Bush Bashing

Lots of Bush Bashing going on. "Three quarters of Americans will be glad to see him go", says CNN. "Worst President in History", others say. Well, now, wait a sec...

I'll be glad to see him go. But I have to admit to myself that what I really want to see go is the economic disaster that's in progress, the health care calamities that we have, the rampant thievery that seems to be part and parcel of the financial services industry. I lay the blame for most of that at his door, when he spent huge sums in Iraq, denied health care here, and let the money mavens run amuck. Globally, I didn't like his attitude that the US had the moral obligation to reshape the world into democracies, preferably Christian democracies; locally, I despised his political intolerance. And, though it counts for little in the scheme of things, I grew tired and flummoxed by his inability to speak the English language -- without grace or eloquence, I could accept; without understanding, I could not. So, for all those reasons, I'll be glad to see the last of him.

But he wasn't totally incompetent.

Bill Frist, who used to be Senate majority leader, and who never seems to miss an opportunity to point out that he's a doctor, says that we should give Bush credit for things he did right. Specifically, the funding for AIDS research, and the increase in Medicare availability. Without those, he says, millions would have died, and if not died, then had serious financial and emotional hardships. He's right. Its difficult to see what Bush did right, both because he did so many things wrong, either through negligence or malice, and because his supporters tend to trumpet minor accomplishments as significant achievements, but its only fair to note that he didn't get it all wrong. With time, we may realize that other things were done right, too -- or at least not as wrong as they appear now.

I'll be glad to see him go, but I don't wish him ill.