Is Bush A Total Failure

[KY Dave]

Bush Failures May Force McCain, Obama to Make Like FDR in 2009

July 21 (Bloomberg)-- When George W. Bush became president in 2001, his main goals included restoring ``honor and dignity to the White House'' after the Monica Lewinsky scandal, raising school-test scores and figuring out how to spend a record budget surplus.

The next White House occupant will inherit the deepest housing recession in a generation, growing fears of bank failures, a sinking dollar,$4 gasoline and an economy bleeding jobs. He'll confront wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mounting tensions with Iran and the U.S.'s flagging international reputation.

Historians say the economic and foreign policy crises in Bush's wake will present either Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain with the biggest challenges to a new president since Herbert Hoover left office during the Great Depression.

``What a burden the next president is going to confront,'' says Robert Dallek, a presidential historian and biographer of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.``It'll be like Franklin Roosevelt coming in, in 1933.''

The list of problems facing the nation means that campaign promises -- Obama's universal health care, middle-class tax cut and immigration overhaul, or McCain's corporate and individual tax reductions and energy-independence plan -- will likely be put on hold while the president focuses on more immediate concerns, especially the economy.

Waking Up Quickly

The next president is ``going to wake up very quickly to the fact that the economy so overwhelms everything else,'' says Stephen Hess, a presidential scholar at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

In 2000, the last time no incumbent was running, consumer confidence was at record levels and the economy had created 1.3 million jobs in the year's first six months. In August 2000, 89 percent of Americans said the economy was doing well, according to a Los Angeles Times poll.

With the expansion then in its 10th year, the contest between Bush and Vice President Al Gore centered on topics like education, prescription-drug coverage for the elderly and --with President Bill Clinton's affair with a White House intern fresh in voters' minds -- morality in the Oval Office.

The Times survey showed that, after education, the issues that concerned Americans most were Social Security and health care, as the nation debated how to use a $5.6 trillion surplus the Congressional Budget Office projected the government would generate over the next decade. During the campaign, Bush promised to return the surplus to taxpayers through broad-based tax cuts; when the nation entered a recession in 2001, he shifted gears and said the reductions would stimulate the economy.

[KY Dave]

Wiped-Out Surplus

After that recession, some $2 trillion in tax cuts and military spending in Iraq and Afghanistan, the government has produced only deficits since 2002. Bush's budgets have added $1.7 trillion to the national debt. The CBO, which estimates this year's shortfall will reach $396 billion, projects the red ink will flow through at least 2011.

Today, 82 percent of Americans say the economy is doing badly, and voters consider it the most important issue, followed by the Iraq War, health care, terrorism and illegal immigration. Education ranks sixth.

``People tend to ignore the economy when it's doing well and pay a lot of attention to it when it's not,'' says Arthur Miller, a political science professor at the University of Iowa and author of a research paper on issues in the 2000 election.

Job Losses

In June, employers cut jobs for a sixth straight month and the unemployment rate stood at 5.5 percent, a four-year high. Home prices in 20 cities dropped 15.3 percent in April from a year earlier, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller index.

Oil prices have set records due to global demand and tensions in the Middle East. That's pushed gasoline prices up 92 percent since January 2007 and increased the cost of filling the tank of a Chevrolet Suburban by $62, to $131.

Consumer confidence has fallen to its lowest level since 1992. Many economists expect a recession to begin later this year and continue into the first quarter of 2009, when the next president takes office.

The top economists on both presidential campaigns agree the economy is the priority, and each seek to affix their domestic agendas to that goal.

McCain's top economic adviser, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, touts the Republican candidate's energy-independence plan, the ``Lexington Project,'' as one key to jumpstarting growth. Obama adviser Jason Furman says his candidate's energy, health and tax plans represent a pro-growth blueprint:``If you can bring down the cost of health care, that can help the economy. If you bring fairness back to the tax system, that can be expansionary.''

[KY Dave]

Fannie and Freddie

An early issue facing the next president will be what to do about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-created mortgage-financing companies that together buy or back half the U.S.'s $12 trillion in home loans. While Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has floated a plan to shore up the two, fundamental change isn't likely under Bush, says Chris Mayer, director of the Paul Milstein Center for Real Estate at Columbia University in New York.

``Democrats in Congress are worried about giving Bush a blank check to fix this,'' he says.

The next administration will also have to deal with a host of foreign-policy issues that were largely absent in 2000.

Eight years ago, after a decade in which the country enjoyed the benefits of a ``peace dividend''-- U.S. military cutbacks after the collapse of the Soviet Union -- the biggest concerns were forging peace between Israel and the Palestinians, the emergence of China as a strategic rival and whether the U.S. should engage in ``nation-building,'' as it was doing in places such as Bosnia and Haiti. Bush entered office pledging to pursue a ``humble'' foreign policy.

Wars and Weapons

Come January, the new president will face the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Iran's efforts to obtain nuclear power, and the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear program.

U.S. casualties in Iraq have declined this year, taking some of the edge off public opposition to the war. Still, Bush has yet to set a timeline for withdrawing the 150,000 American troops, leaving it to his successor to decide whether to pull out and how fast.

Violence has risen in Afghanistan, and more troops may be needed. Attacks by extremists made June the deadliest month for the U.S. and its allies since the conflict began in 2001. In Iran, the U.S. is trying to convince the country to suspend uranium enrichment, and impose penalties if it doesn't. Even so, tension has increased, with Iran test-firing long-range missiles and Israel conducting a drill of its warplanes in what some military analysts saw as a rehearsal for a strike on Iran.

Road Map

And in North Korea, the U.S., China and three other nations are trying to establish a ``road map'' to outline how the Stalinist regime will abandon its nuclear weapons programs.

Obama, 46, an Illinois senator, or McCain, 71, of Arizona certainly won't be the first president to be sworn in amid simultaneous financial and foreign-policy turbulence. Kennedy began his term in 1961 nine months into a recession and with an invasion of Cuba already being planned; Ronald Reagan took office six months after the end of an economic slump and a little over a year after Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan.

The current problems may pose an even bigger challenge as anger at income inequality and ``greedy'' corporations threatens to undermine Americans' confidence in the system, says Dartmouth College political science professor Linda Fowler.

``The country is facing a crisis in capitalism,'' she says.

[Rep]

Yup I am a rep and still I think BUSH is a compelte failure. This is crazy. Bisnuess closing, people having hard times, jobs down, at war which looks like will never be won and will never end, wasting tons of money on the war when stuff here needs fixed, gas prices over 4 dollars a gallon. I didnt like Clinton, I wanted him out, but I now see he was GREAT!!! I will be voting Democrate in the nex election because if we put in Mccain, another stupid rep. we will ALL DIE!!!

[See]

Beshear faced the same situation after Fletcher and Nighbert went on blacktopping everything standing still running up a huge Transportation Cabinet deficit in Ky .

[could be]

I think the question amongst historians, comes down to, is he THE WORST President in American History. Is Bush a complete failure, Yes. Unfortunately he took millions of people, trillians(sp) of dollars and caused so much turmoil around the world too. Yes, Bush is a complete failure. The important thing to remember is he dug the hole and we'll spend decades and generations getting out of it.

[Albany1]

AMEN!

[furnandeux]

just what office is bush running for ?

[Americanpie]

furnandeux wrote:

just what office is bush running for ?

the same one that Al Gore and John Kerry ran for when all the talk...ALL THE BUZZ was still about President Clinton; the same one that HILLARY ran for when all the jibber-jabber concerned her husband; you know the one Furn...I'm certain you, yourself, remembered, recalled and repeated the mish mash that got Kerry and Hillary beat. Now, buddy, I think it's your time to lose a vote.

[could be]

Furnandeax, on a funnier note, Cheney and Bush are running for last place, my money's on them :)

[furnandeux]

Americanpie wrote:

<quoted text>
the same one that Al Gore and John Kerry ran for when all the talk...ALL THE BUZZ was still about President Clinton; the same one that HILLARY ran for when all the jibber-jabber concerned her husband; you know the one Furn...I'm certain you, yourself, remembered, recalled and repeated the mish mash that got Kerry and Hillary beat. Now, buddy, I think it's your time to lose a vote.

if you're right, we ALL lose -

[shalala]

furnandeux wrote:

<quoted text>
if you're right, we ALL lose -

I hope you lose. The ability to type. I am so over you.

[lol]

Everyone has a different opinion on the war and our current President. But, this article makes a lot of sense, take 2 minutes, read it and give it some thought.
When electing the next President, "the only decision you have to make is who you want sitting in that seat in the White House when - not if - WHEN we get
hit again and millions of American lives are put at risk!" This is from: "You ain't gonna like losing." Author unknown.

President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake
was not his decision to go to war in Iraq. Bush's mistake came in his belief
that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not.

Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was
steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in
this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the
people's duty to back those leaders.

Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and
stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the
war was going badly or not.

And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is
today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in
the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter. The people stuck with the
President because it was their patriotic duty. Americans put aside their
differences in WWII and worked together to win that war.

Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small
children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort.
Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help
the effort.

Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying
their best to join the military.

Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of
everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very
little complaining.

[lol]

You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President.
Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers
who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain
to them about our President. Instead, they made upbeat films and entertained our
troops to help the troops' morale. And a bunch even enlisted.

And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge
of Allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops!

Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our
cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage. No newspaper
would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies. A newspaper
would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or
Japanese soldiers were being 'tortured' by being forced to wear women's
underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or
did not have air conditioning.

There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a
constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on
radio. We did not have legions of crac k heads, dope pushers and armed gangs
roaming our streets.

No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made
the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our
fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so
dearly to preserve.

It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorra and the
land of Oz. We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed
when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.

We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that
it is okay, even their duty, to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It
has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims
are sympathetic to the terrorists cause... Hitler and Tojo combined did not have
nearly that many potential recruits. So... We either win it - or lose it - and
you ain't gonna like losing.
America is not at war. The military is at war.

America is at the mall, or watching the movie stars.

[terri]

What a great post.

[PickUpWhereYouLe ftOff]

Off the republican death culture while you are still able. Next time vote DEMOCRAT .

[really]

PickUpWhereYouLeftOff wrote:

Off the republican death culture while you are still able. Next time vote DEMOCRAT .

Remember Obama said in his book "Audacity of Hope",'I will stand with the
Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction'.....what better
place for the Muslins to control our country, than in the office of the
President of USA

[terri]

When your democrate is obama.I don't think so.He doesn't have enough experence.Why i might as well vote for you.

[nottahillraiser]

lol, great post! We have a lot yet to learn from that generation. I would like to see our troops treated with as much respect as those men and women of our two World Wars. War still consists of the same actrocities as it did then the bog difference is we are not able to see more and hear more of it thanks to the media. And the media is more concerned with making money than the moral or safety of it's citizens.

[Americanpie]

Everyone has a different opinion on the war and our current President. But, this article makes a lot of sense, take 2 minutes, read it and give it some thought.
When electing the next President, "the only decision you have to make is who you want sitting in that seat in the White House when - not if - WHEN we get
hit again and millions of American lives are put at risk!" This is from: "You ain't gonna like losing." Author unknown.
President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake
was not his decision to go to war in Iraq. Bush's mistake came in his belief
that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not.
Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was
steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in
this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the
people's duty to back those leaders.
Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and
stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the
war was going badly or not.
And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is
today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in
the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter. The people stuck with the
President because it was their patriotic duty. Americans put aside their
differences in WWII and worked together to win that war.
Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small
children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort.
Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help
the effort.
Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying
their best to join the military.
Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of
everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very
little complaining.(quote=lol)
Beautiful post and I agree with more of it than not. However, something else happened that you did not speak to, although you alluded to it with the word "mall". At some point, our society replaced our collective Soul with "stuff". how do we sustain our country's credo and belief in our intrinsic worth when we are primarily dazzled by thoughts of unabated acquisition rather than pride in patriotism? It's like building your house on the sand...and the walls came tumbling down.