The legacy of President George W. Bush will undoubtedly be debated by scholars and historians for many years to come. But as the president and his administration enter their final weeks in office, many of those who were most affected by the policies and politics of the last eight years are already beginning to look back in an effort to assess what they experienced. Here are some of their voices. Full Story »
Posted by Walter Cox
A remarkable piece that includes a wide variety of opinions and which ends up being surprisingly even-handed. Even those who have very set opinions about President Bush may find themselves reconsidering their views in light of the facts that come to light in this opinion piece. One complaint: This piece is too short and could easily have stretched from three pages to thirty--as such it must be viewed as merely a beginning, not a comprehensive treatment of the subject.
I voted for George W. Bush twice, neither time enthusiastically. My familiarity with Texas politics meant that I was acutely aware of "W"'s shortcomings, though I continue to see him as an earnest man whose strengths made him preferable to both Gore and Kerry. I have been alternately admiring, disappointed, appalled, and embarrassed by President Bush during his eight years as our President. Yet I do not see him as either evil or stupid--rather he is an ordinary, quite ill-spoken ... More »
individuals, chosen well, to describe their personal experiences/ views which cover a number of the administration's actions, forming an image much like the classic description by blind men of an elephant (no pun intended). it does demonstrate the contradictory views of the public for eight years. the legacy will depend upon the relative weights, given by history, of the various parts/criteria described here.
In this case, I see no evidence of journalism of any kind. The publication has not bothered to supply any context or perspective of its own--except, perhaps, in who they invited to comment. This is parroting, rather than journalism.
Everybody has their own personal opinion of high-profile politicians like George Bush. A few of those presented here have inside information the rest of us lack. From that standpoint, their opinion is more interesting than some. But that's about the most I can say for this piece. The soldier who says the final opinion will not be rendered for 50 years has clearly never studies history. Historians are still arguing about things that happened thousands of years ago. And we're still ... More »
This piece contains quotes from diverse people on what they experienced in the past 8 years. It has more variety in voices than many other pieces on the "Bush legacy", which is nice. The focus of the piece appears to be on what people thought and felt about some of the events in the past 8 years e.g. Katrina, the Iraq war etc., rather than the actual policies and actions of George W. Bush. In the piece, only one opinion is presented on each subject.
It seems to me that, nowadays, a "legacy" is more a matter of somebody (journalists, historians etc.) assigning certain events of supposedly momentous significance to a political/social figure, sometimes for reasons other than historical accuracy and accountability. My guess is that, in that sense, Bush's legacy is secure, because there will always be someone who is prepared to attribute great good/evil etc. to a US president, regardless of what he may or may not have done. What ... More »
You could stop everyone in times square and they would be for or against George Bush. With a popularity in the twenty's, if all equals all, 75% think Bush sucks.
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