Maybe it’s just me, but I often wonder what I’d do if I were part of the Bush campaign and I had to (honestly) describe the president’s achievements. In all sincerity, I’m hard pressed to think of the man’s successes, at least on a large scale. <\/p>\n
Bush effectively put his presidency on the line for two challenges — tax cuts and the war in Iraq. Both were (and are) failures — the tax cuts didn’t create jobs and Iraq has proven to be one of the most dramatic foreign policy debacles in history. If these were Bush’s great gambles, he lost them both.<\/p>\n
So, what, exactly, does the president run on? When Bush tells the country he deserves another term, what can he say about the first term?<\/p>\n
Fortunately, Bush gave us a hint of how proud he is of his record during his press conference<\/a> the other day. He pointed to a series of “accomplishments,” but if this is the best he’s got, Bush has a problem. Here’s a list of his self-described achievements, followed by some fact checking along the way. “We’ve got a great record, when you think about it — led the world and the war on terror; the world is safer as a result of the actions we’ve taken.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n No, it’s not. Terrorism is on the rise, global instability is worse, and America’s standing the world has fallen. We’re told the attacks on the U.S. are imminent and no one feels safer<\/a>. Bush keeps parroting this line, but I’m not sure if he’s trying to convince us or himself.<\/p>\n “Afghanistan is no longer run by the Taliban.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That’s highly debatable<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Saddam Hussein sits in a prison cell.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Yes, while the country he used to torment is coming apart at the seams<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Muammar Qaddafi has gotten rid of his weapons.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Actually, Qaddafi made a big deal of giving up something he didn’t really have<\/a>, with hopes of reaping a big reward in return. It worked.<\/p>\n “Pakistan is an ally in the war on terror.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n That’s more or less true, but in the process, Bush has given Pervez Musharraf a virtual blank check<\/a> for his cooperation, despite the fact that Pakistan has maintained a terrible record on other stated American priorities — halting nuclear proliferation, promoting democracy and ensuring human rights. Bush has also curiously accepted Pakistan’s tight-lipped stance<\/a> on the details of the network led by Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan, and Musharraf\u2019s possible knowledge of it.<\/p>\n “When you think about domestic politics, we’ve faced a recession, had tax cuts that encouraged economic growth and vitality.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n It’s one of those lines Bush should have trouble<\/a> saying with a straight face.<\/p>\n “We’ve helped reform a (sic<\/i>) education system with the No Child Left Behind Act.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n True, but Bush underfunded his own plan<\/a> and now the policy is viewed as a disaster by those who have to implement it<\/a>.<\/p>\n “We’ve reformed Medicare, first administration ever to get Congress to move forward on Medicare reform.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Does Bush really even want to bring up his borderline-criminal<\/a> Medicare plan, which seniors have angrily rejected in droves?<\/p>\n “We got trade promotion authority; it opened up more markets for U.S. entrepreneurs and farmers and manufacturers.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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