The GOP Needs to Honor GWB

[sinkspur]

 The GOP Needs to Honor GWB

 by DAVID FRENCH   

July 28, 2016 12:52 PM

 Watching the adulation heaped on Barack Obama last night, I was reminded of the shameful way the GOP — and the conservative movement more broadly — has treated George W. Bush. The last Republican to win a national election has become an object of scorn and mockery in many quarters of the Republican world. 

It’s almost comical to watch many of the same people who derided Bush as a “big-government Republican” wrap both their arms around a bigger-government populist. It’s sad to see critics who attacked Bush’s anti-terror strategy fail to recognize that it did, indeed, keep us safe after 9/11. His strategy — taking the fight straight to the enemy — rocked terrorists on their heels so much that only three Americans lost their lives to domestic terror attacks during the rest of Bush’s two terms. If you’d told virtually anyone in the days after 9/11 that the next seven-plus years would be almost entirely peaceful here at home, they would have laughed at your optimism. We felt that the next blow would land at literally any moment.

 By contrast, the preferred strategy of so many of Bush’s critics — withdrawing American boots from the Middle East while playing terrorist whack-a-mole from the air — has enabled the creation of entire terrorist armies and helped destabilize not just the Middle East but also our European allies. In both Europe and America, we face new terror attacks with almost clock-like regularity.

Bush faced two enormous crises during his two terms — both the result of long-simmering bipartisan failures and missteps (so of course he’s hardly blameless) — and he responded decisively. By the time he left office, al Qaeda was a shell of its former self, and the Iraq war was largely won. By the time he left office, he’d taken all the necessary measures to prevent true financial catastrophe.

And, by the way, he not only had a better record at judicial nominations than either his father or President Reagan, he handled an enormous amount of incoming hate and vitriol with class and dignity. Is he not worth respecting? Is he not worth honoring? I sincerely hope that the GOP of 2020 is a more decent organization than it is today, and it gives Bush the kind of moment the Democrats gave Obama. He deserves our applause.

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/438469/republican-party-needs-honor-george-w-bush?utm_source=NR&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=July28French

[mystery-ak]

hear hear!

[skeeter]

I dunno. While Bush reacted to 9/11 admirably IMO he broke down relatively soon thereafter. Iraq turned out to be a disaster and other than the fact he denied Al Gore a third Clinton term I can't really see any long lasting benefit of his administration.

Of course his determination to normalize the illegals really p*ssed alot of us off. Then he disappeared after leaving office, leaving the defense of his legacy up to others.

In sum a good man but mediocre president.

[Frank Cannon]

There is a valid point here, but the fact is that only Bush has himself to blame for it. For the 8 years of his run he did nothing to defend himself. He allowed the narrative about him to be turned toxic. He also made some very poor moves in the last 4 years. Rumsfeld should have been let go of way sooner. LOST treaty was a terrible thing to push. Dana Perino should have been canned for being ineffectual. The Scooter Libby fiasco still makes me angry. He should have been pardoned.

[TomSea]

There is a valid point here, but the fact is that only Bush has himself to blame for it. For the 8 years of his run he did nothing to defend himself. He allowed the narrative about him to be turned toxic. He also made some very poor moves in the last 4 years. Rumsfeld should have been let go of way sooner. LOST treaty was a terrible thing to push. Dana Perino should have been canned for being ineffectual. The Scooter Libby fiasco still makes me angry. He should have been pardoned.

Very good observation.

Yes, Bush could have come out and defended his own record more, the narrative of the Iraq war as well. He thinks he's being Presidential being quiet about that war.  If he doesn't defend our actions, who can?

[roamer_1]

Nope. Spitting the word 'Nativist' at me was the very last transaction between me and old George... Well, second to last anyway... there was a gesture and an utterance in reply - though I am sure he didn't hear it.

Done as can be with any of the Bushes. Never again.

[sinkspur]

The cretinous clown who's currently the nominee lied about opposing the Iraq War before it started, and wanted Bush impeached.

Bush DID keep the country safe, much safer than Obama has.  The US was respected, much more so than it is now.   

Bush has been treated shabbily by McCain, Romney, and now, especially, by Trump.  I like George W. Bush a lot, and this crummy behavior by his successors makes me glad to no longer be a Republican.

[sinkspur]

Nope. Spitting the word 'Nativist' at me was the very last transaction between me and old George... Well, second to last anyway... there was a gesture and an utterance in reply - though I am sure he didn't hear it.

Done as can be with any of the Bushes. Never again.

You do realize, don't you, that the plan Bush promoted to legalize those here illegally would have been much tougher than anything that will be affected under a President Clinton.  And, at some point, the Republicans in Congress are going to resolve the question of those here illegally.  The longer nothing is done, the less likely you'll approve of the plan they come up with.

[TomSea]

Then, Bush should defend his record. If he doesn't maybe it means he can't.

NRO has turned into being an apologist for the Iraq war; whereas the narrative over it is no wmds have been found, this point is debatable but no help from Bush on this. This is an important point because ISIS rose out of that war.

You can blame Obama only up to an extent. Bush has allowed the media to control the narrative.

And that war has done more harm to the GOP than anything.  Ruined it practically.  Ruined by Bush.

Buchanan Republicans never would have gotten in that war, if you are in that war, defend it.

[roamer_1]

You do realize, don't you, that the plan Bush promoted to legalize those here illegally would have been much tougher than anything that will be affected under a President Clinton. 

That don't make it good.

And, at some point, the Republicans in Congress are going to resolve the question of those here illegally.  The longer nothing is done, the less likely you'll approve of the plan they come up with.

That don't make it right.

[TomSea]

National Review:

Bush Didn’t Lie
So why did his administration sit on the evidence of Saddam Hussein’s WMDs?
Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/390517/bush-didnt-lie-deroy-murdock

Defend the record, no; just leaves us out to dry; and that war is what has hurt the GOP deeply.

[NavyCanDo]

I dunno. While Bush reacted to 9/11 admirably IMO he broke down relatively soon thereafter. Iraq turned out to be a disaster and other than the fact he denied Al Gore a third Clinton term I can't really see any long lasting benefit of his administration.

Of course his determination to normalize the illegals really p*ssed alot of us off. Then he disappeared after leaving office, leaving the defense of his legacy up to others.

In sum a good man but mediocre president.

That mediocre president brought us back from a economy on the brink of depression. The high tech bubble burst, ENRON, 911.  If you remember on 911 all four planes where flying half full. Jobs were in decline. I was worrying about my job for the first time.  By the time he was serving his last year my company couldn't build airplanes fast enough to keep up with demand. Airlines were now overbooking. The war in airwaves aside, GWB was a fine president.

[sinkspur]

Then, Bush should defend his record. If he doesn't maybe it means he can't.

NRO has turned into being an apologist for the Iraq war; whereas the narrative over it is no wmds have been found, this point is debatable but no help from Bush on this. This is an important point because ISIS rose out of that war.

You can blame Obama only up to an extent. Bush has allowed the media to control the narrative.

And that war has done more harm to the GOP than anything.  Ruined it practically.  Ruined by Bush.

Buchanan Republicans never would have gotten in that war, if you are in that war, defend it.

Not surprised that someone who agrees with Trump that things would be rosy in the Middle East if Hussein were still in power thinks the Iraq War was wrong.

[TomSea]

Bush 41 took over RR's glorious legacy but instead, Bushism was installed and continued under Bush 43.

In some ways, we really haven't had that conservative leadership since Reagan, the Bushes could have but struck out on their own.

Bush Republicans feel unappreciated, and understandably so.

For Trump’s nomination represents not only a rejection of their legacy but a repudiation of much of post-Cold War party dogma.

America crossed a historic divide and entered a new era. Even should Trump lose, there is likely no going back.

Trump has attacked NAFTA, MFN for China and the South Korea trade deal as badly negotiated. But the problem lies not just in the treaties but in the economic philosophy upon which they were based.

Free-trade globalism was a crucial component of the New World Order, whose creation George H. W. Bush called the new great goal of U.S. foreign policy at the United Nations in October of 1991.

Bush II and Jeb are also free-trade zealots.

But when the American people discovered that the export of their factories and jobs to low-wage countries, and sinking salaries, were the going price of globalism, they rebelled, turned to Trump, and voted for him to put America first again.

Does anyone think that if Trump loses, we are going back to Davos-Dubai ideology, and Barack Obama’s Trans-Pacific Partnership is our future? Even Hillary Clinton has gotten the message and dumped TPP.

Economic nationalism is the future.

The only remaining question is how many trade deficits shall America endure, and how many defeats shall the Republican Party suffer, before it formally renounces the free-trade fanaticism that has held it in thrall.

The Bush idea of remaking America into a more ethnically, culturally, diverse nation through mass immigration, rooted in an egalitarian ideology, also appears to be yesterday’s enthusiasm.

http://buchanan.org/blog/is-the-party-over-for-bushism-125448

I've got real questions and do not mean to be harsh. It'd be good if they'd defend themselves more instead of just saying "The world is better without Saddam Hussein".

[libertybele]

I think 'W' handled 9/11 admirably.  He took charge and acted as Commander in Chief' he showed decisiveness, backbone and garnered respect around the globe.  He visited our troops and held them in high esteem; something our current president certainly doesn't do. No, I don't like how he handled the illegal immigration issue, and our borders should have been closed on his watch.  That was his largest downfall and I feel that decision has been detrimental to this country and has continued to haunt us.

[NavyCanDo]

I think 'W' handled 9/11 admirably. 

Yes he did. 
  And anytime someone tries to convince us otherwise, this is a great video to remind us of his courage. Him throwing out the first pitch at the World Series Game 3 at Yankee Stadium. "President Bush standing out there like a brink wall, I'm not afraid of terrorist and I'm going to give you a thumbs up and throw a strike" - Mark Grace Arizona Diamondbacks. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxR1tZ08FcI

[HootOwl]

One big thing:  GWB is a man of good moral character.  Trump is exactly the opposite.  IMO, that is a big deal.

 

First,  Had GWB come to the convention, he would have been honored.  second, He has never defended himself since he left office.  He permitted the left to spew numerous lies about him and never corrected the.  These things have not helped the Republican party one bit.  Many low info voters will believe the DEMs lies since Bush never said anything about them.
Hoope you are not going to help Hillary  like W is.    :politics:

[Hoodat]

The cretinous clown who's currently the nominee lied about opposing the Iraq War before it started, and wanted Bush impeached.

Bush DID keep the country safe, much safer than Obama has.  The US was respected, much more so than it is now.   

Bush has been treated shabbily by McCain, Romney, and now, especially, by Trump.  I like George W. Bush a lot, and this crummy behavior by his successors makes me glad to no longer be a Republican.

My sentiments exactly.  Bush stuck it out in Iraq and showed the world that America's word was good and that it would honor its commitments.  The reason it took so long to win Iraq is because in the past, America had shown the world that it did not have staying power.  Bush showed them a different America - one with resolve.

Of course every bit of this has been trashed since 2009.  It will take decades to get the US back to the level of respect we had in 2008.  At the time, Iran, Egypt, Syria, and Libya were ripe for democratic revolution in the style of Iraq.  Obama threw all of that away.  That's not Bush's fault.

My biggest criticism of Bush was his decision not to expend political capital in the fight to reform social security in 2006.  No one ever talks about that though.  There was a lot that Bush tried to get done, but simply did not have Congressional support.  Reforming FMHA was one of them.

I think Bush did a damn good job considering what he was dealt.  He also went a long way towards fixing what his father had screwed up.  If there was ever a Bush that should never have been President, it was Bush Sr.

[Hoodat]

second, He has never defended himself since he left office.  He permitted the left to spew numerous lies about him and never corrected the.

He shouldn't have to.  It is our job to correct the lies of the left.  It is our job to defend our President.  Yet instead, many claiming to be on our side gave our approval as candidate Trump repeated those lies verbatim from the stage of a Republican debate.  And these same people then proceeded to nominate candidate Trump along with his Democrat talking points as their representative on the November ballot as they tore down everything that Conservatism stands for.

To hell with all of you.

The Iraq War is the biggest American success story since Reagan walked away from the table at Reykjavik which led to the collapse of the Soviet Union.  We should be applauding what Bush did, but instead we cower to CNN and the NY Times, and now to Donald Trump as he tells us what a great leader Saddam was.