[Southsider2k12]

One of the interesting things I read today was that Harry Truman left office with a 22% approval rating. He is now the 7th most popular President of all time.

[mcstumper]

One of the interesting things I read today was that Harry Truman left office with a 22% approval rating. He is now the 7th most popular President of all time.

In case anyone missed this one in the News-Dispatch:

[mcstumper]

One of the interesting things I read today was that Harry Truman left office with a 22% approval rating. He is now the 7th most popular President of all time.

With the emotions still so raw, it is almost impossible to imagine that ever being the case. Nixon is pretty much only remembered for Watergate, not bringing about the end of American involvement in the Vietnam War or starting the process of normalizing relations with China. Kennedy on the other hand is remembered for the Cuban missle crisis, but the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam and the Bay of Pigs are never really harped on.

If a strong democratic tradition takes root in Iraq, and it becomes a model state in the Middle East, maybe Bush will be looked on favorably in 30 years. I'm not putting any of my money on it though.

[Roger Kaputnik]

This has been interesting to see what people come up with. It is a little too soon to speak of legacy when the "boffo barbecue guest" is still the President.

[Dave]

If a strong democratic tradition takes root in Iraq, and it becomes a model state in the Middle East, maybe Bush will be looked on favorably in 30 years. I'm not putting any of my money on it though.

The current Iraqi government has expressed a desire to see U.S. troops out of Iraq. If we leave, and 30 years from now Iraq is a failed state that looks like Somalia, how do you suppose Bush the younger is going to be ranked?

What I think Bush the younger is going to be remembered for is missing the opportunities of a century. After 9/11 he had huge approval numbers, and international backing on the mission to Afghanistan. Between his totally unjustified adventurism in Iraq (WMD's, anyone?), the unconstitutional and unconscionable holding of people at Guantanamo, 4th amendment violations everywhere by the DHS, I suspect GWB is going to look pretty bad in the history books of the future.

And as for Truman's 22 per cent approval rating, that happened shortly after he fired MacArthur -- a greatly beloved military commander who happened to need to be fired at the time.

[Roger Kaputnik]

He failed, as you correctly identified, at a crystalized moment in history. I actually do put the blame entirely on his shoulders; in truth, j'accuse the Neocons. Subsequent history bears out this indictment.

[Roger Kaputnik]

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas...8012267354.html

function removeDebate(obj){ document.getElementById(obj).value = ''; } News Americas
Bush regrets Iraq war intelligence
The US has lost more than 4,200 soldiers in Iraq since the war began in 2003 [GETTY] George Bush, the US president, has said that he came to office "unprepared for war" and that his "biggest regret" is his country's "intelligence failure" on Iraq.

In an interview with ABC television's "World News Tonight", Bush also said he was "sorry" that the global economic meltdown was taking place and predicted that he would leave office on January 20 with his "head held high".

Bush has had record-low approval ratings after the botched government response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and in the wake of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the world financial crisis.

"The biggest regret of all the presidency has to have been the intelligence failure in Iraq," Bush said 50 days before president-elect Barack Obama's inauguration.

"I wish the intelligence had been different."

But Bush refused to say whether he would have ordered the March 2003 invasion if he had known Iraqi's former leader, Saddam Hussein, did not have weapons of mass destruction, calling it "an interesting question".

'Do-over'

"That is a do-over that I can't do. It's hard for me to speculate," said Bush, who declared as recently as last week that Saddam's ouster was "the right decision then - and it is the right decision today".

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians and more than 4,200 US troops have died in Iraq since Bush launched the war.

A months-long public campaign centered on the grounds - later proved false - that Saddam possessed weapons of mass destruction triggered the war.

"A lot of people put their reputations on the line and said the weapons of mass destruction is a reason to remove Saddam Hussein. It wasn't just people in my administration," Bush told ABC.

Asked what his greatest accomplishment was, Bush replied: "I keep recognising we're in a war against ideological thugs and keeping America safe."



Bush said he was sorry for the economic woes that have seen US firms failing [EPA] Asked what he was most unprepared for when he took office in January 2001, Bush replied: "I think I was unprepared for war. In other words, I didn't campaign and say, 'Please vote for me, I'll be able to handle an attack.'"

"I didn't anticipate war. Presidents - one of the things about the modern presidency is that the unexpected will happen," he said.

Bush, whose administration recently accepted a formal timeline for withdrawing from Iraq, also stood fast behind his refusal for years to set a pull-out timetable. "It would have compromised the principle that when you put kids into harm's way, you go in to win," he said.

'I am sorry'

Asked about the global economic crisis, Bush declared "I'm sorry it's happening, of course," but rejected any effort to blame his administration for inaction in the face of growing concerns.

"I'm the president during this period of time, but I think when the history of this period is written, people will realize a lot of the decisions that were made on Wall Street took place over a decade or so," he said.

Bush also described much of his time in office as "joyful" even though "the president ends up carrying a lot of people's grief in his soul during a presidency".

"I don't feel joyful when somebody loses their life, nor do I feel joyful when somebody loses a job. That concerns me," he said.

"But the idea of being able to serve a nation you love has been joyful."

Asked what Americans would say when he left office, Bush replied: "I hope they feel that this is a guy that came, didn't sell his soul for politics, had to make some tough decisions, and did so in a principled way. I will leave the presidency with my head held high."

Source: Agencies Feedback Number of comments : 16 David H. Vandal
United States 03/12/2008


Bush regrets


Bush did say he wished the intelligence on Iraq had been better, but he did not say it was his biggest regret. Bush' stated that his BIGGEST regret was "No weapons of mass destruction were found." That is an entirely different statement.
Roberta Smith
Canada 03/12/2008


Regrets


I think that we all regret George W. Bush's intelligence.
militantpacifist
Spain 03/12/2008


Bush the Israeli proxy


Bush will be remembered as the idiot who implemented in the former democracy the israeli habits of torture, concentration camps, targeted assassinations, spying on its citizens, gaining money on mass murder by weapons sales and to "put food on your family". If he had any knowledge of Christianity he would have respected the lives of others. He's got no empathy.
RDV
United States 03/12/2008


800,000


I wonder how the 800,000 bodies found in mass graves in Iraq figure into this. Did they wish the US would have stayed home or come sooner? Do the Kurds think the disposal of Sadam was a blunder? No pancake is so flat it does not have two sides.
LUCKY COLLER
United States 03/12/2008


GEORGE BUSH


GEROGE BUSH HAS BEEN MALIGNED FOR ALL THE DEEDS HE WAS INFORMED TO UNDERTAKE,PRESENTED BY HIS AIDES, WOULD YOU NOT DO THE SAME, WHEN YOU HIRE THEM FOR YOU TRUST THEM? THINK,THERE ARE WORST THINGS IN THIS WORLD THAT GO ON EVERYDAY, SLAVE TRADE,HUMAN EXCHANGES,THIRD WORLD ATROSITIES, SOMALI,MID EAST,RUSSIA,INDIA...AND SO ON....SO HOW STUPID WAS HE?? COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE WORLD
Patanjali Ramlall
United States 03/12/2008


Bush and his so-called regret


Fellow earthlings, George Bush has no regrets for any of his actions. He only regrets that he will be leaving the White House in total disgrace and that he could not enact all of Karl Rove's plans with the rest of his buddies. There was no bad INFO or intelligence. This guy could not wait to invade and illegally occupy a sovereign nation for its oil, & land, to build bases through deceit and lies. Look at him now, no one listens to him. Good riddance, his evil ? HISTORICAL!
Patanjali Ramlall
United States 03/12/2008


Bush regrets Iraq war intelligence


Bush has no regrets for the invasion and illegal occupation of Iraq. Through deceit and lies he invaded a sovereign nation for oil, and land to build bases. He made up stories & tried to mislead the world. His only regret is that he could not do everything Karl Rove & Co. wanted. No one ever listens to him anymore. He has no shame and is leaving office in disgrace. Good riddance !! There was no misinformation or bad intelligence. His crimes are HISTORICAL, claiming God told him to invade Iraq.
John T. Marohn
United States 03/12/2008


Bush Regrets Iraq War Intelligence


Why has Mr Bush never denied the British MI6 memo which stated that the CIA "facts and intelligence were being fixed around" military action to remove Hussein? He had clearly decided to invade Iraq before the WMD issue.
Aracanga
Brazil 03/12/2008


Bush x intelligence failure


It is very elementary: you gather intelligence, but the most important it is to evaluate the information, and check the sources. It is amazing that the CIA did know it. It is very strange, indeed.
Klaus
Germany 03/12/2008


If he regrets, why doesnt he say sorry and go OUT there? :-)


Bush has time till Jan 2009 to get out of Irak, if he regrets sooo deeply :-)). HE and his Fathers private gang the CIA, arranged the fake "intelligence", now ..another "col. North Iran-Contras" is guilty again:-)
Usman Aliyu
Nigeria 03/12/2008


Regrets and Resposibilities


No matter what failure president Bush admitted to, would he admit respnsibliyu for the deaths, the hardships and the agony he had caused many a family?
majid
Canada 03/12/2008






Whatever Bush is saying now is meaningless. Bush and his warmonger team started all these problems because he already claimed that Iraq war is an act of God! He was not looking for the truth when he linked Saddam Regime with the ruthless Al Qaeda . Now your time is over and history will remember you as one of dumbest American Presidents America has ever had. Flagrant violations of human rights , ecomomic catastrophe, your lukewarm response to Katrina survivors are some of Bush legacy.
Ayub
Afghanistan 03/12/2008


Bush regretting?..


"Intelligence"is the key word here.Bush did not then,nor does he possess intelligence now,the idiot has a brain of a squirrel.Maybe i'm insulting the poor squirrel at least it can fetch food for itself.This Bushman couldn't find his A$$ on a clear day.Let's hope the new puppet Obama brings about some kinfd of change...
Ahmed
Afghanistan 03/12/2008


resentment of most of the population


I find it interesting that everyone is stuck on the WMD variable. After million(s) were persecuted under the former Iraqi regime, whether by ethnic cleansing, or random crimes against humanity. I find it quite disgusting that we did not lobby to go into Iraq prior to 2003 based on the human right violations alone. What worries me is that, the UN had implemented 15 years of sanctions that stripped the people of necessary rations needed to sustain living in a hell hole, leaving the executive -
Ahmed
Afghanistan 03/12/2008


resentment of most of the population


executive office relatively untouched. I did not hear cries to go into the country and save the people systematically annihilated from the regime. The US uses WMD's as a means to invade the country, and pushes its way to get UN approval, with success. Then everyone cries foul. This tells me one thing. "If it isnt your country, and doesn't directly affect you, then leave it alone, despite genocide (beyond contestation) is taking place." I have one thing to say. "SHAME ON US!"
john thomsen
United States 03/12/2008


Bush regrets


Like Hitler, Stalin, and other despotic heads of state, Bush needn't worry about "HIS LEGACY". History will inform generations of his arrogance and utter disconnect with reality. His legacy will be the profundity of the damage he has wrought on America and the world.

[jb9152]

Like Hitler, Stalin, and other despotic heads of state, Bush needn't worry about "HIS LEGACY". History will inform generations of his arrogance and utter disconnect with reality. His legacy will be the profundity of the damage he has wrought on America and the world.

Ummm...Roger, is this part of the huge quote that you cut and pasted in order to "remove debate", or is this one that you came up with yourself? Hitler? Stalin? Wow.

function removePerspective(obj)

[Roger Kaputnik]

good call! If the Gentle Reader goes to the post on the 3rd, he will notice that it is in its entirety an article from the BBC, including comments from readers around the world. None of it is my own. I posted it to enrich the conversation. Unfortunately, the articles do not get posted how they actually look on the BBC site, which I encourage the Gentle Reader to go to.

[jb9152]

good call! If the Gentle Reader goes to the post on the 3rd, he will notice that it is in its entirety an article from the BBC, including comments from readers around the world. None of it is my own. I posted it to enrich the conversation. Unfortunately, the articles do not get posted how they actually look on the BBC site, which I encourage the Gentle Reader to go to.

Phew. Good. My opinion of you (which I'm sure matters not to you, as it should be) is restored.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Phew. Good. My opinion of you (which I'm sure matters not to you, as it should be) is restored.

You know the old saying: Steal from me my purse, but leave to me my horse of a different color!