Remember Bush for tenacity, strength
Those who have studied history are well aware of the fact the judgment of history over presidents can differ dramatically from the current news media and popular opinion.
Abraham Lincoln was called a tyrant in the press because he suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus during the Civil War. And, he and his administration were called incompetent "apes" because the North lost most of the battles in the first two years of the war, resulting in hundreds of thousands of casualties to the Union. Much of the press wanted to give up to the South because the principals of freedom and Union were not worth the casualties and cost to them.
Despite the public disapproval, Lincoln stayed strong and after 600,000 Americans died, the North won and today Lincoln is loved for his strength and tenacity in the face of public disapproval and hardship.
Today, President Lincoln towers as a national hero, and the reporters and party hacks who disparaged him then are today puny in stature or lost to history.
Certainly President Bush is relentlessly disparaged by the press and the media for the 4,000 soldiers who have died in Iraq, the tough years in Iraq and Afghanistan, Katrina, Gitmo, our current economic problems and other issues.
It will be interesting to see what history says.
After 9/11 and the worst attack on our soil in our history in which our safety, economy and confidence were at risk of collapse, he kept our nation safe for seven years. He freed 50 million people from the worst tyrannies on earth, saved more lives on the continent of Africa in battling AIDS and malaria than any human in the history of the planet, and reduced taxes for every person who pays federal taxes. And President Bush worked tenaciously and gracefully to ensure the most seamless transfer of power to Barack Obama ever seen at a dangerous time.
It will be interesting to see how history weighs the balance of accomplishments and failures of the Bush administration. President Bush made many mistakes but he also accomplished much in truly dangerous times.
Randy Rossi
Grayslake