I.O.U. UPDATE: THE AM-BUSH

George W. Bush is the worst President in the history of the United States. George W. Bush should have been impeached a long time ago. George W. Bush should apologize to the American people and the people of the world for all for all the pain that he has caused. George W. Bush was never elected; he stole the election. George W. Bush is evil. George W. Bush should be compared to Hitler. These and other extreme pronouncements have been made by many highly trained and skilled political scientists including Michael Moore, Cher, Alec Baldwin, Sharon Stone and Barbara Streisand. Their thoughts have been echoed by such impartial observers as Jimmy Carter, John Kerry, Cindy Sheehan and Nancy Pelosi to name a few. On the occasion of his final press conference, his “ultimate exit interview,” we might do well to apply an Impartial, Objective and Unbiased assessment to his presidency to get a more balanced appraisal of his tenure in the White House.

To crown George W. Bush with the title of “worst president in the nation’s history” would be to place his presidency below those of such notable failures as James Buchanan, Warren G. Harding, Ulysses S. Grant and Jimmy Carter himself. We would also need to ignore the presidents that were the object of impeachment proceedings; Andrew Johnson, Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton. George W. Bush is not a popular president and his approval ratings have dropped from good - to acceptable - to abysmal. During the recent presidential campaign his endorsement was not a coveted prize as it became altogether too easy to blame him for much, if not all, of the nation’s problems. However, to name him the worst president is perhaps no more accurate than to name him the best.

During his press conference the president said that he inherited a recession and is leaving with one. This is mostly accurate and, on balance, the economy fared relatively well during his administration and faltered badly only near the end. George W. Bush also inherited a terrorist plot that culminated in the attacks of September 11, 2001. In the days immediately following 9-11, the president’s approval ratings soared as the nation looked to him ironically for hope in the aftermath of a national tragedy. The president admitted some of his failures and disappointments and realized that not everything went according to plan. However, he cannot be blamed for everything that went wrong. There is much blame to go around for the economy, the war, Hurricane Katrina and much more. He should take his fair share of the blame; not all of it.

George W. Bush definitely made mistakes and history will judge him accordingly. However, historians have a way of being more fair and kinder to unpopular presidents than their contemporaries do. Thomas Jefferson, Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan were heavily criticized and scorned during their tenure in office, only to be judged later to be among the better presidents in our nation’s history.

How will history judge George W. Bush? An impartial assessment would seem to avoid both extremes; not at or near the best, but not at or near the worst.