and clear. And a rational approach to the theory of manmade global warming is possible.

Second, enhanced interrogation of terrorists. Along with use of secret prisons and wireless eavesdropping, this saved American lives. How many thousands of lives? We'll never know. But, as Charles Krauthammer said recently, "Those are precisely the elements which kept us safe and which have prevented a second attack."

Crucial intelligence was obtained from captured al Qaeda leaders, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, with the help of waterboarding. Whether this tactic--it creates a drowning sensation--is torture is a matter of debate. John McCain and many Democrats say it is. Bush and Vice President Cheney insist it isn't. In any case, it was necessary. Lincoln once made a similar point in defending his suspension of habeas corpus in direct defiance of Chief Justice Roger Taney. "Are all the laws but one to go unexecuted, and the government itself go to pieces, lest that one be violated?" Lincoln asked. Bush understood the answer in wartime had to be no.

Bush's third achievement was the rebuilding of presidential authority, badly degraded in the era of Vietnam, Watergate, and Bill Clinton. He didn't hesitate to conduct wireless surveillance of terrorists without getting a federal judge's okay. He decided on his own how to treat terrorists and where they should be imprisoned. Those were legitimate decisions for which the president, as commander in chief, should feel no need to apologize.

Defending, all the way to the Supreme Court, Cheney's refusal to disclose to Congress the names of people he'd consulted on energy policy was also enormously important. Democratic congressman Henry Waxman demanded the names, but the Court upheld Cheney, 7-2. Last week, Cheney defended his refusal, waspishly noting that Waxman "doesn't call me up and tell me who he's meeting with."

Achievement number four was Bush's unswerving support for Israel. Reagan was once deemed Israel's best friend in the White House. Now Bush can claim the title. He ostracized Yasser Arafat as an impediment to peace in the Middle East. This infuriated the anti-Israel forces in Europe, the Third World, and the United Nations, and was criticized by champions of the "peace process" here at home. Bush was right.

He was clever in his support. Bush announced that Ariel Sharon should withdraw the tanks he'd sent into the West Bank in 2002, then exerted zero pressure on Sharon to do so. And he backed the wall along Israel's eastern border without endorsing it as an official boundary, while knowing full well that it might eventually become exactly that. He was a loyal friend.

His fifth success was No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the education reform bill cosponsored by America's most prominent liberal Democratic senator Edward Kennedy. The teachers' unions, school boards, the education establishment, conservatives adamant about local control of schools--they all loathed the measure and still do. It requires two things they ardently oppose, mandatory testing and accountability.

Kennedy later turned against NCLB, saying Bush is shortchanging the program. In truth, federal education spending is at record levels. Another complaint is that it forces teachers to "teach to the test." The tests are on math and reading. They are tests worth teaching to.

Sixth, Bush declared in his second inaugural address in 2005 that American foreign policy (at least his) would henceforth focus on promoting democracy around the world. This put him squarely in the Reagan camp, but he was lambasted as unrealistic, impractical, and a tool of wily neoconservatives. The new policy gave Bush credibility in pressing for democracy in the former Soviet republics and Middle East and in zinging various dictators and kleptocrats. It will do the same for President Obama, if he's wise enough to hang onto it.

The seventh achievement is the Medicare prescription drug benefit, enacted in 2003. It's not only wildly popular; it has cost less than expected by triggering competition among drug companies. Conservatives have deep reservations about the program. But they shouldn't have been surprised. Bush advocated the drug benefit in the 2000 campaign. And if he hadn't acted, Democrats would have, with a much less attractive result.

Then there were John Roberts and Sam Alito. In putting them on the Supreme Court and naming Roberts chief justice, Bush achieved what had eluded Richard Nixon, Reagan, and his own father. Roberts and Alito made the Court indisputably more conservative. And the good news is Roberts, 53, and Alito, 58, should be justices for decades to come.

Bush's ninth achievement has been widely ignored. He strengthened relations with east Asian democracies (Japan, South Korea, Australia) without causing a rift with China. On top of that, he forged strong ties with India. An important factor was their common enemy, Islamic jihadists. After 9/11, Bush made the most of this, and Indian leaders were receptive. His state dinner for Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2006 was a lovefest.

Finally, a no-brainer: the surge. Bush prompted nearly unanimous disapproval in January 2007 when he announced he was sending more troops to Iraq and adopting a new counterinsurgency strategy. His opponents initially included the State Department, the Pentagon, most of Congress, the media, the foreign policy establishment, indeed the whole world. This makes his decision a profile in courage. Best of all, the surge worked. Iraq is now a fragile but functioning democracy.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Publ...15/986rockt.asp

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If I were a lying man, I'd agree.

[mawilson 2,133]

Oh man you're so getting flamed for this

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Oh man you're so getting flamed for this

I agree with a few of these. Kyoto, for example. I'm also surprised Afghanistan isn't in here. And with the exception of the special ed requirements of NCLB, I think it's good law. Nothing wrong with testing kids on essential skills.

[MrsCat 6]

Bush's third achievement was the rebuilding of presidential authority, badly degraded in the era of Vietnam, Watergate, and Bill Clinton. He didn't hesitate to conduct wireless surveillance of terrorists without getting a federal judge's okay. He decided on his own how to treat terrorists and where they should be imprisoned. Those were legitimate decisions for which the president, as commander in chief, should feel no need to apologize.

Defending, all the way to the Supreme Court, Cheney's refusal to disclose to Congress the names of people he'd consulted on energy policy was also enormously important. Democratic congressman Henry Waxman demanded the names, but the Court upheld Cheney, 7-2. Last week, Cheney defended his refusal, waspishly noting that Waxman "doesn't call me up and tell me who he's meeting with."

If I didn't know any better I'd say those were spin words for fascism. But hey that's just me.

[chri'stina 190]

Oh man you're so getting flamed for this

I thought the same thing

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I guess this guy is used to mediocrity or something.

[mawilson 2,133]

Oh man you're so getting flamed for this

I agree with a few of these. Kyoto, for example. I'm also surprised Afghanistan isn't in here. And with the exception of the special ed requirements of NCLB, I think it's good law. Nothing wrong with testing kids on essential skills.

I agree with

• junking global warming
• torturing terrorists
• support for Israel

Don't care much for

• rebuilding of presidential authority
• spreading democracy around the world
• conservative judges
• the surge

I'm neutral on

• No Child Left Behind
• Medicare benefits
• relations with east Asia

[Yoink 7]

Bush had ten great achievements (and maybe more) in his eight years in the White House, starting with his decision in 2001 to jettison the Kyoto global warming treaty so loved by Al Gore, the environmental lobby, elite opinion, and Europeans. The treaty was a disaster, with India and China exempted and economic decline the certain result. Everyone knew it. But only Bush said so and acted accordingly.

AGREE

He stood athwart mounting global warming hysteria and yelled, "Stop!" He slowed the movement toward a policy blunder of worldwide impact, providing time for facts to catch up with the dubious claims of alarmists. Thanks in part to Bush, the supposed consensus of scientists on global warming has now collapsed. The skeptics, who point to global cooling over the past decade, are now heard loud and clear. And a rational approach to the theory of manmade global warming is possible.

These decisions weren't based on concern of environment as much as his friendly business attitude

Second, enhanced interrogation of terrorists. Along with use of secret prisons and wireless eavesdropping, this saved American lives. How many thousands of lives? We'll never know. But, as Charles Krauthammer said recently, "Those are precisely the elements which kept us safe and which have prevented a second attack."

Crucial intelligence was obtained from captured al Qaeda leaders, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, with the help of waterboarding. Whether this tactic--it creates a drowning sensation--is torture is a matter of debate. John McCain and many Democrats say it is. Bush and Vice President Cheney insist it isn't. In any case, it was necessary. Lincoln once made a similar point in defending his suspension of habeas corpus in direct defiance of Chief Justice Roger Taney. "Are all the laws but one to go unexecuted, and the government itself go to pieces, lest that one be violated?" Lincoln asked. Bush understood the answer in wartime had to be no.

NOthing like getting crucial intelligence AFTER using non-existent intelligence to conduct warmongering[/color]

Bush's third achievement was the rebuilding of presidential authority, badly degraded in the era of Vietnam, Watergate, and Bill Clinton. He didn't hesitate to conduct wireless surveillance of terrorists without getting a federal judge's okay. He decided on his own how to treat terrorists and where they should be imprisoned. Those were legitimate decisions for which the president, as commander in chief, should feel no need to apologize.

Defending, all the way to the Supreme Court, Cheney's refusal to disclose to Congress the names of people he'd consulted on energy policy was also enormously important. Democratic congressman Henry Waxman demanded the names, but the Court upheld Cheney, 7-2. Last week, Cheney defended his refusal, waspishly noting that Waxman "doesn't call me up and tell me who he's meeting with."

Presidential authority should be earned and excersied when needed and within the framework of civil liberties....

Achievement number four was Bush's unswerving support for Israel. Reagan was once deemed Israel's best friend in the White House. Now Bush can claim the title. He ostracized Yasser Arafat as an impediment to peace in the Middle East. This infuriated the anti-Israel forces in Europe, the Third World, and the United Nations, and was criticized by champions of the "peace process" here at home. Bush was right.

He was clever in his support. Bush announced that Ariel Sharon should withdraw the tanks he'd sent into the West Bank in 2002, then exerted zero pressure on Sharon to do so. And he backed the wall along Israel's eastern border without endorsing it as an official boundary, while knowing full well that it might eventually become exactly that. He was a loyal friend.

Yes he was... AGREE

His fifth success was No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the education reform bill cosponsored by America's most prominent liberal Democratic senator Edward Kennedy. The teachers' unions, school boards, the education establishment, conservatives adamant about local control of schools--they all loathed the measure and still do. It requires two things they ardently oppose, mandatory testing and accountability.

Kennedy later turned against NCLB, saying Bush is shortchanging the program. In truth, federal education spending is at record levels. Another complaint is that it forces teachers to "teach to the test." The tests are on math and reading. They are tests worth teaching to.

Education is the fundamentals of our future.. AGREE

Sixth, Bush declared in his second inaugural address in 2005 that American foreign policy (at least his) would henceforth focus on promoting democracy around the world. This put him squarely in the Reagan camp, but he was lambasted as unrealistic, impractical, and a tool of wily neoconservatives. The new policy gave Bush credibility in pressing for democracy in the former Soviet republics and Middle East and in zinging various dictators and kleptocrats. It will do the same for President Obama, if he's wise enough to hang onto it.

Promoting democracy has done more damage to the world than good... democracy is not for everyone.. people arent prepared or ready for it in most cases.. So-So

The seventh achievement is the Medicare prescription drug benefit, enacted in 2003. It's not only wildly popular; it has cost less than expected by triggering competition among drug companies. Conservatives have deep reservations about the program. But they shouldn't have been surprised. Bush advocated the drug benefit in the 2000 campaign. And if he hadn't acted, Democrats would have, with a much less attractive result.

AGREE

Then there were John Roberts and Sam Alito. In putting them on the Supreme Court and naming Roberts chief justice, Bush achieved what had eluded Richard Nixon, Reagan, and his own father. Roberts and Alito made the Court indisputably more conservative. And the good news is Roberts, 53, and Alito, 58, should be justices for decades to come.

Classic debate of strict constitutionalist or using it as a context of the time.... Change is inevitable though...

Bush's ninth achievement has been widely ignored. He strengthened relations with east Asian democracies (Japan, South Korea, Australia) without causing a rift with China. On top of that, he forged strong ties with India. An important factor was their common enemy, Islamic jihadists. After 9/11, Bush made the most of this, and Indian leaders were receptive. His state dinner for Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh in 2006 was a lovefest.

AGREE.. with sketicism ... have good ties to these countries hasnt exactly formulated more trade... playing nice with China is a plus

Finally, a no-brainer: the surge. Bush prompted nearly unanimous disapproval in January 2007 when he announced he was sending more troops to Iraq and adopting a new counterinsurgency strategy. His opponents initially included the State Department, the Pentagon, most of Congress, the media, the foreign policy establishment, indeed the whole world. This makes his decision a profile in courage. Best of all, the surge worked. Iraq is now a fragile but functioning democracy.

I thought it was a mistake and likened it to another Vietnam but I admit I was wrong...

Now where is the post about 10 things he has done wrong in his presidency.... most people will agree that any president isn't 100% bad at everything... I thik it was his personality... The presidency should be a job where you need to be intelligent and most people listen to him speak and KNOW that the are more intelligent than him. I am glad he is gone and looking forward to Obama though I didnt vote for him... (McCain either)

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Now where is the post about 10 things he has done wrong in his presidency....

We just went through an election season where we hashed and rehashed everything he did wrong. He did a lot wrong. But in these last few days of his Presidency, it's not a bad idea to focus on what he did right.

[chri'stina 190]

Now where is the post about 10 things he has done wrong in his presidency....

We just went through an election season where we hashed and rehashed everything he did wrong. He did a lot wrong. But in these last few days of his Presidency, it's not a bad idea to focus on what he did right.

I thought everyone was going to focus on the show throwing at the end...or at least that's what some ppl said.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The problem with Bush is that he was generally inadequate for the Presidency. He didn't speak well publicly, turning press conferences into a joke with his stammering, bumbling around and (most telling IMO) his apparent inability to maintain a train of thought when quizzed by reporters. The "I'll have to ask the secretary" response in relation to the question about private military contractors in Iraq was pretty abysmal IMO, and indicated fairly strongly that he was not a leader who operated according to some vision or grand design, and enacted it in concert with his advisors, but was rather a naiive man who allowed himself to be pulled in all directions by his advisors - most notably ####### Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

As it is the only thing Bush can cling to is his foreign policy record, as that's the only thing he's really done in his 8 years. Little comprehensive domestic reform has been done, but who cares about healthcare or crumbling infrastructure - we should be grateful that the US hasn't had another terrorist attack on its soil (as arbitrary and meaningless a measure as can be).

People forget too that prior to the surge we had 2 years of inaction from the WH, in which time all Bush could manage was to say over and over again "stay the course", as if doing nothing was itself a "plan". In fact it was only because of mounting pressure against the administration that it actually happened - as the administration had already badly embarrassed itself by sending too few troops in the first place, and having no plan for the reconstruction and post-war transition.

As for his "promoting democracy", the result of that was the election of Hamas in the Palestinian territories. Pretty much everyone (including the Israelis) begged Bush not to push for democratic elections after Arafat's death. So on that score - while he has supported Israel (though the author of this piece doesn't explain why "unconditional support" is so important), he ultimately screwed Israel with the result (a result that's directly linked to what is going in Gaza today).

On treatment of terrorists and the "rebuilding of presidential authority" it would surely be more convincing if the author actually substantiated why he thinks that those are "successes" as he's taking a hell of a lot on trust.

[Ban Hammer 14,571]

Now where is the post about 10 things he has done wrong in his presidency....

We just went through an election season where we hashed and rehashed everything he did wrong. He did a lot wrong. But in these last few days of his Presidency, it's not a bad idea to focus on what he did right.

and still not a thing about him funding aids awareness in africa.

[mawilson 2,133]

Now where is the post about 10 things he has done wrong in his presidency....

We just went through an election season where we hashed and rehashed everything he did wrong. He did a lot wrong. But in these last few days of his Presidency, it's not a bad idea to focus on what he did right.

and still not a thing about him funding aids awareness in africa.

Liberals hate it because the money comes with abstinence strings attached. Apparently,

no money is better than billions of dollars spent teaching abstinence which according to

them "doesn't work".

[Peikko 1,575]

I don't think anyone has said raising Aids awareness is a bad thing no matter what the means. It is however somewhat purile to attach 'religious' strings to raising awareness, as if religious zeal can prevent one from catching disease.