Big Think

James Nordhoff on November 30, 2008, 9:50 AM

Bush/Cheney should be arrested on Inaugaration Day by President Obama and charged with war crimes, treason against the American People by deception. Plus they are both slimeballs who should no longer profit by their shady tactics. It’s time for Robin Hood and revenge against the wealthy who got there by taxing the crap out of the poor and sending the poor to die in wars for profit. Shameful behavior should be punished, Yes???

Ohm Gore on December 26, 2008, 9:25 PM

To be honest, it’s difficult to find a “best” thing about President Bush’s time in office. This is probably partially from my own bias—after all, I entered 2001 jaded by the Florida recount debacle, and was attacking the idea of invading Iraq in late 2002—but also comes from the fact that there is very little that can be attributed to the Bush administration that might not also have been done by any other executive. Honestly, what can we attribute to President Bush that, say, Mr. Gore or Senator Kerry would not have done? That’s an interesting question to take up.

I would say the worst thing about his time in office is easy to come by: the general climate of fear that his Administration has promoted since 9/11. Certainly, 9/11 was a wake-up call that showed all of the US that our nation have post-Soviet enemies; this is a scary thought. However, if one looks at the 2002 midterm elections, President Bush’s 2004 re-election campaign, and even the 2008 Republican National Convention, one sees a repetition of the same theme: 9/11 occurred, so vote Republican so we can protect you from the SCARY EVIL. Fearmongering has become a general Bush tactic (and a Republican tactic, especially evident and decried in Senator Chambliss’s 2002 campaign ads against Mr. Cleland), and I hope that Mr. Obama’s election despite Senator McCain and Governor Palin’s constant references to 9/11 and terrorism destroys the tactic, at least for the time being.

A close second worst would be President Bush’s tax cut mentality, with has been classified as the cause of our extremely burgeoning deficit. I’m all for a stimulating tax cut, but I would rather the cut be given to those who will engage in consumer spending that truly stimulates the economy instead of simply stimulating Republican voters.