A thoughtful editorial that carefully balances the pluses and minuses of Bush's presidency. Professor Nuechterlein does a good job delineating future possibilities that will substantially impact our assessment of Bush's legacy--a clear reminder that present judgments must remain tentative until the future reveals the wisdom, or lack thereof, of Bush administration policies.

There are some holes in his logic. For instance, I'm not sure how the Indian nuclear deal is going to lead to peace in South Asia. Also, I think its hard to argue that Bush didn't anything positive in the Israeli-Palestinian situation.

This opinion piece offers no new perspective and is basically a rehash of comparisons to prior president's legacies. It is woefully lacking in contrast however, failing to touch on the multiple messes (and their magnitude) left by this president in comparison to Truman et al. The author grasps for positive things to say at one point and almost immediately finds himself back in negative territory.