George Bush Senior dies

[STEED]

Former US President George HW Bush has died at the age of 94, his son George W Bush has announced.

George Bush Sr passed away at 22:10 local time on Friday (04:10 GMT Saturday), a family spokesperson said.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-46410225

Bit of a sad day for America.

[Skybird]

Reunified Germany owes him.

For a politician of his rank and power, he appeared to me as a surprisingly modest man.

That he called off the Gulf War too early and surprised even his own generals, then let his troops sit in idle mode and watch while the Iraqi rebels that were encouraged by America were mowed down by Saddams helicopters, is a treason not to be forgotten.

Thus my view of him is two-sided. Certainly more format and wits than his son. Active war experience himself, maybe that makes all the difference. All in all one of the better presidents the US had. Certainly more sense of realism than Clinton, Obama or Trump.

[Jimbuna]

~SALUTE~

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Skybird

That he called off the Gulf War too early and surprised even his own generals, then let his troops sit in idle mode and watch while the Iraqi rebels that were encouraged by America were mowed down by Saddams helicopters, is a treason not to be forgotten.

I have to respectfully disagree. The stated purpose of that war was to throw the Iraqis out of Kuwait. That mission accomplished, he seems to have felt that anything more would be to go beyond what we went there for.

As always I had my disagreements with some of his actions, but I think he was a better president than his detractors gave him credit for.

[Skybird]

It raises my hair to start a big thing loike a hiuge war only to end it over such little "details", Steve. He enfoirced a no flky zoine over all of Iraq, btw, not just Kuwait, but let Saddam have his ginshiopos aginst whioch the uprising rebels were defenceless. Under his reign the CIA had motivated the rtebels to rise, and the goal was obviously to topple Saddam - or to help him making himself a safe seat by creating a trigger he could use to wipe out those thtreatenign his reign. No matter how I look at it, Steve: his Iraq poliucy doe snot look well.



Considering further what a PITA Saddam later turned into. One may argue that Bush could not have known the fiuture. But the taste of things to come he should have had, and his staff shouöld have been able top forsee.



Bush's approach on Saddam and Iraq was inconsequent. The son's was even worse, of course: it was naive.



The argument that he wanted to avoid US troops doing house fighting I do not see as valid. in 2003 we learned what house fighting in Iraq meant (not the kind of fight one feared), and in 1991 Arab members of the coalition aginst Saddam who had troops on the ground were eager to point out that it should not be the Americans being the first to enter Bagdad, but that it should be Arab troops, themselves: Arab pride and all that. Egypt it was I think who took the leading voice for this, or the Saudis? Probably not the Saudis, but Egypt indeed.



But however. Its 27 years. A German paper wrote today that Bush senior probably was the most well-prepared president reaching the WH in the 21st century. And I think that could be correct.

[Mr Quatro]

Like Steve I had my problems with President Bush when he was in office, but he had a hard job to do. In hindsight he was good enough to be called my President.

Seldom is the son of a famous person bigger or brighter or better than the father, but his son went on to to do just that.

[u crank]

RIP Mr. President.

[Catfish]

May you rest in peace. ~S

[Platapus]

I always thought he had the best background to be president

He had military experience, but was not career military
He had diplomatic experience, but was not a career diplomat
He had Intelligence experience, but was not a career Intel person.
He had legislative experience, but was not a career congress member.

[Bilge_Rat]

RIP mr. President.

[vienna]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Reunified Germany owes him.

For a politician of his rank and power, he appeared to me as a surprisingly modest man.

That he called off the Gulf War too early and surprised even his own generals, then let his troops sit in idle mode and watch while the Iraqi rebels that were encouraged by America were mowed down by Saddams helicopters, is a treason not to be forgotten.

Thus my view of him is two-sided. Certainly more format and wits than his son. Active war experience himself, maybe that makes all the difference. All in all one of the better presidents the US had. Certainly more sense of realism than Clinton, Obama or Trump.

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

I have to respectfully disagree. The stated purpose of that war was to throw the Iraqis out of Kuwait. That mission accomplished, he seems to have felt that anything more would be to go beyond what we went there for.

As always I had my disagreements with some of his actions, but I think he was a better president than his detractors gave him credit for.

I was one of those persons who took exception when GHWB 'failed' to finish off Saddam in the first Gulf War; I thought he had unnecessarily wavered in, possibly, the face of other Arab states not wanting to see one of their own totally wiped out (perhaps fearful if it happened to Saddam, it could happen to them) and, possibly, those states using oil as leverage. I also thought Clinton was being cowed into just keeping the sanctions and the 'no-fly' zones in place for the same reason...

...However, and it is a big and important 'however', history has proven myself and an awful lot of others wrong and GHWB right: by capping the actions of Saddam and leaving intact some semblance of Saddam's regime, GHWB avoided the enormous error GWB committed when he ousted Saddam and totally destabilized the whole region, leaving the US, and the world, to deal with the fallout of terrorist factions such as ISIS, an enlarged AL Qaeda, and a revitalized Taliban, etc. GHWB had been aware enough to know it is easier to deal with one killer shark than splitting it up into schools of piranhas. GHWB was right and we who doubted him were wrong, very wrong...

The main quibble I had with GHWB was his insistence on continuing Reaganomics as the domestic fiscal policy of the US, particularly since it was already falling apart at the seams when GHWB took office and the economy really needed something to turn it around; GHWB's hesitancy to admit the country was sliding into a severe recession and seek anew path is what cripple his term in office; I do give him points for having the guts to raise taxes when the Regan-era policy of spend big with reduced revenue revenues was obviously failing; raising taxes was a significant step to try to stop the hemorrhaging, but it was a bit too little and more than a bit too late; Bush committed political suicide, but I think he did so for all the right reasons; in other words, he put reason and his responsibilities as POTUS over his own political career,and possibly his legacy, over partisan politics...

While I may have disagreed with him on some of his acts in office as POTUS, I have the greatest respect for him and his courage both in service in WWII and as POTUS...

RIP, sir and thank you for your very honorable service...








<O>

[August]

I find many of these gushing tributes on the news to be rank hypocrisy. They never had a good word for President Bush when he was alive but now that he is dead they are falling over each other to praise him. Same treatment was given to John McCain when he passed.

[vienna]

Just because a person criticizes someone deosn't mean they don't respect them. It is part and parcel of being in the public eye one will be subject to criticism; and those who do have the intelligence, character, self-awareness, and poise to realize there is is difference are those who, like GHWB, take it with grace and, perhaps, humor, and will bear no long ill will. One thing that is true about GHWB is that he didn't defile the office of POTUS with petty, childish, overtly childish personal attacks on those who criticized him: he just went on doing his job, to the best of his ability because he was a grown up man, with grown up experiences who was also a gentleman...












<O>

[Platapus]

Well put.

One can respect someone that one disagrees with.

[eddie]

Was really moving to see former Senator Bob Dole pay his respects today.