Gone but not forgotten!
Anyone out there remember 2008 and the race for the Presidency? It wasn't that long ago but it seems like an eternity. What a street fight huh? When the election was over did any of you suffer withdrawal symptoms from the media overload of "Political Campaign Drama?" It's been a bit slow lately hasn't it? Nothing but talk of Tuesday's Inauguration and optimism and hope for change. I personally like that positive psychology.
However, with just a few days left in the second Bush term, there is a very definite Obama buzz humming around the globe but many are also silently wondering how history will view George W. Bush in the years that follow. There are those still taking final jabs at the Bush administration and reminding people that George W. Bush was at the helm during this wreck. I couldn't help but stop by this story on MSN Money today - Cost of Bush Era 11.5 Trillion! Even the most faithful supporters of Bush must be wondering how the $150 Billion surplus inherited from Bill Clinton just up and disappeared. Those most critical of the Bush administration continue to remind us that we will be saddled with this economic debt burden for decades and generations to come and that George W. Bush should always be remembered for his contributions and omissions towards this end.
With due consideration of these valid views, my thinking is that Americans have been pretty forgiving of past U.S. Presidents and this animosity and criticism will eventually diminish. As the days and years pass and the political and economic blunders are untangled, most people remember ex-Presidents as figures who have simply held the Nation's highest political office. The politics of their era or the mistakes they made will be highlighted in the history books and debated and studied at institutions of higher learning for centuries. But at the end of the day, they will be merely a name and a number for many and public opinion will slide more toward the middle. Case in point - Richard Nixon.
Will George W. be any different? Will he be remembered? Loved? Hated?
Will it be for his personality or for the events of his time?
Quien Sabes?
I don't know but here are a few of his signature moments just in case you missed them the first time!
We all make our mistakes. But "W" was noteworthy!
Here's a more recent clip from last week.
"Bush isms.... "Sometimes the words are correct..... they just get put in the wrong order!"
Maybe that's how George W. Bush will be remembered.
