Just a Few More WeeksIn just a few weeks, Barack Obama will take the presidential oath of office, which will effectively end one of the curious presidential administrations in this nation’s history. From the height of his popularity just after 9/11 to now, George W. Bush has ridden the figurative public approval rollercoaster up and down to both soaring heights and the lows of lows. However, we should be cautious when coming to conclusions over a man who fears that his legacy will be that of LBJ, as time has long been the ultimate judge of American presidents. If we could ask Harry Truman, I’m sure that he would say the same thing.
On January 20, 2001, Bush’s inauguration day, he was met with angry crowds on the streets of Washington D.C. After winning a close election over Al Gore, many in the crowds on the parade route found it necessary to pelt his limo with mounds of debris while he traveled to the Capital building. Who would have guessed that this event would foreshadow what would become one of America’s most intriguing presidential administrations. To this day, many believe that Bush was handed the election by a right leaning Supreme Court (thanks to Ronald Reagan) and had essentially stolen the election by not winning the popular vote. When less than 51 percent of “the people” did not vote for him, he was bound for a hard 4 years and later, another 4 years.
The psyche of the countless nations and their people that have existed on this planet over the course of history is to cling to their leader(s) during times of great distress and needless to say, after the events of 9/11, the people of the United States embraced Bush for both comfort and security. Just as his father’s approval ratings had soared during and right after the first Persian Gulf War, so did his son’s after 9/11. For months his approval ratings were commonly hovering within the 90 percent range. However, when your enemy is not an organized nation and an all out victory is unobtainable, the steps that Bush took to seek vengeance upon the Taliban in Afghanistan and Sadam Hussein in Iraq soon backfired.
The early periods of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were for all intents and purposes quite successful. The Taliban were eradicated and Sadam was toppled from power. Many in the United States would have been content to leave things at that; two victories and stronger security on the home front. As we know now, he did not leave it at that and chose to intensify military efforts in Iraq. While the situation in Iraq has turned into a disastrous quagmire, the Taliban and other terrorist organizations have again taken hold in Afghanistan due to Bush’s preoccupation with Iraq. If Bush had decided to end U.S. military operations after the above mentioned victories, his legacy may have been cemented as mediocre, if not successful.
Unlike Bush, time has begun to speak on the legacy of Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency. America still wears the scars of the Vietnam conflict, as a generation of men who survived a draft and hell on Earth in the jungles of Vietnam still bare the mental and physical scars of pointless fighting. Johnson’s presidency though had marked success in the domestic policy arena. His “Great Society” initiatives have indeed brought this nation closer than it has ever been. Bush’s domestic policy success has not even been marginal, much less inexistent. The one domestic initiative that many will remember is Bush’s “No Child Left Behind.” It will not be remembered because it was a success, but because it was a dismal failure. America’s schools have been tainted by a brainless policy from the mind of a “C student.” At least Johnson’s presidency was marked with domestic policy success, which to many, still goes unnoticed to this day.
To finish, through this week, Bush has an approval rating of 29 percent, slightly up from the all time low of 22 percent a few months back. The 22 percent approval rating a few months back was the lowest approval rating of any president in the history of presidential approval ratings. Even though we do not have approval ratings that span the years after a president has left office, I have a feeling that if we did, Bush may very well find himself at the bottom of the pile. Then again, only time will tell.
On January 20, 2001, Bush’s inauguration day, he was met with angry crowds on the streets of Washington D.C. After winning a close election over Al Gore, many in the crowds on the parade route found it necessary to pelt his limo with mounds of debris while he traveled to the Capital building. Who would have guessed that this event would foreshadow what would become one of America’s most intriguing presidential administrations. To this day, many believe that Bush was handed the election by a right leaning Supreme Court (thanks to Ronald Reagan) and had essentially stolen the election by not winning the popular vote. When less than 51 percent of “the people” did not vote for him, he was bound for a hard 4 years and later, another 4 years.
The psyche of the countless nations and their people that have existed on this planet over the course of history is to cling to their leader(s) during times of great distress and needless to say, after the events of 9/11, the people of the United States embraced Bush for both comfort and security. Just as his father’s approval ratings had soared during and right after the first Persian Gulf War, so did his son’s after 9/11. For months his approval ratings were commonly hovering within the 90 percent range. However, when your enemy is not an organized nation and an all out victory is unobtainable, the steps that Bush took to seek vengeance upon the Taliban in Afghanistan and Sadam Hussein in Iraq soon backfired.
The early periods of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were for all intents and purposes quite successful. The Taliban were eradicated and Sadam was toppled from power. Many in the United States would have been content to leave things at that; two victories and stronger security on the home front. As we know now, he did not leave it at that and chose to intensify military efforts in Iraq. While the situation in Iraq has turned into a disastrous quagmire, the Taliban and other terrorist organizations have again taken hold in Afghanistan due to Bush’s preoccupation with Iraq. If Bush had decided to end U.S. military operations after the above mentioned victories, his legacy may have been cemented as mediocre, if not successful.
Unlike Bush, time has begun to speak on the legacy of Lyndon B. Johnson’s presidency. America still wears the scars of the Vietnam conflict, as a generation of men who survived a draft and hell on Earth in the jungles of Vietnam still bare the mental and physical scars of pointless fighting. Johnson’s presidency though had marked success in the domestic policy arena. His “Great Society” initiatives have indeed brought this nation closer than it has ever been. Bush’s domestic policy success has not even been marginal, much less inexistent. The one domestic initiative that many will remember is Bush’s “No Child Left Behind.” It will not be remembered because it was a success, but because it was a dismal failure. America’s schools have been tainted by a brainless policy from the mind of a “C student.” At least Johnson’s presidency was marked with domestic policy success, which to many, still goes unnoticed to this day.
To finish, through this week, Bush has an approval rating of 29 percent, slightly up from the all time low of 22 percent a few months back. The 22 percent approval rating a few months back was the lowest approval rating of any president in the history of presidential approval ratings. Even though we do not have approval ratings that span the years after a president has left office, I have a feeling that if we did, Bush may very well find himself at the bottom of the pile. Then again, only time will tell.
