Astonished, Yet at Home! who is a pretty good Catholic Blogger from Baton Rouge has a pretty harsh appraisal of Bush and his 8 years at Criticism, But I'm Glad He Dodged Those Shoes: Thoughts on the Bush Presidency . I think it deserves a response. This is a long post but I think it is worth the effort.
My Comments in Red -
1.) He is a man of good will. The tendency to demonize people who are wrong is unfair in civil discourse and promotes the partisan divide that keeps people offering cheap slogans instead of coherent political thought.
I think this is a very correct insight and one we should recall that to all people in the public square as well as their supporters. Though of course there are not politicians of good will at times most are advocating for what they think are right. Plus we need to recall that actual flesh and blood Americans voted for these people that are on the whole people of good will.
2.) It is not his intentions but his actions that define his presidency
I think that is largely true. However if one levels a charge of MURDER (see below )one cannot exactly just escape the intent question if one wishes to bring that charge
3.) The fact of the late success of the military surge in Iraq does not give the President a pass for the faulty intelligence he used to lead our nation into warmongering and the foolishness of invading Iraq in the first place. It does not make preemptive strike compatible with just war. It does not substitute for the lack of prudence that led to civil war in Iraq. It does not make the increase in abortions in Iraq tolerable. It was not worth the spilled blood of our soldiers. It does not atone for the Iraqi casualties in an unjust war. For this reason, my roommate is correct in identifying George W. Bush as a murderer.
Well I think We are coming to the main point of the objection. The war was and still is a controversial subject among American Catholics. I have thought the discussion was and has been one that has been a general disappointment. This reached it height in the 2008 election where new concerns as seen in the second United States Bishops Statement and raised elsewhere were just ignored and at times the Vatican's position misrepresented.
People of good will can disagree if the war was Just or met those principles. As we see here there was and still is debate among people of good will.
A few other quick points
-faulty intelligence - If Bush has faulty Intelligence so did most of the World. So did the previous Administration that set the groundwork for this as well as the Congress. The intelligence I guess people are talking about is as to WMD. Let me say that was one of just many of the justifications.
preemptive strike - The debate if preemptive strikes can be incorporated into the Just War Doctrine is still one that goes on. Just because people say that preemptive strikes are forbidden does not make it so. Especially in this day and age. For instance think of the Israeli actions against Egypt in the 6 Day War when Israel launched a pre-emptive attack against Egypt's air force to the very real life situation that Obama will face as to Iran and nuclear weapons. Again see the above link where this issue is discussed.
civil war in Iraq. - If Bush can be faulted as to intelligence I think a lot is here. The fact that Saddam had set the groundwork for a resistance movement that was quite extensive was just missed. Further the Bush White House insistence on going in with the troop numbers they had and maintaining them caused havoc. It became quite apparent that much of the problems in Iraq were from outside forces. As can be seen in how many of the "insurgents" were not from Iraq at all that were showing up among the dead. How quickly Bin Laden and other factions shifted their efforts to the war in Iraq was breathtaking. A question will be asked in the future what would have been the result if the United States had sufficient troops to in effect help seal the borders.
Abortion and Iraq-I think it is stretch to blame Bush for rising abortion rates in Iraq. In fact I am not so sure we have reliable stats as to abortion in Iraq (legal or illegal) pre invasion. While I think Saddam's abortion laws were more restrictive well so was Hitlers.
George W. Bush as a murderer.- It appears that most Bishops and the Vatican does not view Bush as murderer. I doubt if Pope Benedict thought Bush was a murderer he would have given him a rare privilege on Bush last and final meeting with him.
4.) What makes George W. Bush more appropriately identified as a murderer than our pro-abortion politicians is that none of them favor forced abortions, while George W. Bush had direct responsibility for ordering an unjust war that led to civilian casualties. This reasoning is not an attempt to give a pass to pro-abortion politicians, but to differentiate between the proximate gravity of their decisions on abortion and Bush's decision to go to war.
Well see above my thoughts on Just war, and intent. I don't want to open up this can of worms but I would humbly suggest a discussion of the atomic bombing of Japan and the fire bombing of Tokyo is perhaps getting closer to the subject if a politician in US history can be called a murderer. Even here Catholic Apologist David Armstrong , who makes a strong repeated case against the above acts" as to Truman (that called at one time in his paper the bombings "Murder") cautions against throwing out that charge too lightly even against Truman in this essay.
5.) I campaigned against George W. Bush in the 2000 GOP primaries because I did not trust him on abortion. (For full disclosure, I backed Steve Forbes, a Mitt Romney-like convert on abortion who proved his pro-life integrity with an endorsement of Giuliani in the 2008 GOP primaries. When Forbes dropped out prior to the Louisiana Primary, I voted for Alan Keyes.) I am not trusting of Bush's Supreme Court picks when it comes to overturning Roe. I was disgusted with his withdrawn pick of Harriet Miers for the Court and his selection of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General. His support of a ban on partial birth abortion saved the lives of 0 children and allowed many advocates of choice to clear their conscience and offer a bright line between good abortions and bad abortions.
Bush's Supreme Court Judges- Regarding Bush's Supreme Court picks I am not sure what there is not to trust. They seem to be the best bet and the ones that we could get through. I suppose Bush could have picked someone that was vocal against Abortion but how in the world they could pass the Senate is beyond me. I think picking a Justice like Roberts (whose wife was active in the Pro-life movement) was pretty good.
Harriet Miers -While Harriet Miers may have disgusted him and was of some controversy the debate is still out on what would have happened if she was appointed. In a recent interview with NRO Bush talked about this. I think it is worth putting up that entire section:
Bush talked about the two Supreme Court justices he picked, Roberts and Alito. He said — more like quipped — “My regret is I didn’t get to name a third judge.” At one point, I broke in, “I think that you think that Harriet Miers would have been excellent on the Court” — he said, “Absolutely” — “but that she got a raw deal.”“
Absolutely, no question in my mind. And you think the right thing, because one of the things that I was mindful of when I was interviewing people was, Will the person who’s sitting here today, talking to the president, have the same philosophy 20 years after the president has gone home? And there’s no doubt in my mind that my dear friend, Harriet Miers, would have had the same judicial philosophy 20 years after I’d gone home, and had the intellectual firepower to do the job.“It is a regret of mine that my dear friend was kind of thrown into the meat grinder of Washington. However, the greatness of Harriet Miers lies in her character.
And so after she pulled down her nomination, it was — the White House was sullen because everybody loved Harriet, the person. And she was here comforting everybody the next morning, and said to me, ‘I'm ready to go and help you nominate and get confirmed the next judge, Mr. President.’“I won’t tell you exactly what I think about it . . .”“Go ahead.”
“I think it was important to nominate, not only a person who’d be a great judge, but someone who was not a part of the judicial-nominee club. She went to SMU Law School. I recognize it’s not Harvard or Yale — those are great law schools — but you can also have great lawyers come from” other places. (It helps to have gone to Harvard and Yale, as Bush did — in the opposite order — if you want to talk this way.)Later on, Bush said, “Anyway, it didn’t work out, and I’ll just say my regret is that this really, really good person got chucked out into the — in a way, chucked out there and, man, the lions tore her up.”
There is a lot going on here and one ponders that an opportunity was missed because pro-lifers did not recognize it.
ban on partial birth abortion - I think this is a good thing as does Astonished. Though I am not sure what he means that this allowed pro-choice people to clear their conscience and offer a bright line between good abortions and bad abortions. I guess in a sense this could be so. However many pro-choice people recognized the Bush long term viewpoint and what was really going on as to strategy. A strategy that was engineered by Hadley Arkes
6.) But perhaps the greatest failure of our supposed pro-life president was his inability to call abortion murder, especially back in 2001 and 2002 when he had some political capital and was not regarded by the masses as a power-hungry and incompetent liar. In his homespun tone, he could have opposed abortion using the bully pulpit of the presidency, reminding us that when the other side says fetus they really mean baby. Instead, he followed the tradition of Ronald Reagan and his father, placing a phone call to the March for Life but never showing up, not at the march nor anywhere that mattered.
I very much would have liked if he had shown up at the March for Life. Why Pro-life Presidents ad void the March I do not know. Though I rarely see Presidents addressing Rallies on the Mall anyway. Bush has been a friend to the pro-life cause . His numerous executive order on abortion show this. His appointments to the important Bioethics Commission show this. His stance on stem cells shows this. Also in something that barely gets noticed the Bush administration alliance with the Vatican in International bodies shows this through the work of Mary Glendon for instance over the years.
7.) Few presidents of either party have been more supportive of illegal immigrants. Bush deserves credit for ducking the dominant trend of the GOP
.8.) Much of the compassion of his compassionate conservative agenda was thrown out the window after 9/11 threw us into war. But to his credit, Republican budget cutting instincts generally run much deeper than the President's against social safety net programs. He could have done more, but few presidents ever do.
I think these two are linked in many ways. The fact that immigration reform was not passed though attempted twice is in my view the most hurtful defeat for the Bush administration. However at some point Catholics and others must ask did we do enough to help passage of these bill.
9.) He deserves low regard from the citizens of Louisiana for his aloofness immediately after Katrina and for the incompetency of FEMA. But the federal effort to rebuild New Orleans since then deserves some measured praise.
Well I very much disagree with most of this. Except that yes the problems with FEMA occurred on his watch and yes the buck stops there. Though I do wonder if any President could have done much better. I think he does deserves praise in several regards. However here is one of my criticism. Like Reagan, Like Bush 1, and like Clinton, the problem of Louisiana Coastal Erosion has not merited the needed attention. He will share the blame among many others for not addressing this problem.
10.) If, as some gossipers suggest, Bush follows Tony Blair and his brother Jeb into the Catholic Church, his catechist ought insist he assent to just war doctrine and condemn torture in a public way.
I do not think a Catholic Catechist is in position to make Bush's possible conversion to Holy Mother Church linked to THEIR VIEWS of Just War Doctrine or their views of it related to the Iraq war.
11.) His presidency was marked by an arrogant stubbornness that could not accept blame and could seldom change course. Such intangibles should be used to discern between candidates in the future.
There is a lack of examples here. I guess this is Iraq related. Though certain conservatives would be yeling the same charge on immigration, no child left behind, and the prescription drug benefit. I guess stubbornness and arrogance is sort in the eye of the beholder. I am pretty glad for instance he was stubborn on the UAE port deal for instance and that he was stubborn on the immigration bills though it was killing him. I am glad he was stubborn on the Columbia Free Trade Agreement that was sidelined by mostly petty politics.
Let me offer these other thoughts of others
Michael Gerson:
Many liberals refuse to concede Bush’s humanity, much less his achievements.
But that humanity is precisely what I will remember. I have seen President Bush show more loyalty than he has been given, more generosity than he has received. I have seen his buoyancy under the weight of malice and his forgiveness of faithless friends. Again and again, I have seen the natural tug of his pride swiftly overcome by a deeper decency — a decency that is privately engaging and publicly consequential.
[In 2005]…the White House senior staff overwhelmingly opposed a new initiative to fight malaria in Africa for reasons of cost and ideology…In the crucial policy meeting, one person supported it: the president of the United States, shutting off debate with a moral certitude that others have criticized. I saw how this moral framework led him to an immediate identification with the dying African child, the Chinese dissident, the Sudanese former slave, the Burmese women’s advocate. It is one reason I will never be cynical about government — or about President Bush.
Jeffery Scott Shapiro:
[The treatment of President Bush] from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have…Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty — a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.
praise from a surprising quarter:
Would America have elected Barack Obama if white Americans had not gotten accustomed to seeing (in succession) two African-American Secretaries of State? I don’t think so. Before Bush, African-Americans were appointed to some good posts but not to our #1 foreign policy job. Two African Americans (one with a pretty odd first name) served as America’s face to the world. That eased Obama’s way. It is not Tiger Woods in whose footsteps Obama is walking — it’s Rice and Powell….Fact is, “W” never gave any evidence of holding racist attitudes…even just the slur the occasionally slips out of the mouth of even our most liberal leaders.
Same with Arabs and Muslims…Bush, after 9/11, never resorted to anti-Arab or Muslim stereotypes. He drew distinctions between terrorists and Arabs…Had he not done these things, Arabs and Muslims might have experienced not just hate crimes but pogroms.
13.) His presidency was a failed presidency. In the days to come, he will clarify his intentions and try to frame himself in a most dignified way for the historians. The wisest course for him to restore his dignity would be apologies for his wrong decisions.
See all the above
14.) He has been my president. I hate criticizing him and hearing him criticized, but public officials deserve criticism for their wrongs and praise for their accomplishments and their willingness to serve. He has had my prayers. And my prayer for him as he leaves office is that he and his family might find peace away from the storms of controversy that surround the presidency.
Toby to his credit ends like he started on a good not and I agree even Presidents deserve criticism and praise. I think Bush's time will be judged by history of course. It is a tad early to see if his vision was a wrong one or right one.
There is a lot I did not mention and that is exactly what went right but this post is long enough. I would recommend the follwoingpost by the Anchoress that hits on this subject better than I. In fact for those that wish to look at the Bush White House and the postives I would strongly recommend the following
Bush was right. Victorious, too - UPDATED
Bush, Obama, & Ghosts of Hate - UPDATED
The Prez & The Dude
Dubya: Underrated and Underappreciated - from UK
Saddam’s Nukes, Bush’s silence, MSM incuriosity
THE NEXT THREE ARE MUST READS AND RELATES TO BUSH AND AFRICA
Geldof on Bush: “he’s curious and quick.”
Bush and Hillary are both dancing
Did you know Bush is still in Africa?
Bush Rescues his own SS Agent ( a very good overview and one I suggest reading out of all her links)
Bush on volunteerism, uncovered
Bush & Embryonic Stem Cell Research
Clinton & Bush both thrown a Curveball on Iraq?
How much hate can YOU live with?
The Day Bush Hatred Jumps the Shark
Part II: Bush Betrayal & the Nation’s Soul
Minutemen: Bush’s instincts better than some
Re-assessing Iraq, Just Wars etc
“None of this would happen if Bush hadn’t invaded Iraq”
Happy Birthday, Mr. President!
Bush dances with free people; Albright danced with Kim Jong Il
There wer many others but her post on Bush and the links in them are a good start and echo my train of thought
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