Politics - The Urgency of Now

We have had the opportunity to reflect on the current political scene (and often times nonsense) and the race for the Presidency.  I have to admit though, that I have not really taken a lot of time to reflect on the legacy of our current President.  I feel that this is important, because often we only focus on the negative, or the immediate, without taking in the whole picture.  The Urgency of Now! 

Why this entry, and why now?  Whether you agree with their policies, decisions, etc., our elected officials represent the face of our country, both here at home and abroad.  How we react to their decisions molds us as a community, shapes our opinions and behaviors, and establishes the foundation for how we interact with one another.  My personal feeling is that we have failed in this arena – the negativism we have during our election process is astounding.  Our focus is very short sighted, basically showing our attitude of “What Have You Done For Me Lately?”  It is very easy to take a jab at another, but it takes compassion, intelligence, and understanding to focus on the positive.  This is what I believe leadership is all about, and it is something that I strive for each and every day.

One of my pet peeves is the lack of respect on the radio and television for our President, calling him “Mr. Bush”, a deliberate effort to demonstrate a lack of approval – but only succeeding in showing disrespect.  You do not have to approve of a person or their policies to show respect for their position.

Okay, let me jump down off my Soap Box now :o) 

Below, I present some things to consider when considering President Bush’s Legacy.  These considerations can also be used to shape your opinion with respect to what the current candidates will do to lead us for the next 4-8 years.

·          Moral leadership as a contrast to the Clinton years.  You may not agree, but President Bush has held firm on his positions regarding stem cell research, school prayer, gay rights, and abortion.

·          September 11, 2001.  Not sure if anyone could have done a better job than President Bush did.  Let us never forget!  Some would argue that the civil liberty issues have clouded these achievements, but the bottom line is that there has not been another terrorist attack on our soil.

·          No Child Left Behind.  You may not agree with all the details, but the consensus is that our schools are getting more focus and test results are improving.

·          The AIDS and Malaria initiatives in Africa, an issue on which little attention has been focused.  1.4 million men, women and children are alive because of treatment  received through this initiative.

·          Prescription drug benefits added to Medicare.  32 million seniors getting help to afford prescription drugs, including 10 million low-income seniors who get their medicine pretty much free.

·          Social Security Reform.  Failed to provide a politically workable vision that could revise the system.

·          Iraq. The ability to achieve an initial military victory was accurate, but the foresight to consider what happens next was missing.  Mission Accomplished was declared in 2003, and here we sit, still heavily involved with no clear exit strategy.  Recall, this was a decision that was endorsed by both houses of Congress. 

·          State Children’s Health Insurance Program expansion.  President Bush vetoed this legislation, due to budget considerations.  Seems short sighted.

·          Tax Cuts.  Resulted in 18 straight quarters of economic growth and low inflation. However, President Bush has also presided over one of the largest government expansions in history.  As a believer in smaller government, this is a hard one for me to swallow.

·          Katrina.  A tragic event with an even more tragic response by local, state, and federal agencies.  Subsequent disaster responses have been better, but Katrina was unforgivable.

·          Judicial Appointments.  This will be a lasting impact. President Bush will have appointed more than half of the Appellate and US district judges. He is also more than likely to fill three seats on the US Supreme Court, including Chief Justice John Roberts, Judge Samuel A Alito Jr and at least one more.

President Bush seems less likely to be remembered as a disastrous American president than as an ultimately insignificant one. President Bush has presided over a period of national and economic drift.  While for most of his Presidency, we were in a period of economic growth and historic lows for unemployment, 2008 may be remembered more for the credit crisis and return to recession.  The original vision of spreading democracy throughout the world will most likely be remembered more as a lack of a coherent approach to foreign policy.

Why loathe this president. The intensity of anger toward President Bush is peculiar. After all, Bush's domestic policy is not that much different from Reagan's and his foreign policy is pretty much in line with the doctrine that Truman lent his name to and which FDR would certainly have approved. How does one account for this intense wrath? More than principle or personal interest, politics is the domain of psychological need. In the case of Bush, the need of a passing Old Order to have enemies.

I would like to acknowledge those that I used to R&D this entry (by the way,R&D for me is Rip Off and Duplicate): Washington Post writer Michael Gerson; The Guardian (UK) featuring articles from Jacob Weisberg, Kathleen Parker, REmmetTyrrell Jr.; University of Purdue Professor and head of the Department of Political Science, Bert A. Rockman (author of the book “The George W. Bush Legacy”).

Tags: President Bush, Legacy, blogplugs