Too Many Low Points to Remember

As of Saturday, November 13, 2010

Recently, former President George W. Bush referred to when Kanye West uttered his infamous statement “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” as a low point of his eight years in the White House.

Well, that may be left for the historians to debate. History — his story, indeed. I guess you really thought “Brownie” did do a great job as the head of FEMA during Katrina, didn’t you, Mr. President?

If I were pressed to give a low point, I’d say it came when the war on terror expanded to include the invasion of Iraq, when Bin Laden was still running al-Qaida from the mountains of Afghanistan. I think another low point may have come when $20 billion was paid to KBR, a former Halliburton division, to supply U.S. military in Iraq with food, fuel, housing and other items.

I think it is even a lower point now that the economy has shown signs of improvement, resulting from $700 billion that then-President Bush requested from Congress late in his administration and started doling out to GM and Chrysler less than a month before he left office, yet no one is giving him any credit for his last-minute efforts to pump life into the economy he nearly drove off a cliff. No one wants to give him credit for letting the banks run out of control and the record national foreclosure rates.

I think he has had more low points than he really wants to remember. Where were the outraged citizens of the tea party from 2001 until 2009? I will not question what has motivated their outrage. Is it fair or even logical to expect anything that took eight full years to be mired in the mud to be steered back on the road in less than two years?

George H. Wilson Jr.

Carthage

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buddysmith 2 years, 6 months ago

This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.

nothingspecial 2 years, 6 months ago

George Bush was a decent man, who did his best during his eight years. His side lost because of a horrible financial crisis that was blamed on him.

If you want to bid on times it would take to turn things around, I think George could have done it in 12 months. I'd vote to give him another chance without hesitation.

fugitiveguy 2 years, 6 months ago

Isn't it odd how when liberals want to drag up Katrina again they always mention Bush but never Ray Nagin. Isn't it funny when they bring up the implosion of the housing market they always bring up Bush (who is on record multiple times trying to head it off) and never bring up Barney Frank, Maxine Waters or Franklin Raines. Isn't it funny when they bring up Haliburton and no bid contracts they never mention the name(s) of the other companies that had the capability to provide the needed logistical support to our troops. Isn't it odd that during a time of great financial distress the Dems chose to put a man in the oval office who ZERO experience in the business/financial world. Yes, odd indeed.

ProudYankee 2 years, 6 months ago

I think buddysmith has shown, sadly, what motivates some Tea Partiers.

moonchild7 2 years, 6 months ago

George Bush has that eeeeerie, improper, confusing and cultist smile almost everytime he talks that lets any person with any sense know that he is terribly devoid of real intelligence or self-actualization.

MikeNC 2 years, 6 months ago

Mr. Wilson says..."If I were pressed to give a low point, I’d say it came when...." Nobody pressed you for anything and what you provided on your own doing was nothing more than your personal opinion. How about 'pressing yourself' to consider the low points of what's occurring today in America with the current administration. ....Mike

marathonman 2 years, 6 months ago

Mr. Wilson, The TEA - taxes enough already - Party came about due to Obama's incredible arrogance to slam us with Health Care while buying up banks, auto manufacturing and providing our tax dollars to those who either supported him in his quest for power or were leaning that way and he bumped them over the edge. No, Bush has enough to answer for from his 8 years, but your piece is misguided by your contempt and anger for him.

moonchild7 2 years, 6 months ago

KBR had a NO-BID Contract to provide services to the US ARMY. That's not the way it's supposed to be done. And again you're wrong Marathonman, the TEA PARTY came about after Rick Santelli's rant on CNBC concerning the "Mortgage Modification" program that was being considered at the time. He didn't like the idea of subsidizing "losers mortgages". Well, no worry now, a lot of them are HOMELESS. He only like's "rewarding those that carry the water and not just drink it." He's a really fun kinda guy.

marathonman 2 years, 6 months ago

Thanks MC7, its all about being over taxed no matter the specifics of the origination. Now about sole source contracts; they are in fact very legal and used all the time. If you take the time to send out an RFP and then review the tenders against their ability to perform, it could be counterproductive to the interests of our overall objectives if all but one has no background or infrastructure to perform. So if one company, say KBR, has done it before and has the infrastructure to provide the service, it meets all the correct objectives and is legal and a wise choice. Under Clinton, so much of the defense infrastructure was dismantled. His objective was to balance the budget. He was successful but when we had to fit up for our military ops in Iraq and Afghanistan, we were behind the eight ball as most of those who used to bid on contracts, had retooled in order to stay in business. So, our country had to wait, in many cases, for companies who bid and were awarded contracts to fitup to deliver. So, you can argue all you want without any real specific knowledge about abuses of power, but both parties reward allegiance. In the case of need, partisanship takes a back seat. This admin, Obama, however, is going to violate all of those old rules in favor of redistro. We are not well served.

marathonman 2 years, 6 months ago

MC7, Caveat Emptor. Cars, houses, items without warranty, etc...

moonchild7 2 years, 6 months ago

George W. Bush said that he was told by his attorney's at the Justice Dept. that WATERBOARDING was legal too. NOT. Making it up as you go to fit your personal PAYBACK agenda towards another human being is the lowest form of cowardice and hate. Waterboarding has always been considered torture by the Justice Dept. except during the Bush Administration. How can that be? It can't and so George must answer to a judge and jury. It has been proven that less drastic methods used during "Criminal Interrogations" have worked just as well. Even the horrors of 9/11 can't legitimize those actions of torture by the CIA. And George says his worst moment as President was being called a racist by Kanye West? How sorry can one person be? VERY.....and I'm not talking about Mr. West.

Bflat 2 years, 6 months ago

The mortgage mess started before GWB. Look back at who enfoced the laws requiring banks to make home loans to low and low middle income buyers which was supposed to stimulate the economy. People could buy houses with very little or no money down, instead of 20% down, so there was no real equity from the outset. The housing bubble lasted a good while, and it wasn't subprime that brought it down but people that could not really afford the houses in the first place. Subprime defaults were less than 7% of all loans that went into default and foreclosed.

Putting foreclosures on hold earlier in the year hurt the economy further because those homes could have been sold and provided a consistent flow in the housing markets. The next couple of years will be rough when all those that were put on hold are unleashed into the marketplace.

fugitiveguy 2 years, 6 months ago

"It can't and so George must answer to a judge and jury."

Sick obsessions. Sorry, its never going to happen. Because Obama knows what every president knows...you reap what you sow.

fugitiveguy 2 years, 6 months ago

"Even the horrors of 9/11 can't legitimize those actions of torture by the CIA."

I am glad President Bush did what he thought was neccesary after 9/11 to prevent other tragedies. LIAMD

marathonman 2 years, 6 months ago

MC7, I change pieces and here you are again.......waterboarding is not torture. Cutting off fingers, toes, hands and heads is torture. Driving nails into hands and feet is torture. Causing extreme physical lasting and irreparable damage is torture. Waterboarding is not torture.

buddysmith 2 years, 6 months ago

not a tea partier proud yankee!! a loyal independent, actually listen to the candidates and thus vote for the person i think represents my point of view. many people that post on here seem to forget that is really what a vote and election should be. voted for bill clinton(i think he was a victim in the monique-gate scandal) and ronald reagan(why dont we have his birthday off as a federal holiday?). the reference to Kanye West was meant as a joke dont know why the statement was removed, thought it was done with the utmost taste and class. and by the way, once you have lived here for more than five years, proud yankee, you become a true southerner-so welcome my brother!!!

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