Quote:
|
Originally Posted by DeepIron
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by GlobalExplorer
Something tells me this man will go down in history as a failure of Napoleon III proportions.
|
You know... that's my one real hope. I would like to see history record this man as the incompetent boob that he really is...
Seriously... can anyone think of a 20th Century American President whose time in office has been so injurious to America? I can't. Sure, they all have had their gaffes and issues, but I can't think of a single one that has brought stupidity of such monumental proportions to the office. |
Woodrow Wilson (D); Negotiated Treaty of Versailles; sold out on "peace without victory," in exchange for the failed League of Nations, compromising to force Germany into harsh reparations which all but guaranteed WWII
Warren Harding (R); Washington Naval Conference; which but for FDR and Carl Vinson would have left us woefully unprepared for WWII
Lydon Johnson (D); Great Society, ****ing up Vietnam so badly not even Petraeus could have saved it.
James Carter (D); Impotence in the face of our worst 'energy crisis,' and Iran; instigating the USSR-Afghanistan war by aiding and arming Islamist fighters to give the USSR "their own Vietnam."
These four are easily ahead...for now. But, as with these four, the damage done is best assessed with hindsight. The Iraq factor is mostly known; Bush mishandled it, then saved it. It cost us international political capital. Perhaps in the future it will be a shining example of how democracy and Islam can co-exist, but the effects of that may not be known for decades. (If that plays out though, then we wouldn't be talking about Bush as someone who caused damage, but as one of the most successful Presidents in history.) More immediately is the question of Iran, and perhaps, Pakistan. If the Iraq war has caused us to be so weak as to lack the capacity to either finally deter Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons or stop them through force, then Bush will climb a few rungs on the 'damage ladder.' Similarly, if cross-border raids into Pakistan cause an Islamic revolution there, creating an Iran-style government (like what happened on Carter's watch) but already armed with nukes, Bush climbs the ladder.