According to www.pollingpoint.com, GWB is running at about a 28% approval rating - not bad from where he was a few months ago. Yet, the fifth most beloved president, Harry S. Truman (my alma mater's namesake) was in the gutter with the public for most of his presidency.
Will history view George W. Bush more kindly than the public views him now? What factors will be included when analyzing his presidency?
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Insight into a President:
“For most of his presidency, he was beset by critics on all sides. He found himself operating in a perpetual cross fire from congressmen, governors, generals, office seekers, ordinary citizens – all dissatisfied, and many sincerely convinced that he was incompetent and leading the nation down the path of destruction.”
One newspaper in New York habitually characterized him as "that hideous baboon at the other end of the avenue," and declared that "Barnum should buy and exhibit him as a zoological curiosity."
Any guesses who this quote is about? Maybe someone we all know so well? Would you believe that this is referring to a President who’s been dead for over 130 years, and happens to top the lists of greatest American Presidents? Abraham Lincoln was not a well-liked person at the time of his Presidency.
Quoting from the site I gathered this info from: “His achievement is all the more remarkable when we consider that many of the presidential writings for which Lincoln is best known – the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, the Second Inaugural – were formulations of ideas and positions that were not immediately popular.”
Pennsylvania journalist-politician Alexander K. McClure recalled: “With the possible exception of President Washington, whose political opponents did not hesitate to rob the vocabulary of vulgarity and wickedness whenever they desired to vilify the Chief Magistrate, Lincoln was the most and "best" abused man who ever held office in the United States. During the first half of his initial term there was no epithet which was not applied to him.”
So, what will history say of our current President? That he did the best he could with what he was given, and though polls may show him as less than stellar, he’s stuck to what he believed, public polls be damned. History has shown repeatedly that the Presidents who do this are the ones that get remembered.
Link (quoted from about half-way down the page): http://www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/Library/newsletter.asp?ID=124&CRLI=172
I am sorry for all the scriptural quotations, but I feel it necessary. The book of Ether in the Book of Mormon states: "There is strife and contention over the kingdom—Akish forms an oath-bound secret combination to slay the king—Secret combinations are of the devil and result in the destruction of nations—Modern Gentiles are warned against the secret combination which shall seek to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries." "24. Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you; or wo be unto it, because of the blood of them who have been slain; for they cry from the dust for vengeance upon it, and also upon those who built it up." I firlmly believe that these Secret combinations are among us, and control a lot of our country. For example, would a secret combination be that Secret society of "Skull and Bones" that both Bush and Kerry have or are participants in? I would think so, and why is so damn secret? They both will not talk about what goes on in it. And why is it that the "Franklin case" was shut down and covered-up? A child sex ring that was uncovered just to be covered up by those who are in power, and who participate in such actions. I am Skeptical toward those who run our country, and would like to know the exact agenda that they hold for America. Bull-Shit-Bush is not a great or good president. Many will see me as "Looney Tune" but I see him as a conspirator, and a sick bastard. Oh, McCain and Obama are no better either. Thanks for bearing with the scriptures, and my thoughts :)
Personally I believe that Bush has done a hell of a job with the difficulties that he has faced. I sometimes feel like I am one of the only people to stick up for the President, and obviously from the low 20% range in the polls it's pretty obvious that there aren't many of us. However, with the crisis that he has faced and dealt with, he has followed through with commitment and conviction which shows his true character.
I do believe that Bush could have gone about things differently in many circumstances such as finding out the truth about Iraq before entering and we should definately have Bin Laden by now, however, with the knowledge he has recieved he has acted on it. I feel that you can see through his resolve to get the job done no matter how dirty it gets the character in the man that we elected to lead us.
Part of the reason Harry Truman became more popular over time is that as his tenure became more distant, we were more removed from his actions and became more acquainted with his personality. We forgot the Korean War and came to know the "Buck Stops Here"/"Give em Hell, Harry". Now THAT Truman we like.
On the other hand, the more we know about George W. Bush, even in a biographical sense, the less we like still. There are numerous accounts of generals appalled at his extreme lack of curiosity and even his boorish attitude and language. And that's juts one element I could focus on.
Things are only going to get worse for GWB, I'm afraid...actually I'm not afraid at all! Serves the jerk right!
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