What's So Bad About George W. Bush?

All You Villains, Hear My Call!

Published on February 25, 2005 By stutefish In Politics

Assume, for the sake of argument (heh), that I am a reasonable man. Assume that I am a reasonable man who--no-one knows why or how--holds an unreasonable opinion: that George W. Bush is, on balance, a good President.

So here's my question for all you Bush-haters (and/or rational moderate sensible people) out there: if you were given the opportunity to present a single argument, a single concrete fact or line of reasoning, to change my mind on this, what would you choose? What evidence or logic would you employ to support your position?

That is, what is the Single Most Important Consideration, in your catalog of reasons to hate Bush? What is the one you would use, if you could only use one, to convert others to your way of thinking?

Bonus follow-up question: what piece of evidence or line of reasoning would change your own mind?

Please: No laundry lists of complaints, no unsourced quotes or references, and no factual statements without supporting evidence.

Ready?

Go!

Comments (Page 4)

drmiler

on Feb 25, 2005

The CO of Bush was pressured which his secretary admitted when this story broke.

Which she later retracted.

drmiler

on Feb 25, 2005

I had contact with the professor of Bush at Harvard who confirmed to me that Bush told him he got both in and out of the guard with the help of his father's contacts.

Which since this did not occur under oath is hear-say.

drmiler

on Feb 25, 2005

Which all of this rolls back to reply #45. What you think or say about this subject means absolutly *NOTHING* in the real world.

PlausibleDeniability

on Feb 25, 2005

*chuckle* for the Spc...to which I say, "Bring it on!"

Lee1776

on Feb 25, 2005

As a person who commanded three Army Reserve Units, I know Bush did not serve honorably. The first and most important requirement is to obey orders. Bush failed that most basic principal by not attending drills and by not taking the required physical which resulted in him being grounded. You do not know what you are talking about. What military units have you Commanded? If the military of today acted like Bush, we would not have an effective military!

With all do respect Sir, I have to disagree.

I was an AGR (Active Guard Reserve) NCO for an Aviation Unit for over four years, and have served on a Battalion staff since then.

The man was able to complete what is called a "good year". That is why he got an Honorable discharge and his retirement points. To receive a good year you need to attend 48 SUTAs (Training periods). There are generally 78 SUTAs in a year (2 per day, 24 drill days and 15 Annual Training days). If you check the records posted all over the internet you will notice and count at least 48 (the count is fifty four), and that is not accounting the missing six months that happened to all National Guardsmen during that period when they changed the system from manual hand records to an automated system. I would ask you to check your records as proof Sir, but the Reserve Component was not using the same system at the time.

Even if you don't want to accept the six months that no records exist that shows that he missed the drill or was at drill, you only minus 4 SUTAs for each drill month. So if you minus 24 from 78 you get 54. Since the required is 48, case closed Sir.

Sir, I am not sure if you served in an aviation unit. But life for an officer is much different in an Aviation unit then those of none aviation units. During my time in that aviation unit, I had met many of officers and could not tell you if 1LT John Doe made all his physicals and drills just five years later, let alone 20 years. If you’re saying he disobeyed a direct order to get his physical, then produce the orders. I personally know that many flight officers (can't remember their names now), didn't give a s*%t about taking their last physical before they left service. Why, they will be out of service flying for Delta in no time. Why waste the time, when or if you're called back to service you will receive a physical then.

Losing flight statue for the last few months in service is no big deal. Us NCOs get ticked off when we see the different standards officers received. By all accounts Bush’s Admin NCO who did handled all such records and details can't remember anything special about Bush. That is why someone had to fabricate documents that did not exist.

As for leaving service months early before the end of contract? I am sure you didn't questioning Mr. Kerry about the same thing are you. Not only did he leave Vietnam in a flash, but he was completely out of Service within a year of return and years before his contract ended.

With all due respect Sir, That's My Two Cents

PS: Sorry Fish for taking this off subject, respectfully I am ashamed for the interuption.

COL Gene

on Feb 25, 2005

drmiler

We are not in court. The conversation between Prof Tsurumi and bush was first hand

PacDragon

on Feb 25, 2005

The conversation between Prof Tsurumi and bush was first hand.

Not for us.

Draginol

on Feb 25, 2005

The reason I hate his policies - They are not making life better for the vast majority of Americans!

I would define "vast majority" as being at least 50% of the population. The economy expanded in 2004 at 4.2%, the best it's done in 5 years.

latour999

on Feb 25, 2005

I hate his foreign policy in general. And if I lived in America, I would also hate his domestic policies.

I do agree with him on affirmative action, though.

COL Gene

on Feb 25, 2005

His policies have not created jobs to keep up with population growth, the middle income has sceen benefits go away, energy prices up, the poor got nothing. The only real winners ate the top 5%

Myrrander

on Feb 25, 2005

congratulations on achieving a point-whore article so soon. I must commend you. Here's another 5 points and the last you'll get from me.

stutefish

on Feb 25, 2005

You're right, Sarah. I'll be more polite in the future. I'm glad to see you didn't wait, but waded right in

About the "exporting democracy" dream: The Cold War isn't in effect anymore, to freeze up the status quo. Many previously weak nations are finally entering periods of massive industrialization. Nobody has to align with a superpower if they don't want to. Everybody is eager to see how far they can get, going their own way. I think there's bad times ahead. Tension, and trouble, and war, and death. I think this is only the beginning. From Kosovo to Mogadishu to Bagdhad. From Chechnya to the Sudan, from New York to Pyongyang.

I think our trouble is just beginning. I think the war our generation has to fight will make our parent's war look like a trip around the block selling girl scout cookies. I think that the lucky death of Arafat will be canceled out in a few years (or a few weeks) by the unfortunate death of the Pope. I think things are going to get a lot worse before they get better. I think the next thirty to fifty years are going to be full of turmoil and strife, no matter how it turns out.

I don't have a dream, Sarah. I have a nightmare. If exporting democracy now, early and often, can't help us, then nothing will. I'm just happy it seems to be working.

So far.

drmiler

on Feb 26, 2005

drmiler

We are not in court. The conversation between Prof Tsurumi and bush was first hand

Reply #45

dabe

on Feb 26, 2005

Bush is a hypocrit, plain and simple. It's no secret that he used the National Guard to excape a tour in Viet Nam. Of course, his record is debatable. But, what's not debatable is that while he was busy dodging the VietNam conflict, he was supporting that war. In other words, it's ok as long as others die for the "cause". He's a hypocrit.

Bush's stance on environmental issues is horrific. What he has called the "Clear Skies Initiative" is merely an easing of regulations that no longer requires industries to install pollution control measures when they upgraded their facilities. Instead, they are allowed to upgrade without the necessary scrubbers, only installing them when they build new facilities. This has resulted in more pollutants in the air, and greater profit margins for the CEO's. So, what's important here, people's health or industry profits? Clean skies, my ass.

How about the Healthy Forests Initiative? Just another mechanism to hand industries the rights to cut down timber on federal lands, under the guise of reducing fire threats. I suppose if the forests no longer have trees, then forest fires will be reduced. But, healthy? Talk about another misnomer.......... He's a hypocrit.

No Child Left Behind is just a sleazy way of reducing government expenditures on public education. In effect, what it has accomplished by not funding it properly is that schools fail the "tests" that the feds have mandated, thereby no longer qualifying for full, if any federal funding.

Budget cuts to the rich is a proven failure, in that the money will not trickle down to great numbers of individuals, and certainly not enough to stimulate the economy. As others, including draginol, have pointed out, it has enabled them to hire one or two more employees. Well, that's a drop in the bucket compared with what this country really needs, that being funding of education, health care, environmental protections, road rebuilding, etc. Wealthy CEO's do not need more profits.

And, why is Ken Lay, Bush's buddy, who stole millions upon millions of dollars still walking around today, a free man, while Martha Stewart is sitting in a jail cell for a stupid trade that she may or may not have gotten duped into making, and for which she earned peanuts compared to Lay? Double standards and hypocrisy is Bush's trademark.

How about lying our way to war? That's a biggie, as it is costing thousands upon thousands of deaths and maimings. For what? It's very clear now that Saddam, though a bully and bastard, to say the least, was NO immediate threat to the US. He had no WMD's. He had no ties to Al Qaida. He did monetarily support the Palestinians. But, biggest thing he actually did have - OIL. Bush is a lying sack of shit. Along with all his other neocon death cult war criminals.

I'm sorry, stutefish, that this has turned into a catalog of issues, which you requested that we don't do. The problem is that there isn't only one issue that really trumps everything else. It's the host of issues that pile up, over and over, again and again, that make me really hate this administration. They're hypocrits every step of the way, and on every issue imaginable.

I asked some people recently what Bush did that is really good. What? I really wanted to know. No one came up with anything. In other words, Bush is as much a failure at leading this country as he was in running the Texas Rangers.

So, please ask yourself, what had Bush really done that has benefitted anyone except the pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, corporate CEO's and those at the top 5% of the economic profile in this country? What has he done? Ask yourself that, then decide who you would support.

COL Gene

on Feb 26, 2005

drmiler

# 45 is no answer to #60. I said the conversations between Prof. Tsurumi and George W. Bush at Harvard when he was a student were first hand between the two of them. The Professor has written several articles stating his first hand conversations between him and George Bush. It is just like the former Speaker of the Texas House that stated he got George into the Guard as a political favor. It is like the former Sec of the CO of Bush that said although the actual documents used in the CBS program were fake, that she typed documents very similar and that Bush did not obey the orders of his CO to take his physical. She also confirmed that he was grounded. The records released by DoD included his Grounding Order and the reason given was "Failure to take physical" His pay records showed he received NO PAY for 6 months in late 1972 for drills which means he did not attend drills at any location during that period.

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