Jan 13 2009
Incompetent Bush Farewell
I am hard-pressed to recall any presidential term ending on such a low….and “low” is about the most polite term I can conjure up…but there are plenty more.
I think the transfer of power from Lyndon B. Johnson to Richard M. Nixon was pretty frosty…but that was a personal thing. The turnover from Bush to Obama will be quite friendly between the two principals because they are both realists and understand with what importance the images from America are perceived around the World.
The end of the LBJ term on January 20, 1969 was also a low for the USA. Not only was the country deeply entrenched in the Vietnam War, but the populace had resorted to electing Nixon, a person that nobody trusted!!
George W. Bush is leaving at the nadir of his Administration. What a way to go out…at the rock bottom. There is not a lot of regret around the country. Not a lot of respect for this man around the world either. No love.
Here is a quote from Caledonian Jim , self-described master of the world-weary, cynical cheap shot, in his blog, Caledonian Comment:
“But, determined as he was in his last stand, it wouldn’t have been a Bush press conference without a few classic quotes - such as his defiant statement to the reporters assembled before him: ‘Sometimes you mis-underestimated me’. No George - we never mis-underestimated you - you were always a cretinous prat. After 8 disastrous years, good riddance.”
The blog, Urban Swirl commented upon the Bush exit interview with Charles Gibson:
“To sum it up - Bush is clueless! A mindless blowhard! And may history fashion him as such!
Most of what he thinks and believes is what was fed to him - Bush is an empty vessel, a puppet that people like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney used for their own purpose. As he departs the presidency, Bush is unquestionably a FAILURE!“
And from the political blogger, First Door on the Left : “One week left. We have only to make it through one more week. One. More. Week.”
For my part, although the President is taking the brunt of the blame, I think there is plenty of blame to be spread amongst hundreds of our “leaders”: The president’s cabinet, his top aides and advisors, members of congress, wall street financiers, bankers, real estate lenders, the auto industry CEOs, and many more. They were all getting their returns and bonuses, etc, and while they knew things were going downhill, and were “gonna get pretty bad,” they were not able or willing to act with decisiveness. Today, everyone sees what “could have been done” but it’s too late now. No forgiveness.
