...seems to say. It really is a Bush endorsement, so stop saying that!http://www.polkonline.com/stories/102404/opi_mess.shtmlHistory will judge George W. Bush harshly, in our estimation, and unless things change, the harsh judgment will be justified. After narrowly winning the presidency four years ago, his tenure was unremarkable until the shocking events of Sept. 11, 2001 provided him an opportunity for leadership. In some ways, he provided strong leadership in the days and weeks after 9/11 and it became the consensus of America that he was the right man for the times. He and his tough-minded and experienced advisers launched an appropriate and seemingly effective quest to find and eliminate the terrorists responsible for the Sept. 11 carnage.
But soon afterward, the president got off track and erred in taking America to war in Iraq without justification. He spurned diplomacy and coalition building, which would have taken time and patience and would have detracted from the image of the tough and resolute leader prepared to bomb away. Going it mostly alone in invading Iraq was needless, unwise and surely will result in disastrous consequences over the long haul.
The Congress sat by - timid, reticent, gutless - and let Bush have his way. American men and women have died in combat and many more will die because of Bush's choices.
Much of the world views America with disdain and distrust because of Bush's pre-emptive war with Iraq. Much of the Muslim world has been stirred against the United States, in part because of the perception that the U.S. is a bully seeking oil.
Bush's policies have energized terrorists and given them a focal point - Iraq - for their deeds. If he has a way out of this, he hasn't said, except to stay the course. We are most likely in a quagmire that will be years, perhaps decades, in the undoing.
On the domestic front, this president - with U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam and other members of Congress as his handmaidens - has run up an obscene deficit. With nary a veto, Bush has elected to pass enormous debt to future generations. Even conservatives are dismayed, though few are alarmed enough to object vigorously.
The spending spree allowed Bush and the Republican-led Congress to hand out pork in record volume. He provided tax breaks to the most wealthy, while being stingy with funds for education. Sadly, Democrats did not complain loudly enough.
Meanwhile, health care costs have continued to escalate out of control.
Some 45 million Americans do not have health insurance, five million more than four years ago. The Bush administration has done virtually nothing to address either aspect of the health care problem.
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