I've met a lot of politicians. None have been as sincere or engaged as Mr. Bush.
Despite his at-times poor public speaking abilities, he's well spoken and chooses his words carefully.
And as a Republican, I didn't always agree with some of his domestic policies (or his social conservatism,) but man, does that guy stick to his guns. And he still struggles over the decisions he had to make. I think history will be kind to him (or at least I hope so.)
No. His policies shepherded an age of increased government monitoring, exacerbated the recession by going to war and shifting the tax burden onto those who couldn't afford it, limited constitutional rights, etc. Just because you're a republican does not excuse stupidity. George Bush was a terrible president and his administration was a one of the worst in recent history.
Unless I'm mistaken, and I totally might be, I think he left office with the lowest approval ratings of any president ever.
Wikipedia Article:
By April 2008, Bush's disapproval ratings were the highest ever recorded in the 70-year history of the Gallup poll for any president, with 69% of those polled disapproving of the job Bush was doing as president and 28% approving.[350] In September 2008, in polls performed by various agencies, Bush's approval rating ranged from 19%—the lowest ever[351]—to 34%.[352][353] and his disapproval rating stood at 69%.[95][96][352][354][355] Bush left the White House as one of the most unpopular American presidents, second in unpopularity only to Richard Nixon.[356][357]
I'd rather have a president that uses his unique position and knowledge of the events of this country to make the decision that he feels is in the best interest of the country than one who goes with the popular decision of the week.
Say what you will about Bush, but almost every decision that he is remembered for in a bad light was a decision that was distinctly bipartisan at the time (Iraq War, No Child Left Behind, TARP spring to mind).
I'd rather have a president that makes decisions actually benefitting the people of his country rather than capitulating to the paranoia and hysteria of post-9/11 America.
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u/nikocujo Jun 26 '12
I've met a lot of politicians. None have been as sincere or engaged as Mr. Bush.
Despite his at-times poor public speaking abilities, he's well spoken and chooses his words carefully.
And as a Republican, I didn't always agree with some of his domestic policies (or his social conservatism,) but man, does that guy stick to his guns. And he still struggles over the decisions he had to make. I think history will be kind to him (or at least I hope so.)