A Bush Retrospective

Back in March of ’06, on his Oasis blog, Matt asked some of us right-wingers if we still supported President Bush and why. I put together a response, as did Homercles, who included some points I was sorry I had overlooked. As the last few days of the Bush administration fade away, I would like the privilege to revise and extend my remarks, as our congressclowns like to say.

I propose to put together a multi-part series looking into the ups and downs of the Bush administration. In so doing, I make a few assumptions about the character and core beliefs of the president. I believe he is a good and decent man, as sincere in his convictions about compassionate conservatism as he could be. He is not the Bushitler monster that the Bush Derangement Syndrome crowd sees. I believe that he came to Washington actually believing that he could be a “uniter” who would restore dignity and common purpose to the office.

He values loyalty, both to and from his staff, and while this loyalty was often rewarded, it all too frequently led him to trust some people too much, and to let staff push through a course of action he was not completely comfortable with. Obviously, I have no insider information; I’m just drawing conclusions based on my observations.

As all presidents do, Bush took an oath to preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States. Implicit in this is his responsibility to preserve those aspects of American life and culture that have made this the greatest nation yet to exist. I will endeavor to compare his actions with these principles so important to maintaining our way of life.

My first installment is due out early next year. It will cover what I consider to be his finest achievement. The series will conclude with a look at the state of the nation that he is turning over to his successor.