The End of the Bush Presidency
Bush never had the gift of persuasion, the ability to give a State of the Union address or a press conference that left his enemies disarmed, but there was a time when he at least seemed like a leader - like someone consequential, active, and important, whatever one thought of his actions and their consequences. Full Story »
Posted by Derek Hawkins
Iran has sought normal relations with the US for many years, so it really is astonishing for this writer to argue Bush could not have done anything to improve relations with Iran. The "surge" was anything but courageous, and I think it was a colossal strategic blunder undertaken because Bush did not want to admit the war was a mistake. Bush should have engaged with Iran and Syria, got all US troops out of Iraq, and told Israel to end the occupation of the West Bank and turn control of its affairs over to a third party (this proposal is fleshed out well in Prince Hassan of Jordan's commentary in openDemocracy.net).