Georges Legacy
Miserable Failure. Until very recently if these words were typed into the Google search bar, the first result that displayed was the biography of none other than our former president, George W. Bush. While this initially was a prank, it did represent a very common misconception about our president’s legacy. But this is not true. Instead of listening to the criticism of political comedians, filmmakers and biased journalists around the globe, listen to the facts. While Bush’s two terms were filled with controversies and attacks, people always seem to forget the good things he has done for this country and decide focus on the negative. His response to September 11th and The War in Iraq and Afghanistan have helped the country and the world through its darkest hours, and he should be commended for them, not criticized.
On September 11th, 2001 our nation was attacked by terrorists intending to destroy our nation’s ideals and freedom. But what they got instead was a nation rallied around a president with a 90 percent approval rating - a record high. A month after the attacks, Bush instated The Patriot Act, which expanded the number of ways the FBI could monitor suspected terrorists. This bill eventually stopped another attack in August of 2005 which would have killed three thousand more people and has effectively caught at least eighteen other potential attacks. But since these attacks never actually happened, people forget about the good it has done, and still tend to criticize the administration for invading rights and wasting resources that should be put to better use. But what is more valuable our nation’s safety?
While controversial, The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were necessary to protect our country and to free millions of oppressed people and instate democracy. Bush, along with seven other countries including Iraq, believed that Saddam Hussein was harboring `weapons of mass destruction`. Even though none were found, the American invasion of Iraq nonetheless freed their nation from a tyrannical dictator. Because of Bush’s decision to increase the amount of troops in Iraq against what the majority of the country wanted, Iraq is now on the path to becoming a democracy. While it may take to time to build a stable government it will be worth it, and with hindsight the naysayers will be proved wrong, and a nation will be free.
Our former president was not the most articulate man, infamous for his verbal slipups, but what he showed in place of language was his enormous character. Instead of wowing a nation with eloquent speeches filled with empty promises, he acted. Bush did not care about his approval rating which over his two terms fluctuated between record highs and record lows, but cared about doing what he believed was right. When he made a mistake he was the first to admit it, as with the government’s slow response to Hurricane Katrina, and that is ingrained in the psyche of every person in America. His accomplishments however, were always brushed to the wayside. People still seem to forget that he has done more to help Africa than any other man in history. And while most of the nation has condemned him as a “stupid cowboy”, he ignored his detractors and pushed on, and when people look back on his achievements, they will wonder why he was jeered at on his last day in office, when instead he should have been given a standing ovation.
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