Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

.This is the President who took us into a foreign country to invade,lied to us about why, didn't believe in global warming, stopped stem cell research, put our country in so much debt that our grandchildren will be paying for his spending, gave the very very rich a great tax break off the backs of the middle and poor. I lost a newphew in this occupation and for what? Look at the spying on Americans,the state of the Veteran Hospitals, and how my newphew was brought home hidden from media as President Bush won't even honor his casket...4004 killed and many more terribly wounded but we are to just keep killing and maiming our poor soldiers for lies. In my lifetime, this President Bush is the WORST leader for the middle class and the poor. I was a Republican but switched because of this President. Better things to do than try to convince anyone on here .

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Many think Bush is doing a great job,but I can't figure out if its for us or on us.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Hosed by taxes or hosed by war debt..your choice..either way we'll most likely be hosed.
There may be more of us alive to hose if one votes Dem.








ote author=billethkid link=topic=4996.msg45617#msg45617 date=1206823235]
I will wait until there is a new President to compare him to as the past is what ever it was at the time and we know not what any President could or couldn't do at the time.....just like we don't know all the issues, except what the media presents, about Bush or any other subject.

I want to see which candidate running their lips about the war...how long it takes for them to make everybody happy......in the mean time don't hold your breath.

I will give my opinion about Bush one year after January 1, 2009.....remember we could have done and could do worse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BTK
[/quote]

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Whoever the new President is, he or she will have 8 years of damage to start to clean up. I liked Hilary's comment on "It took one Clinton to clean up after a Bush administration and now it's time for another Clinton to clean after a Bush administration." It will be very hard to judge the new President for a couple of years. I'm with Hillary or Obama. I think McClain will give us the same old, same old, even though it may not appear that way. As for higher taxes, well get a grip. Someone has to pay for Bush's War. So far it's just been the middleclass. Let's get the deep pockets to chip in. And that $600 is laughable. One of his comments was that it would offset the decrease in home values and I love Jon Stewart's remark "yes, if your home is plastic and is located on Baltic Avenue!" Bush spends money like it's Monopoly money, so the comment was completely on point. Can't possibly get worse than Bush. Just my opinion. ;)

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

I agree with Chels about the taxes. The whole point I believe of the tax cuts was to stimulate the economy, but look what has happened. The loss of tax dollars, plus the ridiculous amount we're spending on the war is driving the nation into the ground. I think raising the taxes is a case of tough love. No one wants to do it, but its a necessary thing especially if we're goint to rescue Social Security.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

This is not in praise or condemnation of President Bush or any member of his administration.

Now that the disclaimer is in place, let's take a look at the "8 years of damage..."

1. The last time before 9/11 there was an attack on US soil was in the 1940's. Prior to that time the US was neutral regarding the Axis initiatives in Europe and Asia. Once the attack on US soil the sitting president (a Democrat, no less) committed the military and Congress affirmed. The result in the eyes of some back then was only that there were 292,000 US killed-in-action and a staggering debt -to be paid by their grandchildren-. Was the Democratic president correct, and how infallible was the intelligence information given him, especially since the US did not have anything like the US Intelligence Community of today? And the Intelligence Community of today, now headed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is a far sight better funded and organized now compared to the semi-dismantled state prior to the Year 2000 - meaning that the next President will have a better picture of the world and its innerworkings than the current President had inherited.

2. The mortgage crisis centers around an overtly-inflated housing market of 2004 and the 99% 3- and 5-year balloon-payment mortgages people took on those homes. I bought-and-sold houses in 2004, and one of those houses has a 5-year balloon-payment mortgage (but not anywhere near that 99% then-value). That purchase was a personal financial decision knowing full-well that markets go up-and-down. Why should all of us, as we are the government, become the aftereffect insurer for those who made risky business deals? The Executive Branch does not have any authority to commit public funds for a post-act insurance payoff (that's Congress' sole domain).

3. NAFTA first got life during President G.H.W Bush, but was fought for by President Clinton and signed by him after passage by a Republican-majority Congress (the Democratic vote was split). For those who are anti-NAFTA, you can blame them all, Republican and Democrat of that era. The current administration has to live with NAFTA being the law of the land and insure it is being followed as written - not a very popular job to inherit.

The bottom line is - we have a President who heads the Executive Branch of the government. S/he does not head the Legislative or Judicial Branch. As a result, we do not have an ersatz king or dictator who "rules" the populace. Yet, it seems like there is a perception that the next President will be an economic, military and diplomatic Pied Piper, able to lead away the rats of the world by playing a pretty tune and making the town merry again.

Personally, I hope the next President is a tough, well-tested, mean SOB (or DOB?) able to alley-fight with the best of them, while at the same time having the managerial skill to keep a 2.5Million employee workforce running on-time and within-budget. Snappy catch-phrases are Pied Piper tunes, and end up sounding hollow in the end.

So, when I look at the three Senators who look to be on the ballot, I ask myself who's the meanest, smartest, toughest, most-experienced and least-naive. Luckily, I still have a few months to make up my mind.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Steve, given your criteria, sounds like Hillary is your (wo)man. No question the woman is tough and can be downright mean. There's also no question she is smart and I doubt she has a naive bone in her body -- Bill made sure of that with his behavior through the years. Obama would have to be out of the picture given the fact he's not shown himself to be mean, just smart.

McCain was tough enough to survive a POW camp, but I'm not convinced he has the political toughness this job requires -- he seems to have won the Republican nomination more by default or the lesser of evil choices than by showing any real strength IMO. Could be wrong on that one. To me, he's kinda a nice guy who won't finish last but probably won't finish first. He's been a political creature too long to be naive. I think he's intelligent but I do believe Hillary has him seriously beat in the brains department. Guess he does win in the most experienced department, unless you count the years Hillary served as Bill's second-in-command.

And, no, I'm not advocating HRC as the next Prez. I'm still on the fence. I like Obama's words but I doubt he would get my vote -- just not enough experience to make me comfortable and I'm not convinced I would be thrilled with his choice of advisors.

For me, the deciding factor is who will be the advisors, the Cabinet and will the President listen to the advisors yet be strong enough to say, "No, this is my decision and it stands, right or wrong." after listening to all the facts and weighing them well and honestly. I would also expect the President to be able to say, "You're right, I hadn't considered that aspect. We'll either go your way or shelve the idea for now." I don't want a bully for President. I also don't want a milquetoast.

Wow! Just Answer Some Major Questions Regarding The Last Eight Years
 

While I have some definite ideas about who should be the next President of the U.S., I see little need to post a message here that can be categorized as "Bush-bashing".

On the other hand, I feel that I must respond when some post equally narrow and unbalanced opinion complementing the current administration for doing a good job while in office.

I think maybe a reasonable way to assess what is really correct is to simply answer a few questions. Following may not be the most complete list of questions one might ask about the political leadership of the last eight years, but it might offer a good start.

• Does the American public feel good about their current situation and their future?
• Is there a general feeling of confidence in the leadership being provided by the President and the Congress?
• Is there broad support for remaining in the longest war in U.S. history?
• Does it now appear that the loss of more than 4,000 American lives and what now appears to be more than $1 trillion in U.S. treasure will result in resolution of the unsettled political and religious situation in the Middle East? Or has our involvement there made the situation worse?
• The current administration ran on a platform of high moral standards. Yet over 5% of the Congress--mostly from the President's own political party--have been indicted, convicted, or are currently under federal investigation. As recently as today, a member of the President's cabinet had to resign under the cloud of pending prosecution. That's the second member of the cabinet to join several other senior members of the executive branch in resigning in shame. Has the morality claimed as a platform by this President been upheld?
• In only eight years our country has become the greatest debtor nation in world history. The annual federal deficit has gone from a positive $400 billion to a negative $700 billion with a total deficit now nearing $1 trillion. Has this administration governed with a responsible fiscal policy?
• The number of Americans without access to healthcare has increased in eight years. Both the Social Security trust fund and particularly Medicare are now within a few years of insolvency. Has the administration lead responsibly on these subjects?
• The negative imbalance of our international trade with other countries continues to increase in spite of the fact that we have permitted the value of the U.S. dollar decline to the lowest level in history. We no longer actually manufacture any of the important products that our economy was previously known for. Our gross domestic product is now comprised of profits from financial trading, software, retail sales of imported goods and services. Our largest single export item is scrap metal. Has the administration provided economic leadership in the least eight years?
• Our children now rank below the top 25 countries in the world in standardized test scores at the high school level. U.S. employers regularly complain that they cannot find competent, trained people to fill their jobs. They move offshore to get competent employees at a reasonable price and are castigated for doing so. Who is really at fault for this problem?
• There is repeated and clear evidence that our elected representatives are willingly and enthusiastically beholden to special interest lobbyists. Yet no particular leadership has been provided to reverse the influence of special interests. Should we expect more from both the President and members of Congress?
• Anyone who has studied the operation of the U.S. government says that the polarity between the major political parties is worse than at any time in memory. Has any leadership been exhibited that would reduce this problem and permit governance to proceed under more statesmanlike conditions? Or have actions by this President actually made the problem worse?
• Our economy is almost certainly now in recession. When this President took office, economic growth and stability and consumer confidence were at decade-long highs. The economic decline from where we were at the beginning of the first term of the current President and where we are today is unprecedented. Should the President be complemented for his economic leadership?
• The reputation of the U.S. among the world of nations has declined to disappointing lows. Americans are so hated and disrespected in many parts of the world that it is unsafe for us to travel there. Almost all learned observers say that we have squandered our moral leadership in the world of nations. That was almost certainly not the case during the administration of the previous President. Can the situation be reversed with a new administration beginning in 2009?

---------------------------------------------

I hope this note isn't categorized as "Bush bashing". What I do hope is that people think about some of these issues--maybe even ALL of these issues--as they prepare to select the candidate they will support in the November Presidential Election.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

:bigthumbsup: :bigthumbsup: :bigthumbsup: Great post Kahuna!

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Kahuna,
Thank You!

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Villages Kahuna!!!!
You said it all extremely well.





P.S. I wish we could clone you and vote your clone into office!

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Very well said, Kahuna. Add another thank you to the mix!

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

KAHUNA I TOTALY AGREE And I Can't see how anybody can disagree
:hot: :beer3: :hot: :beer2: :hot:

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Kahuna,

While I may question a couple of the points, the bottom line is that you are "on the money" when it comes to the fact that Americans need to really review all of the issues important to them and vote in the same manner as if they were hiring an employee who will have "signature authority" for them on many financial and safety issues.

Your points were well articulated, and it would sure be nice if any of the candidates provide substance in how they would make life better, or solve specific problems, or resolve issues, as opposed to the finger-pointing, catch-phrasing BS that has predominated the campaigns so far.

The "I have a plan, but I can't tell you what it is..." tactic really turns me off. That's just a political tease. It sort of like someone offering to sell you a house, but you can't look inside it, count the number of rooms, or even flip a light switch until the papers have passed.

The dialogue on this board has been great - and my thanks to all on it, even if our opinions are different. That's what makes it great, and the sharing of thoughts helps us all to learn and understand more.

...and Red - Hillary's claim of being "experienced" rings hollow to me. A couple years as a Senator (no different than Sen. Obama) and 8 years of sideline-watching as First Lady (no different than other First Ladies who may have had influence, but no authority or responsibility) doesn't equate as 'experience' to be a Chief Executive. I will grant you that she is tough in a Margaret Thatcher way. Now, if she came forth with specifics instead of sound-bites on "solutions" rather than "complaints," I could still be swayed....

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Now I have to defend my girl Hillary ;D When she was First Lady, every single day in the media we heard that she was too involved with making White House Decisions. Now, it doesn't count as experience! You can't have it both ways. As for laying out plans, I don't know what everyone else is hearing because it baffles me that they keep saying no solutions are being given. In every debate and on every talk show, from both Hillary and Obama, I hear "This is my plan and this is how I plan to do it or pay for it." and then they proceed to lay it out. This "no solutions" BS has been buzzing around from both sides and I just simply don't understand it. Open your ears, open your minds and listen. Just my opinion. ;)

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Sorry, but "experience" happens when you have authority AND responsibility. She had neither as spouse of the President. I have yet to hear President Clinton say or admit that his spouse actually made any decision or was involved in any way other than as an "interested party."

As far as the press is concerned, the Fourth Estate's record for accuracy is not stellar by any stretch of the imagination.

My ears are open, as well as my mind, and I don't rely on the Fourth Estate as my sole body of information.

As far as 'plans' are concerned, the candidates (all three of them!) have been slim on specifics, and instead have at best stated 'goals' they would like to attain. Actual 'plans' on how to attain those 'goals' have been invisible. Again, that's true for all of them.

Perhaps, when it becomes a two-person race the specifics on some 'goals' will be presented if for no other reason than the competition for votes may demand it. Until then, it's still a beauty pageant.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

How can you even say he is the worst when you were alive for the worst president of all time - Jimmy Carter? Well, maybe Hoover was worse.
I think you guys are way to hard on Bush - never mind he inherited a recession and gave us 6 years of good times - now things are slowing down a bit and everybody jumps on the poor dude - none of you in TV seem to be suffering much.

Here are the presidents I lived through and my grades-
Kennedy - way overated, but had good vision - ended up NOT getting us all killed, last of the conservative tax cutting dems - B

Johnson - Civil rights gives him a boost, plus a pretty solid economy - C+

Nixon - man, talk about a guy who go a raw deal, if he would have been a dem, would never have left office - good on foreign policy, not great on economics - remember price controls?? yikes - C-

Jimmy Carter - when you invent a new economic term, you are really doing bad - and his foreign policy was horrid - remember the daily count of Iran and the prisoners - almost destroyed this country single handedly - F-

Ronald Reagan - Thank God you came along, rest in peace. Anybody that even tries to argue that Reagan and Volker did not save this country from the abyss has absolutely no economics training (I do by the way, and teach economics as an adjunct at the local college). 30 years of prosperity and kids who don't really know what a bad economy even looks like, and won the cold war for a sideshow. The only blemish is not standing up to congress and getting a balanced budget - still give him an A - look at the competition.

Bush 1 - Raised taxes - stupid and ended up with a mild recession which cost him a second term. Wimpy too, and should have gone on to Baghdad back then - C

Clinton - First term - Democrat - F, Second Term - turned into a conservitive - NAFTA and welfare reform - I think the Republicans should have backed off on the impeachment, it was a wast of time, although he SHOULD have been impeached for the felony of lying under oath - if he had an R behind his name, he would have resigned in his 6th year..oh well - I still give him a B in his second term despite being asleep at the switch on terrorism - a C overall

Bush 2 - another Democrat with an R behind his name - the guy is more liberal than Clinton is some ways - Medicare Drugs???? No Child left behind?? That is liberalism with a capital L. Offset with an overall good economy(have to judge 8 years guys), no attacks after 9/11, good judge picks and tax cuts. More negatives is how the war went for far too long, and immigration - why can't we seal the darn borders? I give him a C also.


Pretty bad that in 44 years we have only had one guy that was a standout - and we may not have another in my lifetime at the rate we are going. I hope Johnny M is elected and proves me wrong, but we don't have a great track record do we....

The worst part is that Congress is WORSE....

Agree With You On Reagan, Packer Fan
 

Reagan took over the country with the economy in a shambles, growing federal deficits, high interest rates and lousy consumer confidence. He both dramatically cut federal spending and at the same time got limited tax cuts passed. He was the first President in decades who told both the politicians and the public that you can't spend what you don't have...and made it stick! He was a superb communicator and had enough ability as a statesman to bring the farthest left and right factions together. And even though he came to office with limited foreign policy experience, he was soon respected around the world (remember, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!")

It's too bad he didn't serve one six-year term instead of two fours, because some of his subordinates (one being the well-known Daily Sun columnist, Olliver North) got his legs chopped out from under even though he may not have been culpable.

Having said that I agree with you on Ronnie doesn't mean I necessarily agree on some of the others. Sticking with the current resident of the White House, he took over with a mild recession but with a federal surplus being generated to the tune of about $400 billion a year. He turned that into the largest deficit in history with our country being the largest debtor in world history. He was and is an idealogue of the first order, running the country (into the ground, some say) seeking the counsel of almost no one but himself. He presided over a political constituency who became increasingly emboldened in feeding at the trough of the federal treasury. He has dragged both our national reputation as well as our financial strength and independence into a rat hole. He selected and supported apointees to his administration who demonstrated ghastly flaws in chaacter. And then there's the war. No, I can't give Dubya a C...not even close. He's in a tight race with Jimmy Carter as far as I'm concerned, except Carter is a more worthwhile and respectable human being.

But enough Bush-bashing...and my tirade immediately above was a bash, although it wasn't planned and came from the heart. More important than the bash, who have we got running for the job beginning in 2009 and what might they do? Do any of them have the cajones to force the Congress and cajole the public that we must return to pay-as-you-go? Do any of them have the potential to quickly return our country to one which is respected thruout the world? Do any of them have to potential to re-direct the world towards peace? Do any of them communicate well enough to convince America that we can and must change our ways? Will any of them "throw the money changers" out of Washington so that true "government by the people" can return? Will any of them stop the spending on unnecessaries and begin to expend our tax dollars in a way that will improve the lot of both Americans as well as other citizens of the world?

There's a couple of the candidates who have that potential, I think. I have a favorite, but I would gladly vote for the other as well.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/yaysmiles.gifKahuna!

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Kahuna, I overall like your style - but I have to disagree on a few things -

1. The war - you will find I am not going to back down on speaking my mind. Although I am not going to stand up for how he "conducted" the war, I will not stand by and let people just act like he went in alone. The Dems and everyone else voted for the war, and now want to go back and whine that it is all Bushes fault. The reality is that he did not lie, and nobody whined until it got a little hard. It is not like he was over there collecting intelligence - he and all the members of congress believed the intelligence. The reality is, the thing that should really scare us the most is "WHERE IS ALL THAT STUFF NOW???". We know it existed, so where did it go? He gassed the kurds with it, killing thousands, and where is it now? I pray it does not end up in an American city someday.

Of course, this will not matter until the next attack - do me a favor - print out this post and tack it to a bullitin board somewhere so when the next attack occurs, you can check it out.

2. I think you are Bashing when you say that Carter was more respectable, yada yada yada. I think Jimmy Carter was a wonderful person and a lousy president. Letting the hostages in Iran for 444 days is inexcusable, and worse than what we did in Iraq, sorry. I would rather be disliked by some than be the laughingstock of the world for 444 days. Jimmy Carter was a good person no doubt, I don't think GWB has done anything to make us think any different of him. All the junk about lying about WMD and all that is a bunch of malarchy(keeping it clean here :#1:)

Clinton on the other hand - scumbag extraordinaire - interns in the office? The guy ranks with the dude dating the pages in the senate.

3. The economy - I have to tell you, I am actually IN the economy every day (ok, I envy all you retired guys, big time). The media is overhyping just about everything. Our biggest concerns should be INFLATION and not a recession. Yes, we may end up with a mild recession on paper - but the job market is still incredibly strong (it surprises me, that is for sure, lots of jobs, no qualified people to fill them). Everything is going up in price - everything from China is up 30%, Steel is up 40%, Aluminum is up 25%, paper is up, plastics are up - and this is all in the last year. Demand is decent, and for many items it is actually strong (you can't sustain price increases without demand). A lot of this is the weak dollar, and that had to happen due to the trade deficit(which Bush did not create by the way, Americans did). Imports are fading and Exports are climbing - John Deere, Caterpillar, Bucyrus, P&H, Manitowoc Crane, Harley Davidson are all running at capacity to satisfy the export markets - the only issues are that many companies need to build a foreign sales force to take care of their new competitiveness. If the dollars stays low(It almost has too), this will correct itself and exports will continue to climb.

Although Credit is tight due to the subprime mess, it seems to be loosening up lately and I am sure will be back to normal in 6 months to a year.

My message is not to overreact about the economy. The media will be screaming how bad it is in an attempt to get Obama elected, just like they did in 2004 - when we were in the middle of a boom! Some people will believe it and most of us will continue to go to work everyday, and in a year we will look up and the stock market will be up 15% from current levels, GDP will be at 3% and unemployement around 5% - my only concern is that price levels will be up 5-10% at the same time - and that should be the concern of all of you who are living on a fixed income, NOT a recession.


Bottom line for me is that Bush will go down as another in a line of Mediocre presidents, not great, not bad, about the same as Clinton.

We won't really know for about 20 or more years until we have a little more objectivity, and see the results longer term of Iraq, etc.

Carter was long enough ago to really Judge - I can't for the life of me think of one thing good that came out of his presidency, except the election of Ronald Reagan.

Ed

Pack, We Can Agree To Disagree...And That's Good
 

The war. I'm not the least bit interested in how the war began, how bad the intelligence was, or who voted for it. I'm far more concerned with the fact that the war is now the longest in history and we're farther away from establishing democratic peace in Iraq than we were the day Saddam's statue came down. We continue to sacrifice American lives and spend gobs of money in a war that cannot be won and which increases the hatred against us and thereby increases rather than decreases the prospect of more terrorist attacks in our homeland.

Bush Bashing. Even though I wasted a paragraph in an earlier post, there's little value in whining about what this President accomplished or didn't accomplish in his eight years in office. We'd all be better served spending out time choosing the right person to succeed him.

The Economy. My comments on the economy are not at all short term. If the stock market and the rate of economic growth return to previous levels, that won't cause me to reduce my criticism of the fundamental structure and competitiveness of the U.S. in the world economy. We are failing to provide our business community with an educated workforce and under the guise of maintaining a "free market economy" we're encouraging market participants to operate with an extremely short-term perspective. I agree with you on the danger of inflation. But the fundamental underlayment of our economy has been damaged to an extent that we are becoming a second rate economic power in the world. Inflation is dangerous because it might be the issue that most quickly reveals the depth of our problems.

Rating Presidents. Again, I'm not too interested in which of our recent Presidents will be rated by historians as best, average or worst. I think we all might be better served by studying and understanding how they lead the country, how they governed, and how their governance addressed the most fundamental problems facing the country during their terms of office. Did they make America better or worse on their watch? Did they leave their successors with a firm foundation for continued improvements or a bushel of problems that must be cleaned up before any positive leadership can occur? The purpose for seeking such understanding is for Americans to exhibit more wisdom in choosing political leaders and to equip future political leaders with the lessons of history so they can do a better job of leading and governing.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Kahuna,
You rock! :)

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

One this is for sure - whoever becomes (is)(or was) President, that person is only as good as the cadre of advisors surrounding him/her. There has never been an 'all-wise, all-knowing' President, and the folk who are appointed to the various "Secretaries, counsels-to, advisors, etc. form that inner-circle at 1600 PA Ave and make the policies which direct how the Departments operate. If that herd of folk contains any clunkers, the ripple-effect back within the Departments and eventually back to the White House can be brutal.

Having seen a lot of this first-hand, the real impacts are not necessarily at the Secretary level, but instead occur at all of the "Under Secretary" and next-level positions that fill the operating arms of each Department. Yet, the public never seems to notice or care whether the person filling these appointed positions has any technical qualifications or is simply being rewarded with title for having been loyal to the party. If both political parties have anything in common, it has been historically to use the "Plum Book" as a party employment guide where past party service always seems to be the ultimate deciding factor (when was the last time an administration appointed persons not of their party to key positions???)

So, we're back at the beginning. No matter what the campaign rhetoric, we the voters are betting on a blind race. While we can see the horse, we have little information on the jockey, no information on the trainer(s), don't know who "owns" the horse (now and in the future) and have no idea who the grooms will be when the race is over and the horse needs brushing down. Yet, the horse is only as good as the "support cast" and by itself is just so much meat-on-the-hoof.

A suggestion - pay a LOT of attention as to who surrounds each candidate, who endorses, who appears at campaign stops, who the lead-off speakers at each campaign appearance, and who attends the fund-raisers (especially the big ticket ones). Those will be the folk who will REALLY run the government and make the day-to-day decisions and provide the top-level advice the sitting President listens to - and in many cases directly TELL the President what the decision will be that will be made public from the White House. That's the reality of the situation - past, present, and future.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Sorry...I really do apologize...

But thought this post could use a little humor...

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/h...n/image001.jpg

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

:bigthumbsup: Good bit of humor Brightspot and in my opinion right on the money! ;)

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

History will be the judge of President Bush, not current events. Truman, for instance, has only been appreciated after he left office. He was quite unpopular while in office.
As far as the economy is concerned, we are in a cyclical downturn. We have had them before and we will again. The price of energy is due to 30+ years of failed energy policy, both Dems and GOP. In a historic sense, inflation is low as is unemployment. Lord knows where the eocnomy would be without the Bush tax cuts, especially on capital gains.
So, I think given the cards he has been delt, President Bush is doing a pretty good job.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Thanks Brightspot - that was perfect!

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

President Bush often argues that history will vindicate him. So he can't be pleased with an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted by the History News Network. It found that 98 percent of them believe that Bush's presidency has been a failure, while only about 2 percent see it as a success. Not only that, more than 61 percent of the historians say the current presidency is the worst in American history.

By the way, the media is mainly controlled by Rupert Murdoch. The Liberal media is a myth promoted by Fox noise.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Pretty much hits the nail on the head! Too bad he's not running for president!

Lee Iacocca Says:

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course" Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned " Titanic". I'll give you a sound bite: "Throw all the bums out!" The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom -poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the " America " my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you? I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest "C" is Crisis! Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A Hell of a Mess So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while health care costs are slaughtering our once-great companies. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way These are times that cry out for leader ship. But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point. Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened. Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down , fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time. Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "The Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it? Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry. I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of, that some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

:bigthumbsup: :bigthumbsup: :bigthumbsup: Great post Junglejim!

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

It was adequate. Of course, it was adequate 3 weeks ago when it was posted the first time.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

A BIG NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Let me share with you a quote I found in Winklopedia-

He overcame the low expectations of many political observers who compared him unfavorably with his highly regarded predecessor. At one point in his second term, near the end of the ... War, ...(his) public opinion ratings reached the lowest of any United States president. Despite negative public opinion during his term in office, popular and scholarly assessments of his presidency became more positive after his retirement from politics and the publication of his memoirs.

Oh, I forgot to mention that this was about President Truman. Hmmm.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Bush did not and will not overcome my low expectations of him. I'd say "Mission Accomplished!" :o

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

I am with you Chelsea.( and millions of others). Include in those millions-his old press secretary!! Scott has written a book and he still considers himself a friend of Bush! When your press secretary puts your job down-- you....you are no Truman!

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Time heals all wounds.

It made Pres's Truman, Kennedy, Roosevelt (both), Johnson (both), Hoover, Adams (both) Reagan and Eisenhower more tolerable to their critics and venerated in some circles, especially since they aren't around to make public appearances and commentary. All had their quirks, failures, image problems and other negativities.

It's too early for Pres's Carter, Bush (both) and Clinton, as they still have some limelight being shined upon them.

Pres. Nixon, by virtue of his resignation, will probably always have a shadow over his administration.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

To the question asked on the topic of this thread...
President Bush's old press secretary doesn't think he is doing a good job. Scott's book just came out.

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

I don't understand why this question can't be answered is HE doing a good job
Yes because he's done this and that Or no because he's done this and that Why is it being answered by comparing him to other Presidents Isn't there anything good or bad that can be said about him directly :dontknow:

Re: Does anyone really think Bush is doing a good job?
 

Thanks, I agree. :) I have said bad job many times and in many ways.
So have others on this blog. Then someone changes it to past Presidents. :dontknow:
Well now Scott McClellan, former White House Press Secretary (A Republican and friend of Bush) is coming out with a book saying bad job!!!!
Too bad so many have been killed and hurting because of a bad Job... >:(