by Roger Underhill
I got stuck the other day in the middle of a locker room conversation between three guys. One of them was going off about how mean people have been toward George W. Bush and how history will end up being good to him. The other two guys were just kind of listening and going along with what he was saying. This guy just kept going: he felt the “liberal media” was being overly harsh toward Bush and his legacy and he then rattled off a number of items that he thought people would look back on in 20-30 years and think fondly of W. He mentioned things like Bush’s reluctant, but positive step toward environmental issues, global trade, his strong response after 9/11, etc.
As this guy was going off, I found it really hard to bite my lip and suck it up – you know how it is in the locker room: if you’re not a part of the original conversation, it’s tough to barge in, especially when it’s a passionate conversation about politics. I felt like telling this guy that he’s full of shit and saying that it will be the opposite – that Bush did so many horrible things domestically and internationally that we don’t even know about yet, that his legacy will be trashed for decades to come. In short, that he will be acknowledged as one of our worst presidents ever.
Again, I didn’t say anything, but this conversation really got me thinking: what will Bush’s legacy be? Did he do anything really great, things that we aren’t even aware of yet? Or will it be the opposite, that he did so many wonderful things behind the scenes that all of this will gradually come to fruition and he will be more respected with time. Who really knows, but as more and more CIA and legal briefs come out about the U.S. secretly using torture techniques against al Qaeda, as well as how far out-of-bounds Bush’s domestic wire-tapping policy was, it’s easier to believe that it will turn out to be the former and not the latter. One thing that is clear, however, is that America’s reputation is weakened, along with its resources, moral authority, political power and presence in the world.
Then I got to thinking about President Obama and his current initiatives and policies to reverse a number of Bush’s policies. As I read the papers about Obama’s trips overseas and his meetings with other presidents – and recalling my own experiences of being in Berlin, Germany last year when Obama gave his speech in front of 250,000 spectators – the contrast to Bush could not be stronger. The world craves Obama’s - and now America’s - new Weltanschaung and it is quite incredible the reception that he is getting around the world. It’s also amazing the opportunities he has now to shape America’s policies and to significantly impact the country’s future direction.
And Obama can do all of this because of the majorities the Democrats have in Congress, which are largely a direct result of Bush. Clearly, both the 2006 and 2008 election cycles were all about Bush, with the Republicans losing major seats, and the White House, out of response to 8 years of Bush and his policies. Not to mention that for the first time ever, America elected a black man.
Therefore, I’m now in the camp that Bush’s greatest legacy may be his successor, Barack Obama. If it wasn’t for Bush and eight years of his policies, Obama might have never had a chance to put his stamp on the country. Indeed, he might have never been able to be elected. It’s clear that the majority of Americans were through with Bush and tired of his hawkish ways of governing and were therefore, looking for a fresh start. This created the context for Obama’s election.
Whether Obama can lead the country out of this current economic mess and help it regain the strong reputation it had pre-Bush remains to be seen. A lot of work needs to be done. However, if he can and it all does work out, we may have Bush to thank.
Guest posts are the opinions of the respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Random Thoughts publisher.
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