I am a teacher. One of my jobs is to assign grades [Note: Students earn grades; the teacher's job in this regard is to calculate and record, not "give"].
George W. Bush, on the whole, did well. Here is a subject-by-subject breakdown:
Environment: A-. Ignored the environmentalists most of the time, jettisoned the awful Kyoto treaty. Tended to be a bit too accommodating with them.
National Security: A. Guantanamo Bay was, is, and ought to continue to be a good idea. How many terrorist attacks have there been on American soil since 9/11/01?
Support for Israel: A. Heaven help the president who doesn't get an A on this one...never mind. That help won't come.
Foreign Policy (general): A-. Few mistakes. So what if a lot of countries don't like us? I learned young that when you do the right thing, you ruffle feathers. Bush ruffled feathers.
Handling of Iraq: A. It was the right thing to do six years ago. And even though there are always mistakes made in wartime (what would a perfect war be, anyway?), the surge took care of a lot of them. It's a reasonably safe country today...at least as safe as Chicago or Washington DC.
Education: D. No Child Left Behind was a well-intentioned terrible idea. Federal spending on K-12 education went up...a lot. The federal government needs to leave public education up to the states.
Federal Spending: D. For starters, four words: "Medicare prescription drug benefit." To summarize, two words: "Stimulus package." Bush would have been wise to use his veto pen on any number of occasions. Part of his legacy will be the inexcusable swelling of federal deficit spending.
Judicial Appointments: A+. I'm not really sure this grade is high enough.
Integrity: A. Faithful to wife. Tried to do the right thing. Man of his word. Class act. Courteous to those inferior to him (even the next president).
Saturday, January 17, 2009
George W. Bush: Final Report Card
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3 comments:
Great job for our President!! I applaude him!! And did you happen to notice where he has decided would be the best place for him to live after stepping down from the highest job in the land?? Not but a few miles from my house. I have NOT yet been by his new house, but then I didn't want to join the millions of others rolling by like a parade on their street. But if I happen to see them in the same restaurant that we are, you better believe I'm going to go up to him and shake his hand and thank him for so nobly doing the job he was elected to do and doing it with grace and dignity and respect and courage and humor, and then I'm inviting him over to our house full of six children for a homemade spaghetti dinner!! I've always wanted to do that....
I hope he accepts your invitation! And then I'll expect you to invite me and my wife to join the party. We'll bring dessert. Anything you want...
You'll be the first to know!!
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