A Failed Presidency - The Legacy of George W. Bush

Things are so bad for George Bush that I almost feel a little bit sorry for him. It is becoming clear to even his staunchest supporters that the Presidency of George Bush is a stunning failure. He will most likely leave office with the lowest approval rating of any President in U.S. history.

ECONOMY: Virtually every area of the economy is horrible and getting worse. The surplus he inherited has become the largest deficit in history. Home foreclosures continue at a record pace and home values continue to plummet. Unemployment is increasing and wages are stagnant. Gas prices are approximately 250% higher than when he took office. To top it off, the worst financial crisis in modern history is occurring on his watch only months before he leaves office.

HURRICANE KATRINA: George Bush was AWOL and clueless during one of the worst natural disasters to ever affect the U.S. He cut a few days off of his 5 week vacation and finally one of his staff members had to put together a DVD and show it to him to prompt some action on the crisis. Bush is not one to read the newspapers or watch television news.

SEPT. 11: George Bush acted like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car when told about the attacks while at a Florida school. He thought it was more important to keep reading for 7 minutes while the United States was under attack during an era where nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons are a very real possibility. He then flew around the country hiding out and let Cheney run the show. In the biggest diplomatic failure in American history, George Bush squandered the support of the world by invading Iraq (see Iraq below).

CONSTITUTION: In a blatant violation of the Constitution and U.S. law Bush approved warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens and then lied about for some time before admitting the practice.

TORTURE: First President to approve a policy of torture.

TREASON: Members of his administration at the highest levels (Cheney, Libby, and Rove) and possibly Bush himself were involved in the outing of CIA Agent Valerie Plame. These same people then obstructed justice and blunted the probe of Special Prosecutor Fitzgerald. In an act of arrogance and injustice Bush pardoned Libby who was at the heart of blocking the truth from being revealed about the extent of involvement of Bush, Cheney and Rove.

FOREIGN POLICY:
Iraq: The quagmire in Iraq will be left for the next President to solve. Iraq will overshadow everything else in Bush's legacy. After the attacks of 9/11 the U.S. had the support and goodwill of the entire world, including many of our enemies. The bizarre decision to invade Iraq (which had nothing to do with 9/11) alienated most other countries and squandered the once in a lifetime opportunity to take advantage of the goodwill of the entire world. His blunder cost more than 4,000 American lives, billions of dollars, and shifted the focus away from fighting terrorism.

Afghanistan: By shifting resources into Iraq, the job in Afghanistan was never completed and now we are experiencing more casualties there than in Iraq. Generals are calling for more troops, but they are bogged down in Iraq.

Osama Bin Laden: It appears that Bush will leave office without having captured or killed the man responsible for the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. The decision to not take him out in Tora Bora with a large contingent of U.S. forces was a stunning blunder. Bush allowed him to escape that area with only a token effort to find or kill him.

North Korea: North Korea has recently said they are restarting their nuclear program.

APPOINTEES: The list of Bush's incompetent and Constitution burning appointees include Alberto Gonzales, John Ashcroft, Harriet Miers, Michael Mukasey, Michael Brown (FEMA), Paul Wolfowitz, Donald Rumsfeld, Michael Chertoff, John Bolton (U.N.), Paul Bremer, Sara Taylor, Karl Rove, etc. etc.

In Conclusion: George W. Bush can ride off into the sunset having screwed up virtually everything he touched. His position as the worst President of the modern era is uncontested and well-deserved. The next time the country thinks about voting for the guy they want to have a beer with, maybe they will remember the failed presidency of George W. Bush and vote for the competent guy instead. Now George Bush can look forward to a permanent vacation where he always seemed more comfortable anyway.

The Rise and Fall of McCain/Palin

It looks like the polling data is starting to move back in the direction of Barack Obama as I thought it would. The shine is starting to wear off of Palin and this economic turmoil leaves McCain looking weak when he tries to speak about it logically. For him to now be pushing regulation of the financial system when he was against it all these years makes him look ridiculous.

When we look back on this election after November 4th I predict that we will see that McCain/Palin peaked immediately after the Republican convention. The more we find out about Sarah Palin, the worse she looks. She has a lot of fires popping up and the "Republican Truth Suppression Squad" is having trouble putting them all out; the blaze is now out of control and is only about 20% contained. Obama seized the upper-hand, finally went on offense and skillfully beat McCain over the head with his "the fundamentals of the economy are strong" comments. John McCain is on the canvas, bloody, dazed, and he will rise to his feet before the 10 count. But not before Obama has taken back the momentum in this election.

There are only 48 days to go, the economy is swirling the drain, the "Palin-effect" is wearing off, McCain is looking clueless, and blatant lies continue to flow out of the Republican smear machine. Without an "October Surprise" up their sleeve, I predict the desperate tactics of the Republicans will be rejected and Obama will be the winner of a historic election on November 4th.
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Matt Damon on the Absurd Possibilty of Sarah Palin as President

Matt Damon is "the man." Somebody high-profile needed to say this. It looks like its not going to be done in any meaningful way by the media. Obama can't do it or it's considered "picking on a defenseless soccer mom." Way to go Matt Damon!

"In terms of governance it's a disaster" - Matt Damon
"It's like a really bad Disney movie" - Matt Damon
"It's absurd, totally absurd" - Matt Damon
"It's a really terrifying possibility" - Matt Damon

If Sarah Palin Is A Foreign Policy Expert Then So Am I!

Here is another idiot (Steve Doocy of FoxNews) trying to sell the argument that Sarah Palin has foreign policy experience based on Alaska's proximity to Russia. Using Republican logic, since I live in Florida I must be a foreign policy expert on the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. I will await my appointment as ambassador to Costa Rica in the McCain administration. Maybe I finally do have a reason to pull for McCain now! I am now considered highly qualified for many important government positions within the McCain administration due to my close physical proximity to certain countries.

Steve Doocy of Fox News is not the only Republican shill to try to float this nonsensical argument. John McCain, Cindy McCain, and Frank Gaffney have also tried to make this argument with a straight face. LINK

The Obama "Bounce" - Finally!

As of today Obama is looking pretty good in most of the polling data. He finally got his bounce, albeit a little late. It will be interesting to see where the polls settle after the Republican Convention and the continuing saga of Sarah Palin.

Gallup Tracking: Obama +8 (Note: 1st time Obama has hit 50%!!)
Rasmussen: Obama +6
Hotline/FD: Obama +9
CNN: Obama +1
CBS News: Obama +8
USA Today/Gallup: Obama +7

LINK

You've Got To Be Joking! Palin for VP???

Are we being punked?? Or did John McCain really just select Sarah Palin to be his VP? What an obvious pander attempt to woo disenchanted Hillary Clinton voters. I'm going to have faith that the target audience for this ridiculous VP selection won't go for it. I have a good feeling that John McCain just lost the 2008 election. Does he really believe that this is the 2nd most qualified person in a country of 300 million people to be Commander-In-Chief of the United States? This is clearly the worst choice for a running mate in the history of the U.S. and begs the question about John McCain's judgement.

You're putting this woman a heartbeat away from the Presidency, but at the same time trying to make the argument that Barack Obama is not ready to be President? I should say a heartbeat away from the Presidency with a 72 year old President; she REALLY could become the President. She is the Governor of Alaska which has a population of 680,000 people. That's right, the entire state has fewer people than 17 CITIES within the U.S. including Columbus OH, Jacksonville FL, and Austin TX! Sarah Palin has no business being considered for VP. I am having Harriet Miers flashbacks at this very moment. I'm thinking he may have to withdraw this nomination and make another selection from the weak pool of Republican VP candidates. If not, Obama can start putting his transition team together now.

UPDATE: I must be on to something because Ariana Huffington just posted almost the exact same comments I posted about Sarah Palin (after I did). I'm convinced she's using my blog for ideas; well I'm convinced of this in my own fantasy world which is good enought for me:

"Palin is more Harriet Miers -- chosen for all the wrong reasons, and glaringly not up to the task."

"Maybe an anxious nation can offer John McCain a do-over."

LINK TO ARIANA HUFFINGTON'S BLOG POST ABOUT SARAH PALIN

Republicans Cannot Call For Impeachment For ANY Reason!

Although I am predicting an Obama win in the fall election, I do not feel it is guaranteed by any means. My recent postings about current polling data and Obama's pending VP decision have me a little concerned. But, for now, let's go with the assumption that Barack Obama is sworn in on January 20, 2009 as the President of the United States. What follows is my instructions for all the Republicans who continued to defend the current President and his administration during all of the illegal and impeachable offenses committed during the last 8 years.

Since we have now entered the era of "anything goes" when it comes to the illegal activities of the President, you Republicans will need to keep your mouths shut when you see illegal activity by any future Democratic President. No whining! You got it? If we did not impeach the current occupant of the White House for his blatant law-breaking, then I am officially declaring any and all President Obama illegalities off-limits for impeachment. Any calls for his impeachment or any complaining about these activities will be considered unamerican and unpatriotic, just as those of us who have criticized President Bush have been labeled. Please, no statements by Republicans who are shocked and outraged, but didn't "bat an eye" as Bush trampled on the Constitution (warrantless wiretapping, torture, etc.), outed undercover CIA agents for political reasons (treason-punishable by death), and made a joke out of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Obama does not strike me as the kind of guy who would commit blatant unconstitutional crimes. I would be profoundly disappointed if he did. I actually wish he would instruct the Justice Department to vigorously pursue indictments against Bush (warantless wiretapping, torture), Cheney (outing of an undercover CIA Agent), Rove (outing of an undercover CIA agent, political prosecution of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman), Gonzales (torture, U.S. Attorney firings, illegal hiring practices). It looks like this probably won't happen based on Obama's recent comments.