BF2S Forums It's 12:01 EST, January 20th

Kmarion wrote:

Bush's legacy in subSaharan Africa is and probably will be forever overlooked. He did an incredible amount of good there.

(But of course he doesn't like black people)

Completely forgot about this, for obvious reasons. I think most of Bush's African legacy will be the isolation from Darfur, which isn't necessarily fair.

[self-inflating, potentially arrogant, statement]As a blanket statement, when I was younger, I absolutely hated Bush. In 2000, it was because I was a Democrat purely, as were my parents. In 2004, it was because I was at the immature smart person phase; where I read some stuff, instantly think its right, and am proud of myself because I am informed. A major lack of critical thought in everything, that is. I was entirely focused on the negatives of Bush, and probably swayed by liberal publications. In 2008, I'm a bit more mature when it comes to looking at history and politics. Consequently, I'm not as inclined to think Bush is the abject failure I saw him as in 2004.[/self-inflating, potentially arrogant, statement]

Do you believe that bush was a puppet?

Poseidon wrote:

This is the final day of the Bush administration.

So, final questions for you all.

- Did you like support George Bush in 2000? 2004?   yes in 2004, wasnt really old enough in 2000
- Do you believe he should have won in 2000?     who knows
- Do you believe his response to 9/11 was the right thing to do?    The invasion of Afghanistan was understandable
- Do you believe his dealing with (and subsequent invasion of) Iraq was the right path?   No, Saddam had always been at odds with the greater Muslim community, and likely presented no threat
- How do you feel about his dealing with the situation in Israel/Palestine?   good enough, those people never learn anyway
- How do you feel about his response to Hurricane Katrina?   That's not his job, but rather that of state and local governments, as well as FEMA (lol)
- How did you feel about his cabinet members? Condoleeza Rice, Michael Chertoff, Henry Paulson, etc. nothing impressive, nothing awful
- Do you blame George Bush for the economy's current state?  no, we took out loans all on our own
- On a scale of 1/10, what would you rate George Bush's 8 years as POTUS?  5/10, not a hero by any means, but we're still standing
- What could he have done better, and how?   distanced himself more from the radical christian right, this is not and never will be a Christian nation
- Any other comments on his administration?   Much of the trouble we have today is as much Congress fault as it is the Executive branch, we seem to often forget that...

- Did you like support George Bush in 2000? 2004?

As compared to the alternatives? Yes.

- Do you believe he should have won in 2000?

Yes.

- Do you believe his response to 9/11 was the right thing to do?

Initially, yes.

- Do you believe his dealing with (and subsequent invasion of) Iraq was the right path?

No.

- How do you feel about his dealing with the situation in Israel/Palestine?

He's done as well as any other recent US President.

- How do you feel about his response to Hurricane Katrina?

He shouldn't have praised "Brownie" like he did.
The overall delay in response was due much more to the ineptitude of LA and NO government than the feds. All Bush and his administration did was follow federal laws with regard to state's rights.

- How did you feel about his cabinet members? Condoleeza Rice, Michael Chertoff, Henry Paulson, etc.

Mixed bag. He should've kept Powell on, fired Rumsfeld much earlier (along with much of Rumsfeld's staff)...and asked Cheney to step down prior to the 2004 election.

- Do you blame George Bush for the economy's current state?

Not entirely. The President's control over the economy is not absolute or even better than 50%. His unfettered spending (which I blame just as much on Congress) certainly didn't help.

- On a scale of 1/10, what would you rate George Bush's 8 years as POTUS?

Right now, about a 4-5. There's been much better, but there's been much worse. However, the true efficacy of a President's tenure isn't really known until decades later.

- What could he have done better, and how?

Listened to opposing views more often. Put personal loyalty aside when it conflicted with loyalty to the country. IMO, his biggest personal fault is personal loyalty (hence why so many douchebags weren't fired).

- Any other comments on his administration?

When Truman left office, he was considered the worst President in history. Now, he's considered one of the ten best.

Not that I think Bush will crack the top 20...just perspective.

- Did you like support George Bush in 2000? 2004?

Fuck no

- Do you believe he should have won in 2000?

Nope, the Electoral College is bullshit.

- Do you believe his response to 9/11 was the right thing to do?

Yes

- Do you believe his dealing with (and subsequent invasion of) Iraq was the right path?

No

- How do you feel about his dealing with the situation in Israel/Palestine?

I just think we should leave them alone.

- How do you feel about his response to Hurricane Katrina?

Shitty

- How did you feel about his cabinet members? Condoleeza Rice, Michael Chertoff, Henry Paulson, etc.

Rice and Chertoff were ok.  Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Paulson, and Ashcroft were all shit though.

- Do you blame George Bush for the economy's current state?

somewhat

- On a scale of 1/10, what would you rate George Bush's 8 years as POTUS?

1 being shittiest, I'd say 3.

- What could he have done better, and how?

I don't have enough space here for that.  Balancing the budget would be a good start.

- Any other comments on his administration?

good fucking riddance