FOX Republican Debates!

Originally Posted by Ferd

And now for GWB, at least in part.

As CC1 stated, GWB is not a good public speaker. At least not in the mold of RR and BC who were both master communicators.

However, he is the first president with an MBA. you cant be dumb and do that. GWB is no idiot as some in the media and all in the democrat party.

Just about anyone with an average IQ can get an MBA. Bush is not exactly the brightest crayon in the box and he has never truly succeeded at anything in the private sector but, instead, was the quintissential rich kid with a silver spoon in his mouth!

I think the history books will show that faced with increadable odds, GWB has done well. he inherited a pathetic economy and before he could even get his sea legs, 9/11 happened. GWB has handled the economy very well. unemployment is at an historical low. Tax revinue is at a record high and more importantly we have not had another terrorist attack on American soil. while it has not gotten much notice, according to some, there have been as many as 20 major attacks that have been thwarted without much fanfare.

Unemployment is no lower than it has been in the 1990s. Inflation is higher. He took the government from a near budget surplus (if, indeed, it is ever possible for the government to have a surplus) to a multi-trillion dollar deficit. Government spending is higher than it was under Clinton. American liberties are being eroded in the name of "security" as the Bush administration turns an unconstitutional war that should have been limited to going after Osama Bin Laden and the Taliban government in Afghanistan that supported him to a quagmire in both Afghanistan and Iraq that we can't get out of any time soon in a way that saves face for the United States.

Afghanistan has quietly been moderately successful. Iran however is another story. We have taken care of Saddam, his sons, and the leader of Al Queda in Iraq Zarqwi. however, there have been set backs and we are now at a point politically where it may be impossible to bring this to a postive end.

If you call returning Afghanistan to a nation run by war lords "successful." Of course, we still haven't captured Osama Bin Laden. Of course, since Congress didn't actually declare war, no matter what we did it was still unconstitutional.

the major reasons for that are GWBs on fault. First, for what ever reason, the he refused to articulate early and often what it was going to cost and how long it would likely take. He has said it in the past, that it could be ten years, but it has not been a repeated refrain.

Maybe that was because the idiot neo-cons that pushed him into breaking his campaign promises and into a foreign policy of preemptive strike didn't tell him what it would cost and how long it would take? Maybe because no one really knew how long it could take?

Second, until this last offensive, we have worked with failed vietnam policy. we entered an area infested with insurgents, killed them then we left, only to have to return later. This failed in Korea and Vietnam. It failed in Iraq too. this has devistated American resolve and led to the near collapse of American will to win. It reamains to be seen if the current leadership can turn the corner.

Well, that's what happens when you take some guy from President Ford's administration and make him your Secretary of Defense!

Lastly GWB for some reason has failed completely on the subject of immigration. I suspect his goal is to build good will to the hispanic commuinity and bring them into the republican party. What ever the reason, he has failed utterly on the subject.

He's sucking up like most politicians do. He's also trying to imitate Ronald Reagan (much the way Slick Willie Clinton tried to imitate JFK).

I think in fifty years, GWB will be seen as an average president. certainly not as great as Ronald Reagan and the 2 Roosevelts. but no where near as bad as the likes of Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson and Jimmy Carter.

You're being generous.