Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checked by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
--Theodore Roosevelt
Listening to the fatuous Al Gore claim his undeserved Nobel Prize and maunder on about how America is ruining the planet makes me realize how fortunate America is to have as its president George W. Bush. Yes, Bush has his ample share of failings. He occasionally speaks at the fifth-grade level. He is too willing to surround himself with cronies and sycophants. An unsupple man, Bush sometimes reminds me of the toy soldier who walks into the wall and keeps going.
Bush's weaknesses, however, are more than compensated for by his one great strength. This is a man with unbelievable tenacity. No American president in my lifetime, not even Reagan, had Bush's guts. Perhaps one would have to go all the way back to Franklin or Teddy Roosevelt to find comparable determination. On the international stage, Bush's stamina recalls that of Churchill. Consider: when Bush was elected in 2000 with the tiniest conceivable margin--a margin so slender it required Supreme Court intervention to place him in the Oval Office--I was sure that Bush's proposed tax cuts were dead. But no: Bush pushed ahead and got most of what he proposed. And the subsequent health of the economy--low interest rates, low unemployment, steady growth--has undoubtedly been nourished by Bush's tax cuts.
Then in 2006, after the midterm debacle, I thought that Bush's Iraq policy was finished. And you could hear the pundits and the newly-elected Democratic congressmen and the pathological Bush-haters gleefully declaring, "Now he's going to have to start pulling out of Iraq." Instead Bush pressed for an increase of 20,000-25,000 troops. Incredibly, he got it. Congress shrieked and howled but went along. The American people were very doubtful, but Bush serenely told them to "wait and see." Bush has seemingly singe-handedly pursued his vision for Iraq even when his allies both at home and abroad have dwindled or lost their nerve. And once again Bush's policy seems to be working. Iraq is becoming more peaceful, and apparently there are Shia and Sunni leaders cooperating with the Americans. The Bush-haters are still with us, but the wind has gone out of the antiwar movement.
Bush has had a tough second term in office. But I think history will be kinder to him than the opinion polls, at least in the past couple of years, have been. When the country looks back at Iraq and sees a standing, even if fragile, democracy, Americans will see that when they became impatient, Bush forged ahead. When they were ready to give up, he was undeterred. And as a consequence the Middle East has its first Muslim democracy, and a pro-American democracy to boot. The lesson of Iraq may well be: Thank God we didn't listen to those advocates of defeat on the left; if we had, it would have been Vietnam all over again.
The diplomat Clare Luce once wrote that history, which has no room for clutter, will remember every president by just one line. I'm not quite sure how Bill Clinton will be remembered: perhaps his only distinguishing mark will be the one that Paula Jones identified. As for Bush, he will go down in history as the president who refused to back down, and if staying the course in Iraq proves to be the right move, then Bush could be remembered as one of America's great presidents.
Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 42)
46. President Bush has watched the number of uninsured grow by nearly 6 million, while health care costs are increasing faster than wages. [New York Times, 8/30/06; Daily News (New York), 8/30/06; Sacramento Bee (California), 9/27/06; U.S. Census Bureau, 8/29/06;
The Administration and congressional Republicans predicted that the President's tax cut plan would turn the economy around. Those predictions proved false - instead of a quick economic turnaround, the country still has fewer jobs than it did when the recession began three and a half years ago. This is the longest period of job losses since the Great Depression.
goddess1prevail at 10:40AM on Dec 14th 2007
47. These liberals hate George Bush for the same trait they share. He makes his mind up and he's not changing it. Thankfully for America and freedom, he is on the right side of history. Thankfully for conservatives these lefties continue put their ideas on the blogs for all to see and be repulsed by.
Memphis Rampage at 10:43AM on Dec 14th 2007
48. I cannot agree with Dinesh on this subject today. Our deficit is in the trillions now because of this war. Our soldiers are over stretched serving too many tours to Iraq and Afghanistan. Families of these soldiers are suffering too from financial stress. We were suppose to go after the terrorist who attacked us on our own land, not conquer a country. Maybe we would have found Bin Laden if we just concentrated in Afghanistan. To compare my own standard of living from seven years ago to today, I was better off seven years ago. I also notice that there wasn't much of an issue of illegals crossing over here before Bush was in office. Our borders are not secure enough to prevent terrorist from slipping in via our neighbors. This is what our National Guard should be doing and staying state side. The list of complaints can go on and on.
Btw, where are all the atheist today?
Shaved Bush at 10:53AM on Dec 14th 2007
49. Once again, Dinesh shows his blind allegiance to a cause that is undeserving of it. Instead of religion this time, it is the war in Iraq and the man who got us into the mess. As someone who lost a dear friend, a young man of 20 and on Christmas Day no less, I am sick and tired of the fear mongers in this country who try to use the rallying cry of fight em there before we have to fight em here. Fighting them there has done little to no good except tarnish our image in the eyes of the world. Our troops are over-extended, poorly equiped and flat out tired. As for the speaking habits of Mr. Bush that Dinesh points out, I have heard 5th graders speak with far better grammer than this man ever has. He has lied about everything, from his faux cowboy image to the war. Those that continue to believe any of the bullshit that continues to spew from this administration are like the three monkeys: See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Or better put, stupid is as stupid does.
Pamela at 10:54AM on Dec 14th 2007
50. memphis rage no body hates gw bush he made this mess we have to live it he killed many people for his misadventure iniraq we should stay out of religious civil wars thye cant be won
eh at 10:55AM on Dec 14th 2007
51. If brian and his palls are so f* brave, why haven't they volunteered yet? I have never received an answer to that. Their declaration of 'we have a volunteer army' only serves to emphasise the fact that they haven't.
Here is another point. If Bush had declared Iran the most wonderful country in the world and that we had to ally ourselves with them would brian & co still be singing his praises? I think they would. In fact, I'm certain of it. They don't cheer Bush because of his actions. They love him because of his ideology. Even if Bush had called for total appeasment and surrender after 9/11, they would still be singing his praises and calling his a great man.
Frankly, I think the only thing that would cause them to turn on him is if he were to declare himself gay.
Will at 11:00AM on Dec 14th 2007
52. Which would you rather have, a president who charts a course and sticks to it, no matter what obstacles block his path, or a president who constantly wets his finger and sticks it in the air to check the direction of the political win?
I would have more resect for Bill Clinton, if he told Newt Gringrich to stick where the sun doesn't shine, rather than make nice with the Republicans and work within the Republican agenda.
Mind you, I'm a loyal Republican, but I believe that people have to stick to their guns. Bill Clinton promised universal health care in 1992, and that idea was shelved by the end of 1993. He should have kept after it, even with the Hillary debacle.
It would have been refreshing for him to say, "Just because Hillary screwed up doesn't mean we don't need universal health care. Either pass my bill or show me your proposals, but we will have universal care by January 20, 2001.
Kent at 11:15AM on Dec 14th 2007
53. I think Bush might be a closet gay Will
He just hasn't been caught touching feet in public bathrooms!
goddess1prevail at 11:06AM on Dec 14th 2007
54. george bush makes sadam look like a chior boy
Richard at 11:07AM on Dec 14th 2007
55. Interesting how enoch, Ryan Anderson, RMWiersema, abbkaw, emma and others like to post things on blogs as if they are the total authority of all things politics. I am guessing that by the "professional opinions" of their posts that they all have careers in politics. Nay, sad to say I am doubtful of the odds of that. Most likely they are just people who post nonsense on blogs because they dont really know how to do it anywhere else.. When it comes down to a battle for freedom, i doubt that enoch, Ryan Anderson, RMWiersema, abbkaw, or emma would ever have the guts to pull the trigger.
jshahan333 at 11:10AM on Dec 14th 2007
56. "8. enoch, At least Dinesh knows where the Shift key is on his keyboard. "Big people" know how to use capital letters in their sentences. And I bet that Dinesh also knows the difference between "your" and "you're". Maybe you should stay out of these discussions until you're old enough to vote." Stan at 9:42AM on Dec 14th 2007
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What a dick this guy is! Must be a neocon.
Linda at 11:08AM on Dec 14th 2007
57. Btw, where are all the atheist today?
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Present!
Will and Pamela summed it up quite well. Frankly, today's blog is too absurd to deserve intellectual commentary.
emma at 11:09AM on Dec 14th 2007
58. "fight them over there, so we don't have to fight 'em here"
You've got to be brain dead to recite such idocy.
We are creating hatred toward America every day. I know that if a family member of mine was killed because an occupying force had disrupted order, I would fight that entity with whatever means I had. Alquieda is stronger than ever, we have zero clout on the international stage, the dollar is falling fast, well done gwb.
Richard at 11:13AM on Dec 14th 2007
59. I couldn't have agreed with Him more. History will judge President Bush as the President who never,ever backed down.
Elaine at 11:14AM on Dec 14th 2007
60. "btw, dd, would you go to iraq to fight???"
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Nah, Stuart. He'd probably be 4F cause of his ears.
:-)
I've finally figured DD out. The only "religion" he has is neoconservatism, of the exceptionally right wing sect. That, and that alone describes his agenda.
Linda at 11:18AM on Dec 14th 2007