The Good Bush Did

[Swamp56]

I'm SICK and f**king tired of people saying Bush was the devil and how he didn't do anything good in office. I found this article that shows a bit of what Bush DID do that was good in office....

....None of you realized how much he and his cabinet did work. The downfall of Bush was the Iraq War, which ruined his popularity, even though we toppled a horrific regime that was oppressing human beings and killing their own citizens.

Please don't bash me, I'm sharing my opinion, not putting it unto you like a lot of other liberal Democrats do to me in my state and on this site.

But consider the following, just for example: 1) Under Bush’s leadership, America has increased development and humanitarian aid to Africa from $1.4 billion in 2001 to more than $4 billion per year now.

He has doubled U.S. trade with Africa, and has launched the largest siege against AIDS and malaria there ever. Even though the challenge is never-ending, more than 800,000 Africans are currently receiving anti-AIDS medication thanks to George Bush’s priorities. 2) Despite pressure from many quarters, Bush has kept Alaska’s ANWAR off limits for drilling.
He has increased by millions efforts to clean America’s forests to reduce the threat of wildfires, and to restore those lost or damaged.


He has further enhanced his environmental legacy by designating more than 190 million square miles of ocean as national preserves, including Hawaii’s Northwestern Islands.
With few exceptions, America’s air, water and land are cleaner today than at any time since our industrial revolution. 3) Although Bush’s record on healthcare is a mixed bag, he gets undeniable credit on at least two counts: prescription coverage for seniors, and community health care centers.

Despite opposition from his own party, “he achieved the largest expansion in Medicare benefits in decades” as one health expert put it; especially significant “in the modern medical era in which drugs are the cornerstone of treatment.”
Also, the President literally doubled funding for community health care centers, expanding or creating 1,300 centers across the nation, several of which - Kalihi-Palama,
Waianae, Waikiki, Waimanalo - are right here in Hawaii, and represent the typical center serving otherwise under-served areas. Without such centers, expensive emergency room care would often be the only alternative. 4) Contrary to popular wisdom, in 2001 George Bush was one of the first to warn Congress of the dangers of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac run amok. Between him and John McCain, the warnings continued through 2006. Leading the pooh poohs were Democrats Sen. Chuck Shumer and U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, both leading recipients of Fannie and Freddie campaign contributions. (Click onYouTube: “Timeline shows Bush, McCain warning Dems of financial mess.") 5) On the day after 9-11, I wrote: “The only way we may be able to measure victory in a war against global terrorism are the lengths of time between major attacks on our homeland.”
Although in some ways, pre-9-11 policies of both Clinton and Bush may have made us more vulnerable, Bush’s post-9-11 anti-terror policies - for better or worse - have kept us safe from another attack.

Right after 9-11, who would have bet on that possibility?

The Department of Homeland Security, the provisions of the Patriot Act, reforming the relationships between our intelligence agencies, the handling of captured enemy combatants at Guantanamo and - yes - the war in Iraq.

Whether intended or not, the Iraq war - besides liberating Iraqis from a despot and planting the seeds of a democratic ally in the most dangerous part of the world - distracted Al Qaida from plotting more attacks on the U.S. It drew them into a losing commitment, showing their darkest side to the people of Iraq and the world.

Their power and stature have been significantly diminished. Bin Laden is withering away in a dark Wiziristan cave, emitting an occasional feeble message to his wandering followers.
Yes, there is much work to be done in Afghanistan, but with Gen. David Petreaus still in overall charge at Central Command, our imminent victory in Iraq will serve as a model for victory in Afghanistan.

Oh, and for those who still think Bush “tricked” all the Western intelligence agencies and every Democrat in the Senate into buying into Saddam’s WMDs:

If you’re right, who’s smarter, them or him?

Thanks, Mr. Bush, for almost everything, but especially for the simple “cowboy” determination that has kept us and our homeland safe.

Did I say he was a good president? NO. I'm just showing you that he did do some good.

And yes, I'm a republican, and you're not going to change that

/rant

[Shevanel]

woot Chris

[Ty]

"Keep that faith, keep your courage, stick together, stay strong, do not yeild, do not flinch, stand up, we're Americans... We're Americans and we'll never surrender, they will!"
- John McCain

Lolvietnam

[Swamp56]

My signature has nothing to do with anything. Ya, I supported McCain....big deal.

[Ty]

Originally Posted by Swamp56

My signature has nothing to do with anything. Ya, I supported McCain....big deal.

Just pointing out the irony m'dear.

So your a republican...why?

[Swamp56]

Lol, that doesn't matter either...just so happens I have a lot of republican viewpoints.

[Ty]

Originally Posted by Swamp56

Lol, that doesn't matter either...just so happens I have a lot of republican viewpoints.

Oh gosh how boring. Okay I'll give you another question to start off a debate. Does Mr. Bush's good points outweigh the harm and unpopular things he did during his time in office?

And if you don't want to respond to that, then give me something to work with!

[partietraumatic]

i made the point about bush's contribution in Africa only yesterday to a friend OK so he wasn't a great president and sure he made alot of mistakes,but that doesn't mean we should erase from our memories the fact that he did do some very good things. There is a reason he is revered hugely in africa- he did more the help that continent than many other leaders of the supposedly civilised and developped world have ever done.

[Swamp56]

I'm not starting a debate Ty. Again, you clearly didn't spend the time to read the bottom of my thread. I DID NOT say he was a great president.

I am giving another viewpoint of the situation. So don't start with me, or give me the cold, icy shoulder that Bush haters usually give.

[partietraumatic]

Originally Posted by Swamp56

I'm SICK and f**king tired of people saying Bush was the devil and how he didn't do anything good in office. I found this article that shows a bit of what Bush DID do that was good in office....

....None of you realized how much he and his cabinet did work. The downfall of Bush was the Iraq War, which ruined his popularity, even though we toppled a horrific regime that was oppressing human beings and killing their own citizens.

Please don't bash me, I'm sharing my opinion, not putting it unto you like a lot of other liberal Democrats do to me in my state and on this site.

Did I say he was a good president? NO. I'm just showing you that he did do some good.
And yes, I'm a republican, and you're not going to change that

/rant

Ty, Swamp didnt say that his good things outweighed his bad things, just that we should recognise that he did some good, and we should even if we dont like the majority of what he did

[xequar]

The good Bush did? Massively outweighed by the BAD he did.

I'm ashamed now to admit it, but I once was a staunch Republican, too. In 2000, I was 18, and my first vote for president of the U.S. went to W.

I made the mistake of voting Republican once because I was young, stupid, and had no fucking clue about how the world really worked. I made the mistake of voting Republican once, but NEVER again.

[Ty]

Originally Posted by Swamp56

I'm not starting a debate Ty. Again, you clearly didn't spend the time to read the bottom of my thread. I DID NOT say he was a great president.

I am giving another viewpoint of the situation. So don't start with me, or give me the cold, icy shoulder that Bush haters usually give.

I didn't say you did say he was a good president. I was just asking out of curiosity, is that not allowed?
Oh no, my shoulder is very warm thankyou and I'm not "starting" with you. I don't know why your responding so negatively to a debate. Be nice. ~

[Swamp56]

I do not want to start a political debate, due to the fact that they always end up with fighting...all I wanted to do is show you some of the good that Bush did. I'm done arguing with you.

[myra]

I want to thank you for putting this up here. I really think things have been blown out of proportion with the election and everything. Bush made some decisions that other people couldn't make. I think it is really hard to be a leader of a country where so many people have so many different decisions. He did what he thought would be best. In the end, it wasn't but at least he gave it a shot. Now its Obama's turn to give it a shot. He'll have to make just as many tough decisions. Maybe his will work out, and maybe they won't. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. Bush tried his hardest and things just didn't go as planned. But nothing ever does. He didn't intentionally screw up and try to make the country worse. He's only human. He makes mistakes. Everyone does. It takes alot of guts to get up and be the leader of a country that is like America. Like i said, at least he tried.

[Ty]

I don't find it diffcult to have a political debate without arguing, really. And the final point I shall make in this discussion is that Hitler did some good, but overall he wasn't such a nice chap, no?*
Just because he did a few good things doesn't mean that we should shed a tear for his departure. Goodnight.

[myra]

Your comparing him to Hitler? That's harsh dude.

[partietraumatic]

Originally Posted by Ty

I don't find it diffcult to have a political debate without arguing, really. And the final point I shall make in this discussion is that Hitler did some good, but overall he wasn't such a nice chap, no?*
Just because he did a few good things doesn't mean that we should shed a tear for his departure. Goodnight.

thats a bit quite an offensive comparison to make...comparing bush to hitler. Im not saying bush was good,but he wasn't an inherantly bad person, he just made some bad decisions. Hitler WAS an inherantly bad person!

[Swamp56]

Originally Posted by partietraumatic

thats a bit quite an offensive comparison to make...comparing bush to hitler. Im not saying bush was good,but he wasn't an inherantly bad person, he just made some bad decisions. Hitler WAS an inherantly bad person!

QFT

Bush is actually known to be an incredibly nice guy...even some democrat actors and politicians will agree as well.

He's more of the guy you drink with I'm guessing :P .

[myra]

Definately Swamp. He's a small town laid back type of guy. I forget where I read it, but it said exactly that. He's a real great guy, just not great president. One I wouldn't mind hanging out with for a day though.

[partietraumatic]

Originally Posted by Swamp56

QFT

Bush is actually known to be an incredibly nice guy...even some democrat actors and politicians will agree as well.

He's more of the guy you drink with I'm guessing :P .

id quite like a drink with bush lol,i think that would be awesome. My 18th is coming up...wander if he fancies popping around for a drink lol :P