Rove: Bush hardly worst president

Two years ago, I made a $100 bet with a friend that by July 4, 2012, George Bush will be more highly regarded by history than Bill Clinton. That still depends on what happens in Iraq, but things are trending in my direction.

I agree 100% with Mr. Rove. Bush is not the worst president in the last 50 years. Bush is the worst president in the history of the USA.

Anyone who believes that Bush is the worst president, even in the last twenty years, is either too young to know the difference or horribly partisan from the start. In fact, Bill Clinton was no better a president than Bush. Clinton never faced what Bush faced; in fact, Clinton avoided tough decisions like the plague. Had Bill Clinton done a better job in office, we may never have had the 9/11 attacks; we may never have had the corporate malfeasance of WorldCom and Enron, among others, that ballooned under Clinton's nose. And had 9/11 never happened, we would not have seen an Iraq War. Going back a little further, there has been no worse president in my lifetime than Jimmy Carter. Again, those who are too young to know of his misery need to read a history book, a fair history book. We have not begun to touch the misery that was evident under his leadership.

Oh my God stupidpants, you are a MORON. Bill Clinton went into Bosnia, which a certain governor of Texas (named George) called "Nationbuilding and without an exit plan". No kidding W, no exit plan? And Clinton and his staff TESTIFIED under oath in regards to 9/11. Bush and Cheney first tried to squash the commission and then refused to testify entirely, giving only statements with no oath and no transcript, and at the same time. Thet couldn't swear to tell the truth to their nation? They couldn't speak at seperate times (to avoid telling different versions?). George Bush and Karl Rove are insults to our Founding Fathers. Rove is best known for releasing the name of a covert CIA agent because he didn't like her politics. Forget that it's a felony, but from a White House official as well? George Bush is not only the worst president ever, he's a coward and a liar. And Karl Rove will share a jail cell with Cheney in Hell.

To those poor souls who have no clue that President Bush kept your sorry butts safe from another attack since 911. How soon we forget. How soon we become complacent being armchair generals in the comfort of our homes. President Bush, I thank you, my family thanks you and my 5 grandchildren thank you. One proud veteran who served this great country. Freedom as long as we can hold on to it.

You're alive to comment on this. Thank President Bush. President Bush never had any " guests " having pizza in your house. Thank him. President Bush never disgraced the White House as Clinton did. Thank him. I did my part to keep this country safe for eight years also just as he did. He can't be blamed for ungrateful, unthinking people that can't see this through the unreasoning hatred of republicans.

The amazing thing for me is that we should even need such a debate. What is the point of trying to determine whether George W. Bush is the very worst ever, or only the second worst, or the worst in 50 years, etc. The difference is not worth fighting over, to my mind. The point is, he is one of the worst ever. As to whether history will vindicate him, I doubt it very much, because the more we come to know, the worse he looks. From where we stand at this time, his presidency has clearly been disasterous in nearly every way.

George Bush has failed spectacularly on just about every objective he had set during his presidency. Keep us safe? More Americans have been killed on our soil since the War of 1812. Greeted as liberators? We've been at war in Iraq longer than WWII. He takes credit for the surge? He fired the general who told him in 2002 it would take more than 200,000 troops to pacify the country. Restore morality to the Oval Office? Sure, if you don't count torture and collateral damage as moral issues. Remember the ownership society? Americans are losing their homes at record numbers, stocks have shown no growth since the Clinton years, median incomes have declined for the first time since the Great Depression. George W. Bush has failed catastrophically domestically and internationally at just about everything he's tried. The end of an error, indeed.

I say way to go MR. ROVE!!!!! these liberals from the upper east side are the worst, ask my daughter who works and lives there but does not agree with them at all which many are her friends, she is the only one from TEXAS which puts her in quite a unique position all the time especiallymatter what they say we loved this man, for who he is, sincere, down to earth, and treats every person as equal , no one is below him at all, and what he did for her father my husband is something our family will never foget, my husband was dying from prostate cancer at 50 years old, we could not get assistance from the social security office to get disability, no one would help, one letter to GOV. BUSH'S office and within two weeks I received a personal letter from him that we would be hearing from the disabililty office which we did, they even retroactively paid him for the past year and we got a big check, which we were able to pay doctors with it, he said he would pray for my husband and our family, now this is the real man that no one knows about, the character of a man is what you dont see, my husband did live six years, after being given only one to live, but we were so greatful for the disability payments we did receieve, it saved us. I say to all of you who hate this man with a passion, YOU JUST DO NOT KNOW HIM AT ALL,no matter what he did you didn't like it. then we were attacked on 9/11 and you all still trashed him, then you all got mad but the way he handled it all to me will go down in history as showing him what a great president he was, whether you like it or not, look what clinton did at the first trade center building, NOTHING!!!!! If he had done something more drastic, like BUSH probably would have done, 9/11 would not have happened, if you all were honest you would admit that, and all those people who died would be here today!!!!!!clinton had the opportunity to get obama and he turned it down, you libs probably do not even know that. facts are facts. and to make the rest of the story short, WE HAVE NOT HAD ANOTHER ATTACK IN SEVEN YEARS, NOT ONE!!!!! AND YOU ALL THINK THAT IS JUST A COINCIDENCE????? THINK AGAIN. IT IS BECAUSE OF WHAT THIS ADMINISTRATION IS DOING TO PROTECT US, SURE THERE HAVE BEEN MISTAKES, WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES, CARTER MADE TONS OF THEM, CLINTON MADE MANY HIMSELF, BUT BUSH IS GIVEN SUCH A BAD RAP BECAUSE OF THE HATRED OF THE PRESS AND MEDIA WHICH YOU ORDINARY PEOPLE BELEIVE ALL THEY SAY. YOU DO NOT KNOW THIS MAN AS SO MANY DO, ROVE SAID IT PERFECT HATRED OF THIS MAN MAKES PEOPLE SO IRRATIONAL, MY HUSBAND DIED TWO DAYS BEFORE ELECTION 04, WHICH WAS SO SAD FOR US, HE ALSO LOVED THIS PRESIDENT.AND HE WAS SO GRATEFUL TO HIM.

Rove, the puppet-master, defending Bush as President. As Rove well knew, Bush was unprepared to be President, but that didn’t stop him from stealing the office with the help of his brother and his father’s nominees on the Supreme Court. As for Bush wishing the intelligence about WMD hadn't been wrong: Bush was determined to find a way to go after Saddam, even before he took office. Claiming that Hussein was involved in 9/11 was the first step, next it was Bush’s claim that Hussein had WMD. Bush INSISTED that the ‘intelligence’ support his intent to go after Hussein. Both Bush and Rove are now busy trying to manipulate voters into cutting Bush some slack by acknowledging a ‘mistake’. The ‘mistakes’ neither of them have acknowledged are spying on people, eroding our civil and reproductive rights, rendition, torturing, lying to get us into Iraq, causing millions to die, going after gays, dismantling every possible human, animal and environmental protection and now rushing through laws to destroy national parks and sanctuaries. Bush is also hell-bent to make it much more difficult to prevent corporations from exposing workers to toxins, BUT he says “I’m sorry.” The far right began this “crusade” in the late 60’s, developing the Heritage Foundation and many other like-minded conservative groups to accomplish their goals. Let’s not forget Newt Gingrich, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, and the religious right. The plan was to remake the country to reflect their world view and secure permanent power for the right by going after the middle class, destroying the economy, turning back the clock and re-establishing two classes–the wealthy and the poor. By now, they’ve accomplished many of their goals, thanks to Rove, thanks to those who voted for Bush and thanks to the Rush Limbaugh’s of the world who spread the propaganda. Then there were those who didn’t speak up when anyone who disagreed was threatened and labeled unpatriotic. The media has also been complicit, aiding and abetting by not doing their jobs to expose what was going on. Instead the media has chosen to become part of the ruling class by influencing voter opinion and elections. Who does Rove or Bush think they're kidding?

It's ironic that the topic was limited to "worst president in the last 50 years." Historians are already coming to an agreement that he is the worst president ever in terms of the effects of his policies, our reputation in the world, corruption, respect for democracy and civil liberties, and fiscal responsibility. The only category Bush would not rank worst is his ability to get his agenda passed. With the exception of privatizing social security, he has been a stunning success. Unfortunately for the rest of America and the world, that political effectiveness has had disastrous consequences.

In the last 50 years, Carter wins hands down as the worst. JFK and Johnson are easily worse when it comes to foreign policy and lives lost thanks to Vietnam. And FDR should win as worst for the century for his inept/naieve foreign policy as well as his terrible handling of the economy to such a point that we suffered the Great Depression - the worst economic period of our history. And what can you say about people like Mag7 who even after Richard Armitage admitted he leaked Plame's name (and confirmed by the investigation) still refuses to believe it was Rove. Or Carol L who typifies the Bush Derangement Syndrome with her insistence that the presidency was stolen. Even with all the recounts in Florida being won by Bush and even the media recount afterwards that included the representatives of New York Times showing Bush won, still people delude themselves into believing somehow the election was stolen.

The primary role of the President is the security and protection of the United States. President Bush thank you. Not one attack since 911.

P.S. Justin A. Frank's book "On the Couch" is an astute analysis of Bush's character and personality.

RCH: I see you've completely ignored the multitude of "mistakes" I mentioned, otherwise known as Bush 'policies', that have brought our country to its knees over the past 8 years. I don't know what planet those of you who defend this man are living on and I don't understand the alternate reality you live in, but thankfully the rest of the country has finally come to its senses and voted out Republicans. Bush was incompetent at best and evil at worst (I think a combination of both). If Republicans continue with this attitude that George and Karl were wonderful (and those of us who see it very differently have "Bush Derangement Syndrome") you can kiss goodbye the prospect of Republicans having any influence or power in our country for a long time to come. Republicans have to own what they've done to the country and apologize for colluding in and condoning all of the abuses of the last 8 years. They need to stop trying to control everyone's lives, stop trying to limit full equality and economic progress for working people, women and gays or anyone who isn't rich, white and male. They need to stop trying to control a woman's body and reproductive choices. This is absolutely none of their business. They have to let go of seeing themselves as the chosen, superior race, destined to rule and determine how our country and government should function. They need to let go of believing that only they are entitled to achieve wealth, influence and power, and stop working so hard to ensure that the middle class and poor remain middle-class and poor, while they hoard the country's wealth and prosperity. And finally, religion has no place in politics. People's religious choices and values are private and very much their own. Any religious organization that attempts to influence elections, policies or politics or to force their "values" and choices onto others should lose their tax-exempt status. The mix of politics and religion always seems to result in war, torture, "cleansing" and not so long ago, burning 'witches'. Republicans need to acknowledge and take responsibility for what they've done and work in cooperation with Democrats to fix the problems. If they won't acknowledge the damage they've done, they won't be able to "fix" in an in-depth, real way what's destroyed their party. I don't think Republicans will earn votes again until your party demonstrates an ability to redefine itself in ways that are much more positive and inclusive. The days of groups like The Heritage Foundation imposing their arrogant, misguided attitudes, will and agenda on the country are gone. It's been a long time in coming, but finally, this is what has cost your party the election and hopefully power in the country for a long time to come. How you choose to deal with this will determine your future.