This page was last updated on April 23, 2004.

Introduction

I wasn’t a George W. Bush fan when he was governor of Texas because I felt he was too liberal for a Republican.  I believe his excellent working relationship with Democrats in the Texas legislature bears out that assessment.  I continue to believe some, but not all, of his domestic positions are too liberal.  Politically, I liken President Bush to a Rockefeller Republican or a Scoop Jackson Democrat.

In response to incessant Bush bashing, many supporters overcompensate by placing President Bush on a pedestal and speaking of him in reverential terms.  While I believe President Bush is the right man for the times, I don’t see him through rose-colored glasses.

I question his conservative credentials on many domestic issues, but I do not question his commitment to the defense and security of the United States.  Further, I believe he has acted and will continue to act appropriately to fulfill that commitment.  I also believe President Bush has done a good job with the economy.

President Bush appears down to earth, isn’t flashy, and appears to mean what he says.¹  Most important, I believe he is truthful.

Unfortunately, I believe Mr. Bush’s apparent low-key persona works against him a bit.  The Bush administration has a lot of good results to report, yet I believe they do a poor job of communicating those results to the public.  For example, we have a growing, strong economy yet many people believe Democrats when they allege we’re in the middle of The Great Depression II.

In stark contrast to his predecessor, there haven’t been any personal scandals despite the best efforts of Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media.

Setting the table

Before we can assess the job done by President Bush, we first need to identify the challenges.  Here is a brief list.

• When President Bush took office, the stock market had been in decline for almost one year.

• When President Bush took office, unemployment was trending up for a couple of months.

• Depending on whose analysis you accept, the recession began between November 2000 and March 2001.  Regardless of whose analysis you believe, you can’t put the recession at President Bush’s feet because he just got into office.  You probably can’t put it at former President Clinton’s feet either because the economy tends to be cyclical.

• Due to the bursting of the “Internet bubble” in 2000 and early 2001, President Bush faced budget deficits even without tax cuts and spending increases.  The Democrat claim that President Bush inherited a surplus and turned it into a deficit is a lie.  President Bush added to the deficit, but he didn’t create it.

• During the 1990s, terrorists attacked U.S. interests abroad (peacekeepers in Somalia – 18 dead soldiers, Khobar Towers military barracks in Saudi Arabia – 19 dead soldiers, embassies in Kenya and Tanzania – 224 dead African civilians, USS Cole – 17 dead sailors) and in the United States (World Trade Center in 1993 – six dead) with no relevant retaliation.  This told terrorists they could attack the United States with relative impunity.

• Less than eight months into President Bush’s administration, terrorists attacked the United States on September 11, 2001.

• As a result of the terrorist attacks, the economy took a hit and the airline and tourism industries tanked.

• Shortly after 9/11, we had a terrorist – either domestic or foreign – send anthrax through the mail and kill five people.  Seventeen others contracted anthrax and many more were exposed.

• As a result of accounting shenanigans during the 1990s and 2000/2001, several very large businesses went “belly up” during late 2001.  Revelation of the accounting scandals eroded investor confidence even more.

This is a pretty good (bad?) list of challenges, especially when you consider they happened so early in President Bush’s administration.

Scorecard

I think President Bush has done a good job overall.

• President Bush has a two-pronged approach to the war on terrorism.  That is, aggressively pursue terrorists on foreign soil and beef up domestic security.  In other words, the strategy is to play both strong offense and strong defense.  The Bush administration understands that merely playing defense – preparing and waiting for an attack – is an insufficient response guaranteed to result in higher fatalities.

If we must have violent confrontations with our enemies, President Bush wants those conflicts on foreign soil.  Further, he wants our military fighting the terrorists, not civilians.

• Mr. Bush championed the formation of the Department of Homeland Security.  This took a bunch of separate security-oriented organizations and placed them under one organization.  The idea is to provide a more coordinated approach to domestic security.
• President Bush championed the Patriot Act.  This act allows U.S. intelligence groups to share information that previously had been compartmentalized.  For example, the CIA and FBI were prohibited by law from sharing critical information.  In some cases, “the left hand didn’t know what the right hand was doing.” The act also allowed the government to use against terrorists tools already available to conventional law enforcement groups.  Overwhelmingly supported by both Democrats and Republicans, Democrats now deride the Patriot Act for political purposes.
• The United States led a coalition to attack and defeat al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan.  This doesn’t mean al-Qaida has been eliminated, only that its leadership has been severely diminished and al-Qaida no longer has free reign over a sovereign country and its resources, political connections, et cetera.
• Afghanistan is now a democracy with a constitution, though it still has challenges.
• By aggressively following the money, funds for terrorist activities have been severely cut.
• Led coalition to defeat Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
  • Saddam Hussein was captured and his sons were killed resisting capture.
  • In less than one year, Iraq has an interim constitution based mostly on western ideals.  This constitution was written by three groups of people (Kurd, Shia, Sunni) many “experts” predicted would be in the middle of a civil war.
  • Iraq has a free press.
  • Iraq is quickly reconstituting its police departments.
  • Iraq is quickly reconstituting its military.
  • Iraq has a legitimate central bank.
  • Iraq has a new currency.
  • Iraq oil exports exceed the pre-war level.
  • Schools used by Saddam Hussein as ammunition and weapons dumps were refurbished and children are once again in school.  The curriculum no longer includes Hussein’s propaganda.
  • Electricity production exceeds pre-war levels.
  • Persian Gulf ports closed by years of neglect are open.
  • A terrorist still in Iraq wrote a letter seeking help from al-Qaida leadership because coalition efforts were “suffocating” terrorist efforts to throw Iraq into chaos.  The letter confirmed civil war was a goal of terrorist actions.
  • When terrorists attacked Shiites, Sunnis demonstrated against the killings.  Refusing to fall for the terrorist ruse, Shiites refused to attack Sunnis.
• Libya giving up its WMD (biological, chemical, and nuclear) was a direct result of the Iraq War and the Proliferation Security Initiative led by the United States.  Libya had progressed further than the world’s intelligence agencies believed.
• To date, there have been no further attacks on U.S. soil.  That said, the openness of our society and the length of our borders/coastlines make it likely there will be at least attempts.  When terrorists care so little for their own lives that they willingly blow themselves up, it’s impossible to guarantee security.
• President Bush supported and signed legislation (Sarbanes-Oxley Bill) in 2002 designed to help avoid repeats of the accounting scandals uncovered in 2001.
• The U.S. Justice Department has aggressively pursued the perpetrators of the accounting scandals.  Some are in jail, some are under indictment, and some are still under investigation.
• Championed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.
• Championed a prescription drug benefit for Medicare.  I am not a fan of this “achievement” or the NCLBA because I believe these are personal responsibilities.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, Democrats want us to believe we’re in the middle of The Great Depression II.  Here are the facts.

• Due to quick action, the recession was one of the most shallow on record.
• President Bush championed a small tax cut in 2001.
• President Bush championed larger tax cuts in 2003.  Though Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan opposed the tax cuts, he recently admitted they were largely responsible for the economic growth and should not be rescinded.  Greenspan also said we need to get spending under control.
• Ignoring normal short-term ups and downs, the stock market has been trending up for a year.
• We have very low interest rates.
• We have very low inflation.
• According the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the employment rate (94.4%) is higher than the average for the 1990s, and the 1970s and the 1980s.  It is only 0.7% lower than when President Bush took office.  The U.S. unemployment rate is roughly half that of France and Germany.

It’s important to note that presidents cannot generate jobs; only the private sector can do that.  Presidents can screw things up or remove government-imposed roadblocks, but they can’t generate meaningful long-term jobs.  Anyone who claims otherwise is lying.

• According to the BLS, more people are working now than ever in U.S. history.
• GDP growth for the third quarter of 2003 was 8.2%, the highest in 20 years.  Growth for the fourth quarter was 4.1%, still very strong.  The U.S. economy is growing at roughly twice the rates of France, Germany, and Japan.
• There were 1.85 million housing starts in 2003, the highest in 25 years.  Starts in February 2004 were 13.4% above February 2003.
• Homeownership hit an all-time high in the last three months of 2003 at 68.6%.

Given the facts, I think it’s fair to say President Bush has done a good job with respect to the economy.

Pennsylvania Democrats will say Pennsylvania economy problems are the result of President Bush, but that would be disingenuous.  Economy problems in Pennsylvania are self-inflicted.  For over a decade, Pennsylvania has lagged the national economy.  Outrageous business taxes, a poor labor climate, and directed-economy initiatives are economy killers.  I’m not picking on Democrats; Pennsylvania Republicans are at least as much to blame as Democrats.²

Right-wing extremist?

Before you buy the extremist label, consider the following points.

• President Bush was only the second Republican in over 100 years to be elected governor of Democrat-controlled Texas.
• At the time of his gubernatorial elections – in 1994 with 54% of the vote and in 1998 with 69% – Democrats controlled the Texas legislature and held a majority of U.S. congressional seats.  Democrats still hold 17 of 30 congressional districts.
• Via the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, he expanded the federal government’s role in K-12 public education.  This is “liberal,” not right wing.
• President Bush signed the campaign reform bill, which infringes on free speech.  Again, this action is liberal, not right wing.
• President Bush pushed for and signed a bill adding Medicare prescription drug coverage.  This is very liberal, not right wing.

Would a Democrat-controlled state elect a candidate, and then re-elect him with an even larger margin, if he were a right-wing extremist?  Further, he was the only governor in Texas history elected to consecutive terms.

When Democrats call President Bush extreme, I think it tells us a lot more about Democrat leadership extremism than it does President Bush.

Divisive?

Before you buy the divisive label from Democrats, consider the following points.

• President Bush enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Democrats in the Texas legislature.
• In a Democrat-controlled state, he became the only governor – Democrat or Republican – in Texas history elected to consecutive terms.
• When President Bush championed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, he asked Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) to take the lead in writing the legislation.
• President Bush extended an olive branch to labor unions by appointing Teamster President James Hoffa to a trade commission and by enacting steel tariffs.  In both cases, the unions continued to belittle President Bush and declared they would support any Democrat over Bush.
• President Bush signed the campaign reform bill championed by Democrats and opposed by Republicans.
• For those persons who consider race to be an issue, President Bush appointed a black man and a black woman to two of the most important cabinet posts, Secretary of State (Colin Powell) and National Security Advisor (Condoleezza Rice).  Dr. Rice is the first female NSA.
• The George Bush (#41) Presidential Library Foundation awarded Sen. Edward Kennedy the 2003 George Bush Award for Excellence in Public Service.  Former President Bush (#41) presented the award.  This was after Sen. Kennedy accused the current President Bush of concocting the Iraq War for political gain.  Sen. Kennedy never explained how taking the United States into war would result in political gain.
• President Bush favors an amnesty program for illegal immigrants.  Most conservatives oppose this position; most liberals support it.
• Though Republicans initiated the California gubernatorial recall process, President Bush stayed out of the way.
• President Bush called to congratulate John Kerry the night he virtually clinched the Democrat nomination for President.  A week later, John Kerry said of the Bush administration, “These guys are the most crooked, you know, lying group I’ve ever seen.”³
• Democrats have called President Bush AWOL, a chicken hawk, crooked, a deserter, a draft dodger, a liar, a manipulator, a traitor, stupid, unpatriotic, and likened President Bush to Hitler.  They portray Bush judicial nominees as Nazis and Neanderthals.  Though you know these insults have to get under his skin, he and his campaign team have refused to get into the mud with the Democrats.  He’s showing a lot more class than I could probably muster.
• The Bush administration kept Clinton’s CIA director, George Tenet, and Clinton’s top counter-terrorism official, Richard Clarke.

Which Bush actions do Democrats call divisive?

• President Bush made two recess appointments because Senate Democrats are warping the judicial nomination process.  President Clinton also made recess appointments.  All of Bush’s nominations received the highest possible recommendation from the American Bar Association.  Though they will not admit it publicly, Senate Democrats will not approve a nominee for a “strategic” judgeship if the nominee expresses anti-abortion feelings and/or does not favor institutionalized discrimination (affirmative action/diversity).

Democrats appear especially troubled with black, Hispanic, et cetera conservatives.  For example, Democrats refer to California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown – the first black member of that court – as extreme.  Unlike many of her attackers, Brown didn’t come from a privileged background; her parents were Alabama sharecroppers.  In a decidedly Democrat state, she won re-election with over 70% of the vote.  Wow, she must be really extreme!  The real problem for Democrats is that Justice Brown is black, came from a poor family, and opposes institutionalized discrimination (affirmative action/diversity).

• President Bush did not rely on a “permission slip” from the United Nations to defend the United States.  President Bush knows he is responsible for United States security, not Kofi Annan.
• When it came time to spend $87 billion of U.S. taxpayer wages on Iraq, President Bush specified that only our true friends -– coalition partners –- could bid on the contracts.  This “divisive” act later became responsible for Iraq loan forgiveness by France, Germany, Russia, et cetera.
• President Bush supports a constitutional amendment affirming that marriage is solely between a man and a woman.  It is nearly identical in language to the Defense of Marriage Act championed by President Clinton in 1996.  The only difference between the two is that activist judges could not overturn the constitutional amendment.  The proposed amendment does not preclude so-called “civil unions.”  The most recent polls indicate approximately 64% of Americans believe marriage should include only a man and a woman.  This figure has been climbing since the summer of 2003.  A former celebrity called President Bush’s position “vile and hateful.”
• Democrats claim the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is divisive, yet Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) was an author.  87% of senators voted for the NCLBA.  In the House, 88% of representatives voted for it, including 94% of Democrats.  If the act is so divisive, why did so many Democrats support it?
• Democrats claim the Patriot Act is divisive, yet 98% of senators voted for it.  In the House, 83% of representatives voted for it, including 69% of Democrats.  If the act is so divisive, why did so many Democrats support it?

It takes two to be divisive.  You have to ask yourself who reached out to the other side and who engaged in personal bashing.  Who is it that at every opportunity since 2000 has claimed President Bush is an appointed, illegitimate, selected, et cetera president?

He cost us friends?

This is related to the divisive claim.  The Democrat mantra goes something like this.  “After 9/11, we had the goodwill of the world behind us and Bush squandered it.”  If you believe that, I have a bridge to sell you.

We had no more real allies and friends after 9/11 than we had before.  Regardless of what they said in public after 9/11, countries that didn’t like the United States before 9/11 were happy we were attacked.

As a country, we must “live our life” as best we can.  Real allies and friends will like us for whom we are, warts and all, and will support us when we need their help.

I don’t understand why liberals think France’s “friendship” is important.  Let’s look at history.  During the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette was an important ally.  Except for the history-challenged, I believe most of us know there might not have been a United States without Lafayette.  Among other considerations, I believe this memory was a factor in fighting on France’s behalf over 130 years later in World Wars I and II.  The graves in France of over 66,000 American soldiers testify that the United States was there when France, and all of Europe, needed us.

And our protection didn’t stop with World War II.  Without the United States holding off the Soviet Union for 45 years and finally defeating the Soviet Union, the USSR would still exist and would likely include Western Europe.

If those sacrifices didn’t rate respect, nothing will.

Remember that it wouldn’t have taken much to satisfy us.  What France did, though, was what you do to enemies.  Rather than simply voice their misgivings and not get in the way, France actively lobbied countries against us and vowed to veto any Security Council resolution supporting war against Saddam Hussein.

Germany’s behavior is equally disgraceful.  Without the United States during the cold war, at best we’d still have East and West Germanys, not a united Germany.  Did Germans forget the Berlin Airlift?  From June 1948 to September 1949, 31 U.S. military personnel died flying 190,000 missions, delivering 1.8 million tons of food and fuel, and transporting 63,000 passengers.⁴  Did Germans forget President Reagan’s 1987 challenge to the Soviet Union, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall?” The wall came down two years later.

I believe we need to make it clear to France and Germany we don’t consider them friends.  We should treat them politely, but not as we would treat true friends.  As long as it maintains or improves our military position, we should move our military bases in Germany (we have none in France) to friendly countries.

It’s also instructive to remember that countries that suffered under the thumb of the Soviet Union tended to support President Bush in Iraq.  Though it’s only been about 60 years since the days of Hitler and Mussolini, I believe much of “old Europe” forgot what oppression is like.

President Bush didn’t lose any real U.S. friends and we learned who our true friends were.  More importantly, I believe the United States gained respect because we made it clear we were going to defend ourselves and pursue our enemies aggressively.

He isn’t very bright?

The liberal idea that Republicans are stupid is not new.  Despite President Reagan’s success, liberals still like to claim he was not very bright.  The CBS movie entitled The Reagans (ultimately shown only on Showtime) portrayed President Reagan as little more than Mr. Magoo.  We hear the same things about President Bush, despite his graduation from Yale and the Harvard Business School.  Depending on the day, liberals claim either Vice President Dick Cheney or political consultant Karl Rove provides the brains.  I even heard Ralph Nader claim then-Governor Bush was “a bumbling governor from Texas with a terrible record, who couldn't put three sentences together with a cue card.”

Before you conclude that President Bush is a moron, consider the following points.

• He earned a bachelor degree in history from Yale.
• He flew F-102 fighter jets for the Texas Air National Guard and received excellent appraisals.
• He earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
• He was governor of Democrat-controlled Texas for six years, the only governor in Texas history elected to consecutive terms.
• Though he had little nationwide presence before the 2000 presidential campaign, he beat the well-known incumbent vice president.
• He has been President of the United States for over three years.

Critics point to President Bush’s pronunciation of some words -– like nuclear -– and his less-than-inspirational extemporaneous speaking as evidence of stupidity.⁵  I didn’t vote for a public speaker; I voted for a leader.

If President Bush isn’t at least reasonably intelligent, he’s probably the luckiest man on the planet.

1. In a recent interview, Sen. John Kerry said he voted for the Iraq War joint resolution because he didn’t believe President Bush would do what he said he would do.  I think this tells volumes about Sen. Kerry’s character.

2. On March 31, 2004, the General Assembly of The People’s Republic of Pennsylvania voted to spend $1 billion of taxpayer paychecks and pensions on corporate welfare.  The Senate voted unanimously (50-0) for this exercise in socialism and corporate welfare while the House voted 188-7 (8 excused absences).

3. Kerry: Those Who Question Me Are ‘Crooked’ Liars; Carl Limbacher; NewsMax.com; March 10, 2004.

4. Berlin Airlift Quick Facts; U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

5. I was young at the time, but I don’t recall anyone calling President Kennedy stupid because of his speech pattern.

© 2004 Robert W. Cox, all rights reserved.