WSJ: The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace ( Jeffrey Scott Shapiro )
-
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122584386627599251.html
NOVEMBER 5, 2008
The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace
What must our enemies be thinking?
By JEFFREY SCOTT SHAPIRO
Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support
of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after
George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless
disrespect many Americans have shown the president.
APAccording to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is
below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has
endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the
right.
This is the price Mr. Bush is paying for trying to work with both Democrats
and Republicans. During his 2004 victory speech, the president reached out to
voters who supported his opponent, John Kerry, and said, "Today, I want to
speak to every person who voted for my opponent. To make this nation stronger
and better, I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do
all I can do to deserve your trust."
Those bipartisan efforts have been met with crushing resistance from both
political parties.
The president's original Supreme Court choice of Harriet Miers alarmed
Republicans, while his final nomination of Samuel Alito angered Democrats. His
solutions to reform the immigration system alienated traditional
conservatives, while his refusal to retreat in Iraq has enraged liberals who
have unrealistic expectations about the challenges we face there.
It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He
remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right.
Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either
existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control.
Perhaps if Americans stopped being so divisive, and congressional leaders came
together to work with the president on some of these problems, he would
actually have had a fighting chance of solving them.
Like the president said in his 2004 victory speech, "We have one country, one
Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work
together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."
To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him
in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own
approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr.
Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked
the seventh most popular president in history.
Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's
presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the
hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary
it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11
attacks.
The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less
than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and
slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have.
The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in
America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our
nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not
gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can
be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and
weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White
House.
Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned
with John F. Kerry's legal team during the presidential election in 2004.
2008 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Ouroboros_Rex
Edward
>
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122584386627599251.html
> NOVEMBER 5, 2008
> The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace
> What must our enemies be thinking?
>
> By JEFFREY SCOTT SHAPIRO
>
Considering that Bush is not in prison seems to show that we have taken it
easy on him.
tenjets
"Edward" <nos...@all-thanks.com> wrote in message
news:op.uj58bdlsmruaf3@kenneth-pc...
That op-ed piece read like it was meant for the Onion. (BTW, San Francisco
voters rejected the sewage treatment re-naming by more than two-to-one. It
was a bad idea and didn't make sense anyway - Bush never cleaned up
anything.)
Mamamia
jazze...@hotmail.com (-) wrote:
> Earlier this year, 12,000 people in San Francisco signed a petition in support
> of a proposition on a local ballot to rename an Oceanside sewage plant after
> George W. Bush. The proposition is only one example of the classless
> disrespect many Americans have shown the president.
> APAccording to recent Gallup polls, the president's average approval rating is
> below 30% -- down from his 90% approval in the wake of 9/11. Mr. Bush has
> endured relentless attacks from the left while facing abandonment from the
> right.
I cannot respect a man who has poor English skills, a borderline
education, and who lied my nation into a war on false pretenses. A man
who came to us at the last minute stating that our credit markets were
frozen and then proceeded to rape the US taxpayers of hundreds of
billions of dollars, conveniently just prior to his leaving office. A
man who read a dumb book on goats to a small child while terrorism
occurred in New York. A man who was oblivious for days to an entire
major US city being under water and people starving and thirsting with
no relief in horrible conditions and then who had the gall to tell
Brownie he'd done a fine job.
No, I don't respect him, I don't like him, and I'll be damned glad when
he's gone. He's basically wrecked and impoverished my country, and
killed thousands of innocents in a war based on lies, which in my mind
are crimes of the highest degree.
"Good riddance to bad rubbish, and don't let the door hit your ass on
the way out."
--
http://50somethinglifestyle.blogspot.com/
"Yesterday, we were at the edge of the abyss.
Today, we take one step forward"--Silva
Tag Heuer
Hi Mom.
Nor can I
I've long since kill-filed the the "-" troll, but now
since you raised issue and where I've unfortunately caught, I guess it
is incumbent upon me to post this follow-up since in the context of
the propaganda now being tossed by the lunatic fringe of the
conservative Republican party, and in their entry to wandering in the
howling political wilderness, is that which I feel must be shared and
in X-post to an NG that was missed:
>The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace
>What must our enemies be thinking?
That's just the whole point isn't it? They do not possess the ability
to "think."
>By JEFFREY SCOTT SHAPIRO
>To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put
>him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman,
>whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite
>Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was
>ranked the seventh most popular president in history.
Partisan pity points? Anyone? "What is this? The History Channel?"
>Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's
>presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the
>hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how
>extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the
>September 11 attacks.
Let's see. Fabricating intelligence, establishing with the
cooperation of Fox News Network a propaganda appartus to promote war,
before absolute diplomacy, and attacking a country that had nothing to
do with 9/11, and later on went to declare that Iraq 'had nothing to
do with 9/11' and of course in a blatant act of treason during 'war'
outing CIA asset (as political "payback") in the way of Valerie Plame
to cover up a conspiracy which based upon more intelligence
fabrication involving some fictious yellow cake uranium which the Bush
administration suggested was sold by the African nation of Niger to
Iraq; as well as declaring "Mission Accomplished" after scrapping
foreign policy and defying the democratic principle of a vote, and
that of the UN Security Council - Attacking a sovereign country
unilaterally, laying it to waste Iraq and killing hundreds of
thousands of Iraq civilians, and thousands of our own troops in the
name of 9/11, then declared war on a noun and an "ism," then moving
the goal-post once again to "Freedom" and now for all intents and
purposes and that which is now obvious, for the sake of profiteering
and no-bid contracts w/Halliburton, defense contractors, mercinaries,
etc. etc.
>The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less
>than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and
>slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have.
>The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in
>America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our
>nation during a very difficult time.
What certainly is "disgraceful" is the lack of character of a presumed
leader of the most powerful nation on earth and whose foreign policy
and doctrine was adversarial as it was unreasoned and provocative,
ignorant as it was reckless - And where "character" is concerned, and
in consensus around the world, dumb, as it was downright slacking.
>Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not
>gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can
>be when our president needed loyalty -- a shameful display of arrogance and
>weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White
>House.
What will certainly "haunt" this great nation is the 8 years of a
Presidency that has wrought one disaster after another, crisis and
just plain old backward-thinking, including rectal-cranial foreign and
domestic policies, upon a nation that was attacked and of which was
due to the lack of responsibility and vigilance required of any
President. Furthermore, to challenge, criticize in opposition any
sitting President is what this democracy and US Constitution allows
and as American as it gets. And in terms of "slander," please
consider a President whose own attacks were from the Republican's own
fascination with some semen stained dress - And with the arrival of
President-elect Barack Obama, please consider standard applied, and of
which by all appearances is nothing short of being a moot point.
>Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned
>with John F. Kerry's legal team during the presidential election in 2004.
Like that means anything, and previously spending three long years
doing (sic) investigative reporting on the Jon-Bonet Ramsey abduction
and murder in Colorado? Wow.
-
"I will bring honor to the process and honor to the office I seek
...I will repair the broken bonds of trust between Americans and
their government." --- George W. Bush, March 7, 2000
http://tinyurl.com/erln2
--
http://tagheuerblog.blogspot.com
http://tagheuerblog.blogspot.com/atom.xml
gjx...@cox.net
*****
Timely and correct. Mr. Shapiro.
Thanks for writing this article. I believe history will show that
President Bush was indeed a good president...probably a lot better
then his critics will ever be able to admit....no matter the proof.
Many folks have summarily dismissed him and blame for him for all our
current problems...these are of course the non thinkers...the ones who
refuse to understand what President Bush has done for them and are
unable to understand the part others have played. They fail to see for
example, the totality of the Bush Middle East startegy which was I
believe to isolate and surround Iran...which he did. For those who can
locate the Middle East on the map, you can see the geopolitical
importance of his strategy. By surrounding Iran with Allies and our
military forces, he kept our country safe for his years in office. Now
the Dems are anxious to remove our presence in Iraq ASAP....that's a
campaign promise that I don't think will be kept because the stupidity
of doing so will release Iran and threaten Israel and probably upset
the security of the whole region. It will be interesting to see how
the new president deals with that issue plus the many, many more
Global concerns which will challenge his lack of experience in Foreign
Relations.
Thanks again for the article. I am seeing more & more positive
statements about President Bush now that we have a new one coming in
that won based on rhetoric and speaking skills. The world is waiting
to see how this unknown will perform. Hope he keeps us as safe as his
Predecessor.
Sid9
<gjx...@cox.net> wrote in message
news:ba1b1578-571f-4ca7...@t18g2000prt.googlegroups.com...
bush,jr earned every bit of the criticism heaped
on him.
Over eight years he had created failures through
misjudgment and incompetence.
The total damage has not yet been calculated
Roy Blankenship
"Mamamia" <repl...@thenewsgroup.purtyplease> wrote in message
news:G1AQk.62252$Ep1....@bignews2.bellsouth.net...
YES!!
Roy Blankenship
-------------------------------
That is about the most ignorant horseshit I have ever read. Were you paid by
the RNC to write that?
People who are unhappy with Bush are the non-thinkers? You are alone in that
opinion.
patpow...@gmail.com
The WSJ is making a concerted effort to turn itself into a joke. The
political opinions now have only comedy value.
But it isn't very funny. I've had enough of this BS for one
lifetime. He a demagogue who demoted the US Congress to an advisory
body and none dared challenge him. He firmly established the
precident that the executive branch is above the law and in so doing
revoked all the rights of the people. Today, any freedom you may
enjoy is solely at the discretion of the President. I say that W
taught me the meaning of treason.
patpow...@gmail.com
> They fail to see for
> example, the totality of the Bush Middle East startegy which was I
> believe to isolate and surround Iran...which he did.
Perhaps it is you who fail to see the totality of the Bush Middle East
strategy. The plan was to invade Iraq, then Syria, then Iran. Syria
is necessary because a secure line of supply is essential for the
invasion of Iran. Well I remember the day when W appeared on national
television to inform the public that the WMD had been moved to Syria.
The implication was clear.
Obama has promised a continued high level of militarism that I think
you may find pleasing.
soulles...@gmail.com
HAHAHA! FDR did more to wreck the republic than Bush even dreamed
of. Learn something about the country you are living in.
Roy Blankenship
---------------------------
"...as safe as his predecessor."
I hope not. I hope this new administration does not ignore the warning signs
of an impending attack.
That article and the follow-up post are the worst examples of BULLSHIT I
have ever read on a newsgroup. While you shills are patting yourselves on
the back, you should know, nobody is buying it.
Sid9
<patpow...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:6c506367-a9c2-41be...@n33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
WSJ part of Rupert Murdoch's FOX empire!
Sid9
<soulles...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:0a3bdd89-545b-4aff...@k36g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
Wrecked?
FDR saved America from a growing Communist
movement.
Wrecked?
Reagan, HW Bush, and bush,jr wrecked
America......but we will recover.
The work starts in 72 days!
Sid9
<patpow...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:c6208f9b-dda9-4935...@t18g2000prt.googlegroups.com...
More hallucinations from the conspiracy theory
imaginations!
Iarnrod
> Thanks again for the article. I am seeing more & more positive
> statements about President Bush now that we have a new one coming in
> that won based on rhetoric and speaking skills. The world is waiting
> to see how this unknown will perform. Hope he keeps us as safe as his
> Predecessor.
What?!? You're actually *hoping* that al Qaeda attacks NYC and DC
again?
RichTravsky
>
> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122584386627599251.html
>
> NOVEMBER 5, 2008
> The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace
> What must our enemies be thinking?
That we were idiots for electing him...
Twice...
RT
Son of Darwin
news:49169192...@hotmMOVEail.com:
He was only elected once.
--
"Sarah Palin's a whack job."
- John McCain campaign staffer
RichTravsky
> > On Nov 7, 12:36 am, patpowerss...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Nov 6, 2:58 am, jazzerci...@hotmail.com (-) wrote:
> > >http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122584386627599251.html
> > > What must our enemies be thinking?
That we put him in office *twice*
> > The WSJ is making a concerted effort to turn itself into a joke. The
> > political opinions now have only comedy value.
> >
> > But it isn't very funny. I've had enough of this BS for one
> > lifetime. He a demagogue who demoted the US Congress to an advisory
> > body and none dared challenge him. He firmly established the
> > precident that the executive branch is above the law and in so doing
> > revoked all the rights of the people. Today, any freedom you may
> > enjoy is solely at the discretion of the President. I say that W
> > taught me the meaning of treason.
>
> HAHAHA! FDR did more to wreck the republic than Bush even dreamed
> of. Learn something about the country you are living in.
Drat that FDR for taking the country out of a republicon depsression, defeating
the right wing facists, and making America the first super power...
RT
soulles...@gmail.com
FDR 1) didn't stop the depression, that was WWII and 2) is responsible
for a massive expansion of government control. The depression can
properly be blamed on the newly created Fed and the many laws passed
by progessives to regulate the banking system.
Tag Heuer
wrote:
Typical neo-conservative Republican revisionism smarting after a
"spanking" by Democrat and President-elect Barack Obama in a landslide
victory over John McCain and a 'lipsticked pig,' nothing more.
Between 1932 and 1941 (World War II) Democrat FDR what did do in those
8-9 years? No, he certainly didn't do the economic and foreign policy
damage that George W. Bush did in eight-years as POTUS, now did he?
Yes, he did indeed expand government in a time of economic crisis, and
he certainly did make progress with these bold and innovated Executive
policies and measures:
- The National Industrial Recovery Act (New Deal)
- Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
- Works Progress Administration - National Youth Administration (NYA)
- Social Security Administration (SSA)
- Emergency Farm Mortgage Act
- Home Owner's Loan Act
- Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
etc., etc., and with entry of the U.S. in and of WWII on December 7,
1941, and a year thereafter the "Great Depression" ended; in citation
of your lie that WWII exclusively ended the Depression.
--
http://tagheuerblog.blogspot.com
RichTravsky
Well said.
RichTravsky
>
> RichTravsky <traR...@hotmMOVEail.com> wrote in
> > - wrote:
> >>
> >> http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122584386627599251.html
> >>
> >> NOVEMBER 5, 2008
> >> The Treatment of Bush Has Been a Disgrace
> >> What must our enemies be thinking?
> >
> > That we were idiots for electing him...
> >
> > Twice...
> >
> > RT
>
> He was only elected once.
Oh picky picky.
RT
Dan Kimmel
"RichTravsky" <traR...@hotmMOVEail.com> wrote in message
news:491A51EC...@hotmMOVEail.com...
Indeed. The dwindling core of wingnuts, sensing that the Republics may be
going the way of the Whigs, are grasping at straws now. Their arguments are
more and more outlandish (Bush protected America, FDR was a tyrant) and all
they are doing is making themselves more and more irrelevent. It's time for
moderate-conservatives to abandon the rotted hulk of the GOP and form a new
opposition party that will be a responsible opponent to Democrats in forging
America's future. The Republic leaders seemed to have learned absolutely
nothing from the failure of Bush Jr. and their failures in 2006 and 2008.
And, according to one analysis, things don't look good for them in 2010
either.
Lamont Cranston
Economics isn't your strong suit, I see.
animal02
As well as increasing the income tax rate.
Son of Darwin
@hotmMOVEail.com:
Well, as republican congressman Paul Broun recently pointed out, even
Adolf Hitler was democratically elected.