With all the excitement surrounding Obama’s historic victory last week, relatively little attention has been given to the outgoing President’s legacy. In fact, most of Europe just seems relieved that the age of ‘Bush’s cowboy unilateralism’ is finally over. It is often difficult to judge a President before the fog of war clears and it is much too early to assess what President Bush has left the world. But Britain and Europe should bear a couple of things in mind, as they rush to judgment. Throughout his epic career, Winston Churchill was frequently derided as a scare-monger, most notably when he warned the world that it would regret appeasing Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. President Reagan, a man without whom the Cold War probably would not have been won, was dismissed as a war-monger when he pursued strategic defenses against ballistic missile attack. And it was President Clinton, through NATO, who intervened in Kosovo to end Slobodan Milsovich’s ethnic cleansing without a UN Security Council mandate.
To the end that his primary goal was to avoid another terrorist attack on the homeland after 9/11, President Bush was decisive and successful. Other foreign policy questions remain open such as Afghanistan and Russia. But it is likely that history will end up being kinder to George Bush than the present has been.
I think Europe will, one day in the very near future, miss President Bush. The spineless leadership there would have done what with Saddam Hussein (and when)? European leaders wait for the United States to take the lead and our new President elect does not show the promise I think they believe will reveal itself. Instead, I believe he will remove US troops prematurely from Iraq and Afganastan, leaving our country open to more terrorist attacks. The US will look weak and apologetic under our new President. Under President Bush, we have not been attacked again. If the European leaders don't like him, this was not their country to protect. I am proud that President Bush did what was necessary to make us safe. I just hope that when the next attack comes, those that voted for the President Elect aren't asking themselves if our new President did what he could to protect us.
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I think President Bush did an excellent job, he did make mistakes just as we all do. He did prevent anothe attack form terroist. He also told the terroist wht he was going to do and then did exactly that. I do think Europe will soon miss him in a great way.
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President Bush has done a tremendous job, and I truly hate to see him leave office. I do blame him for letting his guard down with the people in government he depended on and trusted. These are the ones I blame for the economy. I also believe this just so happened to occur during the election, which makes my suspicions even greater with the new change Obama. I hope Bush will do everything in his power for the next 6 weeks to get anything done he feels is right for this country and not just say let Obama handle the rest. It would also be interesting for Bush to hold an interview after he leaves office and speak his concerns and opinions about Obama, and what we should do as citizens. I wish him and his family all the best.