The Great Bush Legacy-Shaping Tour

The one word that kept coming to my mind, as I watched the Sunday morning talk shows, was "Transparency". I hear that a lot from Right Wing Shout Radio, as they criticized Obama's responses to his connections with Rob Blagojevich. Unfortunately, in this case, the only thing transparent was how obvious, and pathetic the attempts by the Bush Administration were to "Shape his legacy". I saw all of Bush's messangers (Cheney, Rice, George Will, etc) trying to echo the legacy message this Sunday, point by point. It was transparent, only in it's cravenness and shallowness. Let's go through the Bush talking points:

"He has liberated 50 million people..."

This was something I have heard, and I keep hearing about from Condi, and Dick Cheney and others recently. This is pathetic. If the American media is so biased in not covering this fact, why don't we hear about the great appreciation from these liberated people on BBC, or TF1, or any of the other "objective sources"? The truth is, we haven't done good for these countries. As for a legacy, here's my take on the Bush Legacy-- what's better about foreign policy today, than it was 8 years ago?

• Afghanistan--It's not really better. The Taliban is still there, making trouble. This winter is projected to be a frigid mess, where humanitarian aid can't even get there. The drug trafficking is as bad as it has ever been. We have basically installed Hamid Karzai as the Mayor of Kabul. Other than that, we haven't really accomplished much. "Liberated 25 million people?" Don't insult my intelligence. Ask anyone outside of the Kabul city limits how much better they feel now than they did 8 years ago. Don't insult my intelligence by pretending that this "war" has been "won", and that anyone is glad we came.
• Iraq--I jut couldn't take Condi's characterization of the situation. Yes, Saddam was a brutal dictator. Yes, he gassed his own people. But we have probably been responsible for more death, destruction, and mass exodus of Iraqi population in 6 years than Saddam was in over 20 years. And we lost over 4,000 soldiers, spent hundreds of billions of dollars to create a country that is at best, somewhat democratic, sympathetic to Iran, and doing nothing to enhance our interest, or profile in the Arab, and Islamic world. Enough of the rose colored glasses already. The Bush legacy is set in stone here.
• Israel/Palestine/Lebanon--It is unfair of me to group these three together, since they are two separate conflicts. However, the status of Israel, and it's neighbors 8 years later, is NOT better than it was in 2000. The Bush policy towards this part of the world has been a miserable failure, and it doesn't seem like they even care to try to get it right. That's the legacy I walk away from the Bush Administration with.
• India/Pakistan--We supported a dictator in Pakistan, who eventually was dethroned, despite our support of him, and then the new government couldn't control their radicals, who ended up bombing and terrorizing the largest city in India, moving the two countries to the brink of war. Not exactly helping much, are we?

"He Kept us Safe for 7 years/We have not been attacked since 9/11"

On Meet the Press, we had to endure 30 minutes of Condoleeza Rice telling us all about how George Bush has kept America safe for 7 1/2 years since 9/11. Usually, I find her interviews to be interesting, but this time, I was so put off by her take on the world, that I could barely get through the interview before having to take some alka seltzer. These attempts to justify, and shape their own legacy. They are so transparent, it's past being upsetting. It's just sad.

First, I find it insulting that anyone can say "since 9/11, we've not been attacked". After all, we know that the administration basically ignored the intelligence briefings during August of 2001, while Bush was on vacation, riding his bike, and making the "defining decision of his presidency--Stem Cell research". Great job. Glad you finally got serious about homeland security on 9/12/2001, Mr. President.

In reality, why would the terrorists need to attack America within our borders? They can take shots at our men and women in Afghanistan and Iraq every day? Those attacks don't count? London, Spain, Indonesia, Mumbai? Those places don't count either, apparently. By the way, how are we doing catching Osama Bin Laden anyway? I am so glad we made that a priority for about 2 months in 2001, while we were preparing to take out Saddam Hussein, the man who tried to kill W's daddy...

"He upheld honor and dignity in his office..."

Scooter Libby, Alberto Gonzales, Heckuva job, Brownie, justifying Torture, Guantanamo, European Gulags, no firing of anyone responsible for Abu Gharib, "bring em on"...The list goes on and on. To think that this office is more honorable and dignified than it was 8 years ago is pathetic. My question is, "When Dick Cheney talks about all they have done right on Fox News Sunday, who's listening to this, and actually believing it?"

"He responded to the economic downturn with bold measures to prevent an economic meltdown"

Great job so far. Let me get this straight. Bush responded to the economic recession by not even acknowledging it for a year, giving a blank check to his Treasury Secretary to bail out the banks, so they could NOT loan any money to companies that need it, refused to use TARP funds until the Republican Congress filibustered the bailout of GM and Chrysler, gave Citigroup a $306B aid package, and AIG a $143B aid package with no strings attached, and still has time for a "farewell tour?"

Here's a news flash for the President. Leaders with good approval ratings go on farewell tours. Dr. J went on a farewell tour during his last year playing basketball. The Rolling Stones go on a Farewell tour. Presidents with a legacy like yours retire, and try not to make any noise on the way out.

If I were you, I'd get out quietly, quickly, and gracefully. That would be a start. Even the Legacy tour is looking like a complete dud. Let me know if you need a driver to get you back to Crawford. I have a few days of vacation coming my way...