This week’s Q-Line question asked readers: We’ve all heard what political pundits and assorted talking heads have to say regarding President Bush’s place in the pantheon of chief executives. Just switch on any cable news channel at any time of day and somebody is yammering on and on about the president’s legacy and historical significance. What are we to believe?
Here are your responses: “PRESIDENT BUSH RATES AMONGST THE lowest in the gallery of presidents. None of the major issues plaguing our country like homelessness, health care for all, the out-sourcing of American jobs, the environment, and the horrible Iraq war and the loss of so many American lives have not been significantly dealt with. Tax breaks for the rich seems to be his primary concern. I also feel — to a very large extent — that Bush is just a figurehead and a puppet manipulated by corporate America and the host of slimy politicians that surround him all to the detriment to this once great country and its people.”
“I THINK THAT IN 20 YEARS PRESIDENT Bush will be seen as a very good president. First, you cannot just defend a country from behind barricades. You must have a forward defense and take the fight to the enemy. The seed of an open society has already been planted in Iraq. Iran is now squeezed by American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Second, America now controls the third-largest oil reserves, plus the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska and the continental United States. Third, we now have enough stable oil to last the 20 years it will take to evolve our economy away from oil and the combustion engine. Remember all those people who have jobs in the oil and automotive industries will need new ones.”
“PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH’S administration has been a great success for those intended to reap great wealth during his tenure in office. One only has to consider what we, as motorists, are paying for a gallon of gasoline at the gas pump and the multi-billion dollar profits of the major oil companies. The only weapon of mass destruction we peons have to worry about is the destruction of the greenbacks and credit cards we have to carry around in our pockets and purses due to high fuel cost price gouging.”
“WE ARE SICK AND TIRED OF ALL THE whiners that continue to complain about and bash President Bush for keeping America safe from radical terrorist and their cults. These murderers want to take away our freedom and our style of life and take away our freedom to worship our God. We think our President is doing a great job. And we honor and pray for our President and our troops. Amen!”
“HOW CAN ONE BE NON-OBJECTIVE when remembering the lies Bush told to get us into this war when seeing the daily reports of innocent Iraqis and soldiers dying because of these lies. As a veteran of WWII, I am ashamed of the lies recruiters are now forced to tell to entice youths to join this catastrophe. If we can’t impeach Bush, as he deserves, he should at least be at the bottom when grading presidents.”
“AS A DEDICATED AMERICAN AND IT being President’s Day, I’m wearing patriotic colors. In the pantheon of elected leaders George W. Bush will be rated very, very poorly. I used to be a card-carrying Republican, but because of his shenanigans, I’m now an Independent. That also goes for Arnold Schwarzenegger.
That war is totally useless. All we are doing is losing our beautiful brethren. I’d like to see him go over there and fight that friggin’ war. No excuse. Even Bechtel Corporation pulled out and that’s a very big corporation.”
“BUSH WOULD PROBABLY RANK ABOUT the worst one of all unless we elect somebody even worse in the future which is not going to happen because nobody can be as idiotic. Deliberately lying to get us into a war that cost thousands of lives and ruins the economy with his deficits. When he took office there was a budget surplus and he’s turned that into a deficit. He’s managed to get a lot of Republicans not reelected. He’s too blind and stubborn to accept the fact that he’s an idiot.”
“MINUS 43. HARDING HAD THE TEAPOT dome scandal. Reagan had Alzheimer's (disease), but still took less vacation time than Bush. Bush and his arrogance has 3,000 deceased American soldiers, lies, Iraq, Enron, Halliburton, FEMA and total disregard for labor, the elderly, children and middle class. He did not complete military service and stole elections. Not satisfied to wipe out the Clinton administration’s surplus, he plunged the United States into the largest deficit ever. Under that folksy manner, the 43rd president is a mean spirited tyrannical disgrace.”
“I SAY THAT GEORGE W. BUSH WILL rank 44th.”
“PRESIDENT BUSH WILL RANK AT THE very bottom. He’s the very worst, traitorist, Constitution-trampling president that this country has ever had. And that’s where George W. Bush will be.”
“I AM AN 82-YEAR-OLD WWII VETERAN. George W. Bush is the worst president I’ve lived under in those 82 years. I once thought that Richard Nixon couldn’t be beat for being the worst president, but George W. Bush beats him out.”
“I THINK PRESIDENT BUSH IS THE WORST president our country has ever had. I think he’s a traitor to our nation. I think he’s a traitor to democracy. He’s just selling our country out from under us. War, death, deficit, people starving in the street.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 24, 2007. Read the original PDF.