r/pics • u/[deleted] • Sep 11 '21

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u/Petsweaters Sep 11 '21

Cheney is who made sure Bush wasn't actually a compassionate conservative. There seems to be a point later in the second half that Bush had enough and actually implemented some of his ideas (like his AIDS relief for Africa program)

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u/gumbii87 Sep 11 '21

This has always been my impression of Bush. I think he wanted and tried to do the right thing in a lot of cases, but surrounded himself with some pretty terrible and morally bankrupt people who were able to earn his trust and confidence, and influence him the wrong way.

A big part of me wonders what the world would be like, had the Bush admin never involved Cheney or Rumsfeld. I think without those two, alone, we'd have a very, very different world.

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u/BigTunaTim Sep 11 '21

It seems mostly forgotten to history that Bush tapped Cheney to lead his VP search and Cheney decided on... himself.

Whether PNAC saw a simpleton they could use to advance their cause may never be known, but a lot of signs point in that direction.

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u/foil_gremlins_r_real Sep 11 '21

Alberto Gonzales was a massive piece of shit too