What will they say about bush 43 & his legacy when he passes?

[Philosoraptor]

I've watched them do this with deceased presidents, reagan for example, and nixon too, at his funeral, big wigs who knew him always say nice things out of respect, and let's face it, they lionize and deify them and actually stretch the truth toward the deceased's favor.

Will they do the same with dubya? Will they screw on their best neutral faces and speak of all the wonderful things jr. accomplished in his life? Will they elevate him to Rushmore's lofty heights? Will they go on and on about what a charming, aw shucks guy he was? How congenial, down homey, and how he 'healed' the nation after nine eleven and the wars?

Ha!

[marmar]

1. I've gotta think it's going to be hard to be neutral about this one....

He's leaving a path of death and destruction that runs far and wide. What positive will they come up with? He worked out every day?

[Philosoraptor]

2. He was always smiling

Especially when he spoke of horror.

[wizstars]

4. It is up to US!!!...

...those of us who have lived thru the times he has held power and who KNOW what kind of sh1tbag he really is, to prevent this from happening!!!! It has to start NOW!! and not let up even after he gets his sorry @ss kicked out of the White House in Jan. '09 (assuming he doesn't declare martial law or something to try to hold on forever). We CANNOT AFFORD to let right-wing revisionists spin this b@st@rd into a respectable place in history!! F^$k him!

[tavalon]

15. He didn't fall on his face every day

Just the days he was shitfaced.

[marmar]

16. Teehee....

Lots of those days. :beer:

[tavalon]

18. Yes, but in some ways

I find those the less dangerous days. When he's playing the dry drunk, he's mean and even evil, when he's the wet drunk, he can be mean but he spends so much of his time trying to cover it up, that he is rendered less dangerous at least for the moment.

[AllegroRondo]

3. Honestly, I think it depends on how far in the future this is.

If * were to die in the next 5 years, his funeral would be a partisan circus. The Neocons would build him up as the greatest president ever, while most Americans would be in shock and unable to forgive him for the incredible mess he made.

But, if it were 30 years from now, most people will have forgotton the worst of it, and try to find something nice to remember.

[Deep13]

5. Good night, asshole. May flights of angels...

...speed thee--um--yah, know what? Screw it. Just drop him off at the landfill if you get a chance.

[itsmesgd]

6. we wont be able to hear what they are saying...over the music

[HughBeaumont]

7. I don't understand HOW.

Historians aren't going to be able to bullshit Slapass's legacy the way they did Reagan's and be taken seriously. The simple reason is that we have the internet now. All we knew about Reagan is what his corporate-controlled media reported (yet even then, there was a Dan Rather or two that kept them honest). There wasn't really a widespread underground media such as the world wide web like there is now. We knew of the Reagan Admin's misdeeds, but we were brushed off as "commie, leftie, democrat kookbag conspiracy theorists" by the droolers, which sadly enough was 3/4 of the country.

Let's call a duck a duck: the only people that really prospered under * were well-monied people and corporations. His elections were dubious at best, stolen by the corporate politburo at worst. Middle class people lost their jobs and those that were lucky enough to replace them did so with either a lower paying job or two lower paying jobs to make up the difference. The worst terrorist attack on American soil happened on his watch (and arguably, with his foreknowledge) and 5 years later STILL has not been avenged. There were two failed ego wars, both of which continue to kill their citizens and our soldiers daily. His administration is wrought with more scandal and corporate corruption than you can shake a stick at. He arguably is running this country the way he ran his business - with a drunken hand on the throttle, looking out for himself and his cronies first and screwing the people he's supposed to be serving. He's not done ONE THING RIGHT since the 2000 theft.

There's more of an open communication between real people worldwide that were affected by and still feel the affects of this administration's policies. No matter what political affiliation, we don't easily have the wool pulled over our eyes as we did in the 80s. While many people would have wholeheartedly rah-rah'd a cowboy war back then in the spirit of the country, nowadays this joke of a leader and his failures, most glaringly Vietraq, smell worse than a landfill in 100 degree weather.

You don't want to grave-piss, but seriously, how are historians going to retain their integrity dishing out a shimmering novella of supposed * accomplishments when everyone knew how things REALLY were? How silly would they look when it's obvious these times SUCK? The media can invent their own reality all they please, but history HAS to retain some kind of credibility.

[tavalon]

17. This is really the only way we will keep him from being lionized

Through the internets. Hell, even by continuing to use the derogatory term internets, we can remind people that he was an idiot, through and through. But there is so much more we need to keep at the forefront. There is and will be so much work to undo the travesty that was/is this administration.

[Andrea]

8. Many people feel it is improper to criticize the newly dead

So, we will hear something like this:

He was a man of singular determination. When arthritis forced him to quit running, he took up cycling and became the best mountain biker of any U.S. President. He worked at clearing brush until he had vanquished all the undergrowth on his ranch. And perhaps most impressive of all, he didn't allow his mental inadequacy to beat him. He kept working and working until at the age of 60, he overcame his life-long illiteracy and actually learned to read at a rudimentary level. Sadly, though, he was never able to learn to comprehend what he read.

[Philosoraptor]

12. A man of the people, thrust upon the world stage by the almighty

At a time of great national strife and crisis, he led us through the dark times, to a bright and shining vengeful victory and onto global domination the like of which have not been witnessed since the glory days of Rome.

Believe me, it WILL happen, but we will know the ugly truth.

[flordehinojos]

9. they will refer to it as the continuing carnology of the bush presidents.

[radfringe]

10. that he was a son-of-a-bush...?

[hlthe2b]

11. If Bush* has his way (and on his current course)...

We really all will be dead...

(but I'll go gasping curses at him)

[blueButGlad]

13. The Bush legacy! A Debt Free US by 2010!

The Bush legacy

With the approach of a new year, take some time to look back. Today's 'On this date in Bush history...'

"I think we’re making progress. We understand where the power of this country lay. It lays in the hearts and souls of Americans. It must lay in our pocketbooks." President Bush, April 11th 2001

On this date in 2000 President Clinton announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) projects that the US is on course to eliminate its public debt within the decade. It was also announced that the country is projected to pay down $237 billion in debt in 2001 alone, bringing the 4 year debt reduction to $600 billion; the largest 4 year debt pay-down in history. Over the previous 3 years, $363 billion in debt has been paid down.

Due in part to a strong economy and a commitment to fiscal discipline, federal finances have improved for an unprecedented 9 consecutive years. In addition, if the country were to dedicate the entire budget surplus to debt reduction, it is projected that the U.S. could eliminate its publicly held debt by fiscal year 2009. Over the course of the Clinton administration, a deficit of $290 billion in fiscal year 1992 is projected to be a surplus of $256 billion in fiscal year 2001. Record deficits have become record surpluses.

With the election of President Bush, this progress would soon come to a dramatic halt. The goal of an America free of debt, thought to be obtainable by 2010, would soon seem more impossible to reach than ever, due to Poor George’s selfishly combining significant tax cuts, especially for the wealthy, with huge spending increases. Selfish, because such actions can make one popular while in office, but the debt and the associated interest owed on that debt is then passed on to future generations.

Can’t we step up and pay our own bills instead of passing them onto our kids? Is it fair of Mr. Bush to buy temporary popularity by foisting billions of dollars of debt onto the backs of future generations? Both Republicans and Democrats can agree that no, it is not fair.

"I think we agree, the past is over" candidate George W. Bush, May 2000

Excerpt from the Dec 28th entry of the 2007 Bush-fact-a-day calendar www.poorGeorgesAlmanac.com

[tavalon]

14. I think it depends on whether we get him indicted, convicted or even

impeached. It's kind of hard to lionize a convict, no matter how badly they might like to. Unfortunately, as adamantly as I want each of those, it's quite the uphill battle. I do hope though, that we can make sure his reputation is rightly sullied and that it sticks.

[Swamp Rat]

19. Well, when I do a teaching sabbatical abroad I will give the most unflattering lectures

about Bushler. I will also consider publishing articles and books about Bushler in foreign languages too, making sure his infamy is well-known to future, non-English speaking generations. This will, of course, be unnecessary in languages like Arabic and Farsi, as many of those speakers were directly or indirectly affected by Bushler's policies. I will also include a lecture about the Ugly American (info and photos of freeptards, with tips how to spot them) who continue to support Bushler's blood lust.

[MurrayDelph]

20. When he is gone, I think I will follow the wisdom of Jackie "Moms" Mabley

who once said "You should never say anything about the dead unless it's good. He's dead. Good!"

[lectrobyte]

21. After seeing how they turned Reagan into a saint, I expect just

what you describe and even worse. I never understood how that scandal-ridden, ketchup-is-a-vegetable, trees-cause-pollution, addle-headed asshole turned into a saint after he left office, but it happened, god bless the liberal media.

[Strawman]

22. He's terrible, stupid, and totally unsympathetic

The closest analogy, I think is Harding, but he died halfway into his first term so his negative legacy is more limited. Historians rank Harding at or near the bottom.

Grant was incompetent in office but great outside of it. He had his legacy as a Civil War general and his memoirs to redeem his failed presidency.

Buchanan and Pierce were both terrible Presidents. But both were placed in nearly impossible circumstances. They didn't even have the goodwill of the entire country, let alone the goodwill of literally the entire earth and proceed to piss on it like Bush did after 9/11. Pierce was a particularly tragic and sympathetic figure in his personal life. He lost a son in an accident right before being inaugurated and struggled with alcoholism after leaving office. Buchanan, seemed at least amiable and not totally stupid, even if he was inept in office.

Reagan was a likeable moron who happened to be in office when our superpower rival collapsed. And he was fortunate enough to be followed by Presidents with the good sense to at least begin to clean up his fiscal mess (Bush 41 and Clinton). Most ratings I've seen put Reagan in the average category. Conservatives bump him to "near great," that's ridiculous, but sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Bush will go down as the worst. He is a failed president who is stupid and mean spirited. Historians will not be kind. I suspect his library will be only be open to presidential researchers who are willing to kiss his ass and lie about his legacy, but they'll be a joke.