This Week's Attitude

The presidency of George W. Bush reminds me of the adage about the month of March. It came in like a lion - in an uproar of two elections tainted by voting controversies and con­cerns of irregularities - and is going out like a lamb - in a hushed whimper of despair. The sob­bing, mind you, is not because Americans are sad to see him leave. On the contrary, after eight dismal years, we'll hardly miss Bush, the younger, but we will never forget - or even forgive - the unprece­dented mess left in his wake for successor Barack Obama.

Essentially, the George Bush presidency is bookended and may ultimately be defined by a war and a damaged economy. One historian said his White House eight years were "almost void of gen­uine accomplishment." In an informal poll of over 100 historians conducted last year, 98 percent con­sidered him a failed president.

Foremost, there's the unprovoked war he and his closest advisers launched in Iraq in a fit of March Madness almost six years ago based on misleading, poorly assessed intelligence, by convincing Congress and most of the nation it was linked to the terrorist attacks 18 months earlier. Though it seems to be winding down, after years of botched strate­gies, it remains to be seen if Iraq can hold it togeth­er after our troops ship out. Nonetheless, renewed focus has shifted to Afghanistan, which should have taken place years ago, and will result in an escalation of American military there.

In retrospect, the Iraqi war was apparently shaped to fulfill a vision of what has been called the "cowboy diplomacy" of our commander-in-chief, Vice President Richard Cheney, former Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and others in their White House clique, who believed it would be a slam­dunk victory.

Most die-hard Bush supporters credit him for preventing a second terrorist attack on U.S. soil after 2001, but if he and his people had been vigi­lant and heeded reliable intelligence data before 9/11, the attacks might have been avoided. For example: the president got a memo on Aug. 6, 2001 warning about plans for possible attacks by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. But, as we know now, it was ignored and America suffered terribly.

The economy's gone to hell, and even though Bush may not be directly accountable for the fore­closure crisis, the collapse of financial institutions and the increasing lack of consumer confidence, until recently little was done to stem the deluge.

Here are other examples of Bush Administration incompetence and failures: 1) its laid-back and belated response to Hurricane Katrina; 2) 47 mil­lion Americans lack heath insurance; 3) Big Oil, which was a major Bush supporter, raked in bil­lions in profits during his two terms, but our nation­al energy policy continues to lag and still favors those companies; 4) the scandalous medical treat­ment of returning Iraq war veterans; 5) it never set up a practical immigration policy, yet condemned illegal immigrants as employers escaped with less than slaps on the wrists; 6) the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (inaccurately referred to as the Patriot Act) led to an excess of warrantless domes­tic spying and the sidestepping of some basic civil rights, and 7) it's complete disregard for U.S. and international laws regarding torture of enemy com­batants.

Perhaps the most lasting - yet distressing ­images of the Bush years are when he sat motion­less with a blank stare in an elementary school classroom when he was first informed of the World Trade Center terrorist attacks and, on May 1,2005, when he stood in front of a huge "Mission Accomplished" banner on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, prematurely announcing an end to the "cakewalk" in Iraq.

In keeping with its characteristic duplicity, the Bush Administration reportedly destroyed a signif­icant number of sensitive documents that should have been part of the nation's archives. Dubya apparently didn't want future generations to look back on records that would further tarnish his lega­cy. Either that or it was a blatant attempt to elimi­nate evidence that might incriminate him or mem­bers of his staff in any subsequent investigations that may arise.

Some might compare George W. Bush to a trag­ic Shakespearean character. So, to paraphrase Cassius in "Julius Caesar," the fault, America, lies not in ourselves, but with our 43rd president.

Two hundred years ago, the nation's second president, John Adams, may have defined the George W. Bush presidency when he said, "There's was one sin that no president will ever be forgiven, and that is to put the nation in an unnecessary war."

Despite my condemnation of the president and his administration in this space many times over the years, I initially held a glimmer of hope when George W. Bush was inaugurated in 2001 and said: "(1 will) work to build a single nation...and lead by principles of civility, compassion, courage and responsibility," to which I wrote, " ... those who voted for or against Bush should patiently wait while this new Chief Executive demonstrates he is serious about fulfilling the promise of a new begin­ning that comes with every inauguration."

Unfortunately that inaugural promise was never realized. Then, when he practically had the nation's trust in the palm of his hand after the terrorist attacks eight months later, that confidence and faith slowly eroded as he and his aides resorted to fear mongering to manipulate public opinion. Shortly into his second term the president's approval rating slipped below 50 percent and gradually bottomed out and has remained under 30 percent for the last year.

I suspect future presidential historians will not find much to warrant a substantial revision of the dismal legacy George W. Bush leaves in his wake.

Hopefully, after an absence of responsible and persistent leadership for most of the Bush Administration, the nation can look forward to a new direction and a new era under President Barack Obama.

As he leaves the White House - with his proverbial tail between his legs - the mistakes and misdeeds of America's 43rd president leave behind an abysmal legacy that will be remembered long after the soiled fingerprints of the Bush Administration are wiped away.