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August 1, 2008 - 6:16am.
How odd that President Bush, once a darling of conservatives, will come to be loathed by most of them. Bush's legacy, all but set in stone as his days in office dwindle, will not only be the crippling war in Iraq, which he will leave to his successor to end, but stunning changes in government. He just signed an astonishingly vast housing law, dismaying many conservatives. After threatening a veto, he privately, without the press to record the moment, signed a measure supposed to keep as many as 400,000 homeowners out of foreclosure (although more than 3 million are in trouble). But it also puts the government in the housing market in ways nobody can foresee and gives mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac an unlimited line of credit. Three out of four Republican lawmakers opposed it. Bush so misunderstood regulation that he weakened dozens of federal agencies, installing incompetent people at the helm, pulling the rug from under them or cutting their budgets so substantially they have no enforcement power. In doing so, he increased uncertainties in the marketplace. From the Food and Drug Administration to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to the Environmental Protection Agency, consumers and businesses are in a state of confusion. Whether it's global warming or clean air and water or safe toys or tobacco regulation, there are so many conflicting signals and such piles of litigation, it won't be sorted out for decades. Bush's alienation of many parts of the world may be rectified or modified in a matter of months, depending on the next president's priorities. It is Bush's policies -- and such catastrophes as Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib -- with whom they have a dispute, not Americans. But Bush's trampling on civil liberties will linger for years. The scientists, engineers and brilliant thinkers this country educated in its universities who were sent back to their own countries in the wake of 9/11 will be unable to contribute to solving our problems. Even in their old countries, many will not have the conditions, equipment, backing or money to do the research and innovative, collaborative thinking they would have done here. A nation of immigrants has kicked the door shut. Because of this administration, the government has powers to spy on, record, covertly listen in on and read the mail and email of ordinary Americans. That may set well when Americans are terrified of terrorists, but it will not set well if someday we disintegrate into a police state. Already, there are too many false imprisonments and official harassment of innocent citizens. On the same day Bush quietly signed the omnibus-housing bill, he exuberantly signed a bill authorizing $48 billion over five years to treat and prevent AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. But for the last seven years Bush enforced a rule that most HIV-positive people could not enter the United States. Why do presidents yield to their compassionate urges as they are leaving office? A capitalist, Bush leaves American capitalism in tatters. His tax cuts have benefited only the wealthiest. The Economist magazine reports three-fourths of the economic gains during Bush's presidency went to the top one percent of wealthy Americans. His policies did not lead to a trickle-down economy, or to an increase in the nation's wealth. The saddest, most disheartening legacy of the Bush years is that a can-do democracy has lost its optimism and respect for its own traditions. The polls, for once, seem accurate. Three out of 10 approve of Bush. One out of seven thinks Congress is doing a good job. Only one out of 18 thinks the economy is in good shape. It is to be hoped this is a temporary state of affairs, but it is too soon to know.
(Scripps Howard columnist Ann McFeatters has covered the White House and national politics since 1986. E-mail amcfeatters(at)nationalpress.com.)
Capitol Hill Blue's columnists, blogs and reader comments Capitol Hill Blue is an independent, non-partisan news site that belongs to no political party and subscribes to no political or philosophical point-of-view. Our columnists are welcome to their opinions but readers should understand that their views do not necessarily reflect the editorial policies of this web site. We also welcome comments to selected opinion columns and in our popular ReaderRant discussion forum. Please remember, however, that we believe in civility on this web site and comments may be reviewed, moderated or removed if we feel they contain obscenities, racism, bigotry, anti-Semitic remarks or attack other posters. Our goal is reasoned discussion on issues facing this nation and we do not feel that goal is served by personal attacks and by seeing how many cute adjectives you can attach to an elected official or politician's name. Copyright © 2008 Capitol Hill Blue
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This is an excellent
Submitted by Sandra Price on August 1, 2008 - 6:40am.This is an excellent summation of the Bush Administration. We may never get our national reputation back or our individual rights. We must not forget that a vote for McCain will continue this assault from the White House.
Bush will leave not a
Submitted by bryan mcclellan on August 1, 2008 - 10:33am.Bush will leave not a legacy, but a rap sheet longer than Al Capone's, filled with the most egregious and heinous crimes known to man. His party knows it and is scrambling to distance themselves and we can't afford to give them a pass on this.
All that he has wrought has been on the cherry picked advice of bribed and incompetent lawyers who suddenly have more power than the judiciary, because he says so.
If we get our day in court to air our grievances lets not forget a single rat in the trash pile that is this administration.
I'll probably catch hell for this statement but maybe we needed a good look at what we've become so that we can recognize our political follies and return to exercising critical thought before we kiss the ring of the Don.
Cheney and Bush have been
Submitted by Steve Williams on August 1, 2008 - 12:28pm.Cheney and Bush have been bad news for the USA.
.........................
Don't tread on me.
Ann, you've done an
Submitted by Charlie Couser on August 1, 2008 - 12:32pm.Ann, you've done an excellent job of describing Bush's presidency. However, when mentioning the Iraq war, you fail to mention the needless destruction of a soverneign nation and the river of innocent blood that flows from virtually every location in Iraq. This madman has more innocent blood on his hands than any dictator since WWII. This, of course, will be his well deserved legacy...
Charlie Couser
What "affair" would that
Submitted by Flapsaddle on August 1, 2008 - 1:33pm.What "affair" would that have been?
No one who is actually a conservative ever fell for the Bush shell-game. This was neoconservatives and the gullible.
Most sincerely,
T. J. Flapsaddle
Actually, conservatives
Submitted by MainstreamExtremist on August 1, 2008 - 1:46pm.Actually, conservatives should not be angry at Bush. They should be angry at themselves for being so stupid and blinded to have voted for this man -- not once, but, twice.
But, alas, they were more interested in keeping gay loving couples apart and defending 150-cell blastocysts rather than giving two s**ts about strapping our children and grandchildren with a horrendous bill for a war of choice.
To say nothing of Bush's economic policies that have debased our currency and have driven up the cost of fuel, food, etc.
Lest it be forgotten, Bush's first order of business was to transfer wealth from the have-nots to the haves, even as our bridges collapsed and one of our major cities was buried under water.
But, hey, at least Exxon still loves him, if that's any consolation. Not that he loses any sleep over it. You need a conscience to care.
Bush is not a true
Submitted by rockpyle on August 1, 2008 - 4:59pm.Bush is not a true conservative. He is a neo-conservative. There is a tremendous difference. There are many traditional democrats out there that could be labelled conservative.
F*ck Impeachment !! Strike
Submitted by Direct Democracy on August 2, 2008 - 12:12am.F*ck Impeachment !!
Strike until the federal government ratifies the International Criminal Court accord.
Turn the Bush administration over to The Hague to be prosecuted for war crimes.
FREE AMERICA
DIRECT DEMOCRACY
F*ck Impeachment !! Strike
Submitted by Direct Democracy on August 2, 2008 - 2:16am.F*ck Impeachment !!
Strike until the federal government ratifies the International Criminal Court accord.
Turn the Bush administration over to The Hague to be prosecuted for war crimes.
FREE AMERICA
DIRECT DEMOCRACY
RichardKanePA I agree with
Submitted by RichardKanePA on August 2, 2008 - 7:15pm.RichardKanePA
I agree with the Daili Lama that Bush is thrashing around without a clue to what is going on.
see,
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Dalai-Lama---Bush...
However, if we praise Bush every time he somewhat accidentally does something right, such as signing the new housing bill, perhaps we can persuade him not to attack Iran after all.
If the US collapses like Ancient Rome where Nero was fiddling while Rome was having a huge fire, we will all be sorry not just our incompetent leaders who some of us deserve by wanting just another average Joe in the White House, and afraid we may feel small if our leaders are better than us.
RichardKanePA
Yea, Tea parties are but
Submitted by bryan mcclellan on August 3, 2008 - 2:16am.Yea, Tea parties are but one.
Leave the narrowing to uncle sam.
They will fall ill enough of themselves.
The Kansan It's interesting
Submitted by The Kansan on August 3, 2008 - 9:59am.The Kansan
It's interesting that to put Bush in office, it took the combined strengths (money & lies) of the average republicans, conservative republicans, extreme conservative republicans, the christian taliban republicans, and the neo cons. And now all but one of these groups are distancing themselves from our gang of white house criminals. I actually enjoyed hearing years ago from a former white house insider that Bush, Chenny and Rove were laughing at the religious right for receiving their money and votes. The rest of the world and actually the majority of voters already knew that Bush et al were a bunch of mean, money hungry, power hungry liars. Thanks to Jeb Bush and our corrupt supreme court.
To all you people who voted for the curent administration, you are the guilty party. You chose to go with Bush, because you were not enough of an American to do the right think. I dispise all of you for your short sighted actions. The entire Bush amministration and YOU deserve the contempt of the world. There are only a few cases of someone so undeserving of anything, received the world on a silver platter. And squandered it. It appears that most of you have not learned anything, because you are supporting McCain. What a tragedy for America and the world. While discussing McCain, why did his lobbiest friend receive tens of thousands of dollars and told to go to the other side of the earth until after the election? She must have needed a vacation, I guess.