The presidency of George W Bush will be written about and studied for decades to come and perhaps beyond. Whatever may be said of the man today will fall short to the judgment of history. Bush is an unpopular figure. It seems hard to believe that history could ever reverse his current standing however Harry Truman left office with only a 22% Gallop rating below Nixon's lowest at 24% during Watergate. Truman's achievements are many as a war time president and subsequent peace not to mention the policy of Soviet containment, the creation of NATO, CIA, National Security agency, Air Force the list goes on and on. But does anyone remember his attempt to take over the steel industry in order to break a strike, his opposition to tax cuts or the ending of wage controls or the endless corruption that infected his administration? Does it matter?
The troubles that drag on the Bush administration have more to do with the means and not the ends.
Bush will leave office with 50 million middle easterners living in a democracy in two countries with US forces routing their homelands of terrorists. If in 20 or even 10 years time those democracies hold and if America doesn't see another attack with the likes of 9/11, will Guantanamo, the Iraqi insurgency, Katrina, or the absurd Valarie Plume be relevant? The current book on Bush is written by and large by his detractors. The daily barrage of anti-Bush sentiment is the sign of our times. The apparent clumsiness in speech and folksy manner of George Bush only fuels the perception of a president that is aloof, unattached and worse incompetent. He seems to have little to no concern about how he is perceived and pays no mind, obviously, to his popularity. Contrast this with his predecessor Bill Clinton who has made it a career to build a legacy with little to no accomplishments. As with Bush history will make a final judgment on this point, however Clinton had forged no initiative or any legislation in the 6 of his last 8 years in office. In his defense Clinton presided over a nation in peace and and good economy times. Even if it wasn't of his making he had the good sense to not interfere.
Aside from matters of war the Bush presidency will also be judged on policy decisions that were may not stand the test of time. The vast expansion of the federal government and the enormous bail out plan that gives the treasury department broad powers over economic matters may set a bad precedent. On other fronts the expansion of NATO to the doorstep of Russia may have fueled its current authoritarian emergence and antagonism abroad.
Certainly there is a lot to look at and his tenure is not easy to assess. His policies could only be judged through the test of time. His prescriptions were for future generations not for the latest Gallop numbers. Bush's legacy will be a work in progress. Bush can only succeed, not now, but in many years to come.
