President Bush often argues that history will vindicate him. So he can’t be pleased with an informal survey of 109 professional historians conducted by the History News Network. It found that 98 percent of them believe that Bush’s presidency has been a failure, while only about 2 percent see it as a success. Not only that, more than 61 percent of the historians say the current presidency is the worst in American history. In 2004, only 11.6 percent of the historians rated Bush’s presidency in last place. Among the reasons given for his low ratings: invading Iraq, “tax breaks for the rich,” and alienating many nations around the world. Bush supporters counter that professional historians today tend to be liberal and that it’s too early to assess how his policies will turn out.
The only question is….whats up with the other 2%. I want names.
And 86.3% of statisticians say percentages are made up
Same survey about Clinton 8 years ago…anyone? anyone? Or in Reagan’s last year….. or Carter… or Nixon…well, Nixon doesn’t count.
Historians should at least wait until his Presidency is history!
Well, duh!
So, the direct inference here is that conservatives, be they politicians or historians think that ““tax breaks for the rich,” and alienating many nations around the world” are good things?????
Probably so, but that is a short list and indeed too political. How about cronyism, increasing secrecy, subverting the constitution, no energy policy—god, it goes on forever.
Not that I disagree that the Bush administration won’t be judged by historians in the future as a failure. It is the judgement of the future historians that matter. This story could have been just as easily been headlined, “98% of Liberal Academics see Bush as a Failure.”
Boobo, Who else is going get tax breaks? The poor don’t pay enough income taxes to matter.
The Bush administration has decided to give Tax Rebates to people that don’t pay taxes in the first place and that kind of pisses me off.
what about torture? That used to be about as American as a Hammer & Sickle
#6. Um…I pay plenty, and I’m getting a rebate. Guess what I will do with my rebate…you guessed it…pay 2007 taxes. Thanks Mr. Bush!
#6–Gig==so current historians have no insight huh? None of them will be writing in 20 years? And it would only be a typical Repuglican dirty trick to label qualified Historians as “Liberal Academics.” Something I’m sure they will do.
And I missed putting the Iraq War into the quoted material–my eyes must have been crossed.
Now, the tax breaks issue is pretty commonly understood. Courtesy of Bush acting alone, we are in a real war and Bush acting alone is the first President to offer tax cuts during a time of war WHILE putting more national debt on society than all the prior Presidents combined? And THAT certainly qualifies Bush as “unique” among our presidents, don’t you think?
Regarding the rebates–so, maybe you are starting to agree? Bush stinks.
>>This story could have been just as easily
>>been headlined, “98% of Liberal Academics
>>see Bush as a Failure.”
Or, more accurately, “98% of people with an IQ over 15 see Bush as a failure”.
Who ARE those other 2%? I’d be interested in seeing some names too. Other than James Hill, I can’t think of a single person. And he doesn’t even constitute 2% of dvorak dot org slash blog!
#5 #6 GigG
I find it amusing that Ultra-Conservatives think that academia is limited to liberals. Perhaps that is why they are all so stupid.
“Boobo, Who else is going get tax breaks? The poor don’t pay enough income taxes to matter.”
Wow! Way to degrade an entire group of people. If they don’t matter why not let them keep it all then? There seems to be a myth about the rich paying most of the taxes in this country. It is a lie. Ask Warren Buffet he knows. You are being lied to my friend. The reason the rich get the tax breaks is because the rich tend to donate more money to political campaigns.
It depends what you define as failure. He has failed the people but he has been successful in achieving most if not more his own objectives. Imagine how much of a success he must actually be regarded as by some, or do they think hes just a douche aswel?
>>but he has been successful in achieving most
>>if not more his own objectives.
What were they? Te line the pockets of Halliburton, and to turn America into a laughingstock?
If so, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
McCullough, you want names for that 2%? I GOT NAMES!
Jeb Bush, George H. W. Bush, … Uuuhh, Well, I got two names
Haven’t they put Reagan in the top 10 now?
The reality that Bill already realizes is that he will be a forgotten president, a caretaker who didn’t do much. On the other hand, George took risks and will be remembered by history. Remains to be seen what that history will be.
#14–Ah Yea==just go thru the neo-con roster and the 40% of registered Republicans who think Bush is doing a good job.
After that, add in everyone who owns oil stock, every member of Al Quaida, All the Chinese, the Indians==gosh, the list is mushrooming. Who else hates America?
EPIC FAIL!
#1, #2 – Frog, Rect, hum…
Bush has proved his abilities for over seven years… I don’t think he’ll travel to Oslo anytime soon to collect the Nobel peace prize.
I’m curious what the 2% think he has done to make America better.
Gas is $350 gallon for regular, it’s way over $4.00 for diesel. The price of food is rising, mostly due to increased prices for fuel, and fertilizer.
Osama bin Laden is still running around from cave to cave. Al Quada has mushroomed in membership and become increasingly violent. There is a civil war going on in Iraq.
Gitmo, other renditions and kidnappings and torturing in foreign countries.
American troops were sent to war without protection. Currently, they serve 15 months in a combat theater before coming home.
Ignored the needs of veterans injured in Iraq. Still ignoring the needs of military personnel. Short changing injured veterans for their benefits.
Politicizing of the Attorney General’s office and Prosecutors.
Outing CIA spies.
Using the public dollar for political purposes.
Homeland Insecurity and the color coded alert system.
Subverting American elections.
Relapse into alcoholism and debauchery.
Overseen the dismantling of the American middle class. Helped ship jobs to China.
*
Good Things Bush has done.
Clear brush on his hobby farm.
Blow Cheney
#16 – bobbo – Who else hates America?
God… 😉
#18 – I guess you missed the point of my post.
Liars figure and figures lie. It’s way too soon to tell and it would be interesting to see what the political affiliation is of those so-called historians.
Bill Clinton left office with a majority in the country still agreeing with him and supporting him. He still has approval by the majority of the country. Meanwhile Bush Jr. is a drunk fratboy looser trying to show up his daddy, and totally screwed up the country so bad only 29% of the public approve of his doings…matching Nixon during Watergate. Think of that. His ratings suck as much as Nixon’s without a legal scandal ending his Presidency…people REALLY just don’t like Bush Jr.
Now it IS theoretically possible that 20 years from now historians and people in general will decide that massive national debts, corrupt/incompetent government, skyrocketing gas prices, the dollar in a free fall, tax breaks for Exxon, needless wars and an unstable middle-east were good things, but probably not.
Next we’re gonna be asking reporters about King Tut.
RBG
“The record holder for highest approval rating? President George W. Bush, who topped out at 90% in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. His father is the runner-up, with an 89% rating during the first Gulf War.”
http://ask.yahoo.com/20051011.html
You can choose your history, but not your family. Or something pithy like that.
RBG
What we here is Australia (and probably most of the world) find incredible is that after 7 years of utter laughable incompetence and corruption from the Bush administration, people STILL defend Bush with a Buck Turgidson-like “don’t judge before all the facts are in”.
What is clear from here is that Bush is as thick as the big print edition of the Bible and any historian with half a brain knows this.
Any relation to General Jack D. Ripper?
RBG
>>> 2 rectagon said,
>>> Same survey about Clinton 8 years ago…anyone? anyone? Or in Reagan’s last year….. or Carter… or Nixon…well, Nixon doesn’t count
Yeah, like Bush is gonna turn this thing around in the next eight months.
As for popular opinion, here’s where those others you mention did stand:
Bill Clinton (2001) 65%
Ronald Reagan (1989) 64
Dwight Eisenhower (1961) 59
John F. Kennedy (1963) 63
George Bush (1993) 56
Gerald Ford (1977) 53
Lyndon Johnson (1969) 49
Jimmy Carter (1981) 34
Richard Nixon (1974) 24
The only question is whether Bush Jr will beat out Nixon, I think.
“Truth is not determined by a majority vote.” -Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
>>> 26 Hugh Ripper said,
>>> What we here is Australia (and probably most of the world) find incredible is that after 7 years of utter laughable incompetence and corruption from the Bush administration, people STILL defend Bush…
And if you really want to hate Americans and loath us as idiots, remember that we RE-ELECTED this horrid president knowing full-well how absolutely bad he was.