December 17, 2004

THE TWO TERMERS HAVE A HAUNTING SAMENESS:

Looking Back, Looking Forward (Eric Foner, 12/20/04, The Nation)

RARELY HAS A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION produced such widespread despair on the left. By any objective standard, George W. Bush has been among the worst Presidents in American history. One of the main purposes of elections in a democracy is to act as a check on those in power by confronting them with the possibility of being removed from office. If Bush can be re-elected after having alienated virtually the entire world, brought the country into war on false pretenses and mortgaged the nation's future to provide economic benefits to the rich, what incentive will other Presidents have to act more reasonably?

None. The incentive lies in acting more like President Bush (and Reagan and, to some degree, Clinton)--unilateralist and moralist in foreign policy, free market oriented in economic policy, religious in social policy, and reformist on welfare policy.

Posted by Orrin Judd at December 17, 2004 8:41 AM
Comments

Oh, to quaff the kool-aid!
"Lord, let my enemies be idiots."

The US President is just that--President of the USA, not of the world. Us voters don't care what the rest of the world thinks of the President. His job description is to serve at our pleasure, not the world's pleasure.

"brought the country into war on false pretenses"
And here I thought that the videos of the WTC towers collapsing was real. You means that it was just cgi special effects??!! (slaps head) Boy do I feel dumb!

Posted by: fred at December 17, 2004 10:17 AM

"by any objective standard, (Bush) has been among one of the worst presidents in American history"

Bush isn't perfect but when you start from that mindset the rest of the article is garbage.

Posted by: AWW at December 17, 2004 10:21 AM

After "... having alienated virtually the entire world?"

Puhlease. Dial 1-800-Waaaaah for someone who cares.

Posted by: Jeff Guinn at December 17, 2004 11:20 AM

"by any objective standard."

...is the big sign by the road reading "Welcome to Leftist Fantasy Land."

It relieves the writer of actually showing how bad he is, allowing him to move into more enjoyable territory.

Posted by: Raoul Ortega at December 17, 2004 12:02 PM

What would we do without "objective standards"?

Posted by: AC at December 17, 2004 8:20 PM
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