George Bush comes out of hiding- His book "Decision Points" & upcoming interviews

[Flabbibulin]

Just watched George Bush's first interview since leaving office (NBC with Matt Lauer) and have noticed he's scheduled for Oprah tomorrow. He's promoting the release of his memoir "Decision Points", which hits book stores this week. Love him or hate him, I can't see how this would be anything short of an intriguing read. Arguably the most controversial US President in history, its amazing how many "incredible" historical events occurred during his tenure.

The interview with Matt Lauer started out with some promise, showing an honest side of Bush we haven't seen in years, but it quickly deteriorated and we started to hear the shallow answers and responses we have come to expect of Bush in an interview. I hope the book goes into more detail as to what exactly goes on inside Bush's head, as he Presided over the US during an incredibly tumultuous period.

I have learned over the years to be fairly stoic and neutral when it comes to the George Bush saga- certainly something most people can't do. I am certain however, that a good chunk of people are fairly uneducated in the particulars of his Presidency, and simply choose to look at him in a disparaging light because they are going with the populous. I am in no way defending Bush, but rather pointing out that after 2 years, it is probably a good time to start looking at why he was a bad, or possibly good, President.

Btw, there already is a thread for all the conspiracy stuff.

[Hemi-Cuda]

ignoring all the moral controversies about the Iraq war, torturing, bending the constitution, etc, there's one fact above all others that to me sums up his presidency the best. when he came into office in 2000, the US economy was at one of it's strongest points in the country's history. but when he left office in 2008, it was at it's lowest point since the great depression. now you can't blame Bush entirely for the recession, but that cannot be a simple coincidence. if you give someone the keys to a car that's in mint condition and running great, and a few years later it's in terrible shape and barely running, you would think that person is pretty irresponsible

plus he flat out failed during Katrina, there is no excusing that gong show

[koop]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

ignoring all the moral controversies about the Iraq war, torturing, bending the constitution, etc, there's one fact above all others that to me sums up his presidency the best. when he came into office in 2000, the US economy was at one of it's strongest points in the country's history. but when he left office in 2008, it was at it's lowest point since the great depression. now you can't blame Bush entirely for the recession, but that cannot be a simple coincidence. if you give someone the keys to a car that's in mint condition and running great, and a few years later it's in terrible shape and barely running, you would think that person is pretty irresponsible

You really think the recession would have been avoided with a different president? I doubt it. Not saying he was a good president, but politicians get far to much blame/credit for the state of the economy, they have an impact, but not nearly as much of one as a lot of people think.

[Flabbibulin]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

ignoring all the moral controversies about the Iraq war, torturing, bending the constitution, etc, there's one fact above all others that to me sums up his presidency the best. when he came into office in 2000, the US economy was at one of it's strongest points in the country's history. but when he left office in 2008, it was at it's lowest point since the great depression. now you can't blame Bush entirely for the recession, but that cannot be a simple coincidence. if you give someone the keys to a car that's in mint condition and running great, and a few years later it's in terrible shape and barely running, you would think that person is pretty irresponsible

plus he flat out failed during Katrina, there is no excusing that gong show

I really do like the concept of the highest level of leadership taking responsibility for failures, whether they are directly responsible or not. My concern is that post-President Bush may only point to superficial failures as being his mistakes in office- the mission accomplished fiasco, the post Katrina Air Force One pics... He did mention in the Lauer interview that he was devastated when WMD's were not found in Iraq, but did not follow it up with an acceptance of responsibility and blame for the incredible blunder.

At the end of the day, nothing makes sense in US politics unless you look at it with a clear understanding of how divisive the Republican-Democrat game is.

[Green]

Originally Posted by koop

You really think the recession would have been avoided with a different president? I doubt it. Not saying he was a good president, but politicians get far to much blame/credit for the state of the economy, they have an impact, but not nearly as much of one as a lot of people think.

Yes. He was responsible for the overspending and increasing enormous tax cuts. The budget deficit can be traced back to him.

[Green]

Well, he's no Cheney.

[flylock shox]

I agree: I think it would be an interesting read, regardless of the fact I loathe the man. I mean, I'd love to know what he was thinking sometimes (if he was thinking at all). But I suspect the book has been thoroughly vetted to protect the guilty, and will not be candid about things that matter. Although Bush was quite candid about Kanye West's comments and a photo of him on a plane overlooking the Katrina aftermath as being, respectively one of the lowest points of his presidency and a really big mistake - ignoring of course things like the Iraq war, the Katrina response, the torture revelations, etc. etc. etc. I suspect he actually has no deep insights come to think of it.

Unfortunately I'll have to wait for it to hit the library, because I'll be damned if I'll pay a single red cent for that thing.

[koop]

Originally Posted by Green

Yes. He was responsible for the overspending and increasing enormous tax cuts. The budget deficit can be traced back to him.

The point I was trying to make is that when you're talking about the economy it's far too complex to trace it back to any one thing (or in this case person).

[Green]

Originally Posted by koop

The point I was trying to make is that when you're talking about the economy it's far too complex to trace it back to any one thing (or in this case person).

I think a more left leaning president wouldn't have authorized one of the biggest tax cuts in United States history during a period of predicted recession to try and stimulate the economy. Don't mean to sound like a d-bag there.

I think you can trace this back to the person. I don't think Bush was dumb enough to know what he was doing with tax cuts and an increase in spending was probably not going to work. He was simply trying to get a 2nd term. And to do it, he had to do was his father didn't. Cut taxes. Talk to you tomorrow.

[Tyler]

The dead fetus thing just goes to show you how nuts Barb is

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Originally Posted by koop

The point I was trying to make is that when you're talking about the economy it's far too complex to trace it back to any one thing (or in this case person).

You can't predict when an earthquake will happen.

You can, however, make sure that your house is on a solid enough foundation to have a fighting chance.

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

Iignoring of course things like the Iraq war, the Katrina response, the torture revelations, etc. etc. etc. I suspect he actually has no deep insights come to think of it.

Unfortunately I'll have to wait for it to hit the library, because I'll be damned if I'll pay a single red cent for that thing.

1) Agree that I won't pay a penny to read it. This whole political book phenomenon is way overplayed, and real writers must be crying themselves to sleep nightly.

2) The torture deal has been the most confusing to me. Given the guy's faith, there has to be an amazing disconnect to be able to sign off on the torture of another human being. This is why I've always suspected the sincerity of his faith, and his real ability to introspect. Hopefully, his advocation of torture will turn out to be an even larger stain on his presidency*.


* This point is what drives me nuts about Obama as well. He's been a stooge to the security apparatus on this regard, and has not been able to distinguish himself morally between Bush / Cheney's corrupt "terror war" infrastructure. This alone has made Obama's administration a failure for me.

[Pinner]

The whole country went stupid under Bush's leadership.

Homeland Security, The Terror Alert system, A BS illegal war, Guantanamo bay.

[Hanni]

Don't forget about hating black people

[WilsonFourTwo]

Bush had a couple of minor successes and a whole lot of absolute failures as President. That said, the people voted for him and they got exactly what they deserved (particularly the second time).

To be perfectly honest, I have no desire to read his trash heap, self aggrandizing version of his time in honest.

Since his admission last week to authorizing waterboarding, all I really want to hear from him is a guilty plea in front of a War Crimes Tribunal.

[North East Goon]

I was going to buy this book, thought it would be intriguing information on why and with whom he came to make these important decisions. After watching the Matt Lauer interview, I think I will pass and wait for it to hit a used bookstore. I found him to be smug in his answers and really didnt understand his admission of certain mistakes that really were not as important as the events surrounding. One of his lowest points of office is being called out by that bag Kanye West, not the sight of dehydrated Americans suffering in an almost lawless abandoned city?

[Stimpy]

Originally Posted by koop

The point I was trying to make is that when you're talking about the economy it's far too complex to trace it back to any one thing (or in this case person).

I agree with you in one regard, it is impossible to lay the blame of everything at the feet of one man. It takes a concerted effort to make the changes required to destroy the underpinnings of the country the way the Bush administration did, which is why the whole administration and the associated ideology is to blame. We are talking about altering the economic environment of a nation, and arguably the world, and those changes come from a collective of governing and policy mechanisms. To me the failings of the Bush administration were many, but they boiled down to several ideological based errors.

Their conservative ideology made them believe that the United States could still sit at the top of the economic food chain by administering investments and retaining control over what they saw as intellectual property. This ideology has been developed and promoted through policy papers by the think tank establishment and pushed through to become the cornerstones of the Republican platform. They firmly believe that what is good for the top 1% of the country is good for the other 99%. Laws and regulations were changed or eliminated to not only allow negative economic practices but to encourage them. As a result jobs were off shored at an unprecedented rate, the manufacturing capacity was destroyed and regional economies were set on a course to crash. Intellectual properties were maintained, but the capacity to do things was eliminated.

To compound those decisions deregulation of the markets allowed for a number of schemes to be hatched which would cripple the vast majority of the economy. Housing bubbles, mortgage fraud and derivative trading were all a result of deregulation and provided an incredible wealth for the top 1% while crushing the other 99%. The rich got filthy rich and the rest of the nation lost their retirement savings, saw their homes become worthless, and their mortgage rates triple as a result.

Add in the massive tax cuts for the rich and you have a period of negative economic activity that crippled the greatest economy on the planet. The Bush administration were responsible for completely changing the economic model of the United States and it has proven to be an utter failure. The new consumer economy is unsustainable because it is based on accrual of debt to pay for that consumption. The only jobs left are in poor paying service industries and they don't pay enough to support a family. Bad policy and bad decisions led the country to this point and that was with the Bush administration in control.

Bush shouldn't take all the blame on this. The Republican and conservative ideology is largely responsible. The think tanks who dream this stuff up are responsible. The congress who supported and profited from it. The corporations who used the new lax regulations to their advantages are responsible. There is more than enough blame to go around and lots of parties in a position to receive their share. It took a village of idiots to pull this one off, not just the village idiot.

[East Coast Flame]

man that interview was frustrating to watch last night. The way he brushed off the questions about waterboarding and the legality of it by saying "my lawyers told me it was legal, I'm no lawyer", when questioned further his only response is "read the book". What a con. And he claimed last night only three people were waterboarded? That can't be right can it?

The segment about Katrina really bugged me too. Trying to place all the blame on the governer of Louisiana. While she certainly should be blamed, it was his inaction and awful FEMA program that compounded the problem.

I guess two years of silence really made me forget how much I hated that man. It blows my mind that he truly feels that he will be vindicated in the future and that "the book is still out on judging my presidency". Gah. What a joke.

[zukes]

Originally Posted by Green

Yes. He was responsible for the overspending and increasing enormous tax cuts. The budget deficit can be traced back to him.

The biggest reason for the recession is that Average Joe American has used credit for everything for years, as credit was and still is way too easy to get.

[Tron_fdc]

The only reason I'd buy a book Bush wrote is to give it to my 2 yr old neice. I'm sure the pop ups will be astounding!

I wonder though; will it come with crayons?