The Presidents: #39

#39 George W. Bush
Jan 20 2001 to Jan 20 2009
Grade: F

Unlike the rest of the Presidents at this end of the pool, the only one I've had the ignominy of having to live under is George W. Bush. Unfortunately, I have to admit that I played a role in putting him where he was, voting for him in 2000. Fortunately, I didn't vote for him in 2004, not that it did much good.

Who knows when we will finally understand just how corrupt, malevolent and incompetent his administration was. Whether it was his dumb-assery, Grand Vice-Chancellor Cheney, or his incompetence minions, the first eight years of the 21st century won't go down as a time of inspired government in the U.S. Heck, President Obama could call his term a success just cleaning half the mess the Bushies made in Washington.

There was a time (From 1/20/2001 to the first time I heard about the Axis of Evil) that I gave President Bush the benefit of the doubt. He seemed solid enough as a responder to the fanatics in Afghanistan that supported the fanatics who attacked the United States. However, any capital he had gained with me was lost by the pointless and obvious imperial move towards attacking Iraq. I cannot forgive him for the over 4,000 American deaths caused by that unnecessary and unprovoked conflict.

Before his administration, I was a solid Republican. Now, I doubt I will ever go back to the party. This wasn't entirely his doing (the Evangelist/Racist/Amoral Capitalist Wings of the party helped as well), but he helped bring about my party switch. About the only thing good I can say about him is that he did have a somewhat reasonable immigration. Unfortunately, he couldn't get any major Republicans not named John McCain to support it, and it was a failure. Just like his term in office.

Gordon Brown Addresses Congress

Earlier today I listened to Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown give an address before a joint session of Congress. It is his first speech to Congress, and he is only the fifth prime minister to address our legislative body. As it is the first joint address by a foreign dignitary of the Obama Administration, and the UK is our closest ally, I felt it necessary to listen to Brown.

I felt it was a good speech, one that conveyed the continued strong friendship of the UK and the US, and also the general friendship between the US and Europe. Gordon Brown clearly doesn't have the stage presence of an Obama, although he certainly held his own. He got a few jabs in at the current opposition party in the US, while also generating several bi-partisan ovations. His story about the refugee who died in Rwanda waiting for the UN help was a heart-breaker.

Putting aside the meat of the speech, it's interesting to note how comfortable the United Kingdom seems to have become in its role as the junior partner in the Anglo-American alliance. 200 years ago it would have been unthinkable that a British PM would be speaking to its separated offspring, and even up until the dark days before World War II the United Kingdom would have laughed at the idea of being subservient to the upstart Yankees. Its a lesson for the United States to remember, as we continue along in this new century.

Here is PM Brown's speech:

The Presidents: #40

#40 Richard M. Nixon (1968-1974)
Grade: F


I'm aware of Nixon's achievements in normalizing US relations with China. I'm also aware that he was President when the Environmental Protection Agency was created, and that domestically he was much more moderate than his Republican successors. I even find some admirable traits in Mr. Nixon, and give him credit for meeting with the protesters at the Lincoln Memorial. And once the entire light comes out on President #39 on my list, it is quite possible that his sorry Administration will deserve this spot on the list.

Had Richard Nixon not operated with such contempt of the checks and balances of our government, it is likely he could find himself in the top half of this list. But act with contempt he did, and therefore he gets the "real" loser spot.

As an incident, the Watergate break-in was a fairly minor scandal. Although breaking into the opposing political party's headquarters wasn't exactly a honorable thing, it wasn't something that should have brought down a presidency. Had Nixon admitted his sordid involvement in the crap, apologized the day after he beat McGovern, and promised to handle his administration better, it would have disappeared.

Instead, he and his associates decided to cover it up, resulting in one of our nations sorriest chapters. The idea that the President is above the law is a disturbing belief, and one that smacks of the obsolete notion of Divine Right. Nixon wasn't the first President to overstep this boundary, but he was certainly the one that did it with the least remorse and without just cause.

On top of the crimes his administration committed during the early 70s, many of his junior acolytes would later be involved in the Reagan and Bush administrations, learning how to continue violating the Constitution without getting impeached, instead of learning the real lessons that were evident. Therefore, Nixon gets penalized more as the trend-setter, rather than the trend follower of Bush 41 (and to a somewhat lesser extent Reagan).

A few quick words on Obama's Address to Congress

Man, its nice having a President who sounds like an adult, isn't it? More talk about getting real things done, and less talk about manimals. It is almost surreal to listen to President Obama after the eight years of President Bush.


(p.s. be watching this blog for more about our most recent Ex-President)

(p.p.s. Holy Krikes, Bobby Jindal sounds like Kenneth the Page!)

UPDATE: A Summary of Jindal's Response:

Obama is very popular, lets not rain on his parade. However, he is a socialist, and therefore our enemy. We must remember his administrations failure during Hurricane Katrina, and cut the hell out of taxes. Because Dubya was on the right track, he just didn't go far enough. Obviously, y'all are dumb as a box of rocks because you don't have vouchers for your schoolin, so I'll speak to you like you are a third grader. High speed rail is bad, we must stay horribly behind in our infrastructure. Because public expenditures are just the anti-democratic thing, reminiscent of the horrible investment by that horrible socialist Dwight Eisenhower in the commie Interstate system. All hail the church of unregulated commerce. The oligarchies demand it, and therefore they shall get it! May Jebus bless you and the United States.

The Presidents: #43 (or 42) to #1

In honor of the election of a new president, the 200th Anniversary of Abe Lincoln's birth, and this CSPAN historian survey, I have decided to share my opinion of the 42 men who have held the office before President Obama.

Like every type of list, this is not static. Ten years ago, my list would have looked different than it does now, and I'm sure the list will be different in another ten years. That being said, I can't see the top or the bottom of the list moving much.

With the exception of today, I'll be posting one President at a time, giving them a grade, and writing my thoughts on their presidency. Some will have more written about them than others. This is especially true for the very bad and the very good.

So sit back, eat some popcorn, and let's delve into the realm of this most exclusive American club.



#42 William Henry Harrison (1741)
Grade: Incomplete



#42 James Garfield (1781)
Grade: Incomplete

Presidents Harrison and Garfield are first up on the list not because of anything they did in their Administrations. The reason they are last is because they were barely in office long enough to be judged accurately. I don't have much to say about either of these men, other than that old men shouldn't give long speeches in bad weather, and that you should always be wary of crazy men wanting a patronage job.

NRO Misses the Point (Once Again)

For some reason (maybe because it gets us liberals to give them page views), the National Review's website has decided to create a list of the 25 greatest Conservative movies over the past 25 years. Naturally, like most of their people, the list misses the irony of several of the choices.

Although some of the choices (Red Dawn, Heartbreak Ridge) are understandable, but others (Lord of the Rings, Brazil, Team America: World Police) show just how little these conservatives* understand concepts such as satire, allegory, and irony. Sure, a few of those movie espouse views that are friendly to ideas of individualism and self-determination, values that aren't exclusive to conservatives. But to suggest that Bush and Cheney are closer to Aragon and Frodo than the Orc General and Sauron is just stupid. **

I fully expect to see Dr. Strangelove make the list, hailing Jack D. Ripper and Buck Turgison as a true model of American military might. Also, John Voight in Catch 22 will be championed as the ultimate patriot: a man who serves his country while lining his pockets.

* Conservatives refer to mindless authoritatarian who supported the late Administration while chanting "USA! USA! USA!". If you are a real conservative who actually uses your brain, this is not you.

** About 15% more stupid as someone bitching about these comparisons on his supposedly serious blog.

Quick Hit: Governor #41, your table is ready

Not much for you today, except to give my belated gratitude to the Illinois Senate for ending the tenure of Governor Blagojevich. May Pat Quinn be a better governor, and may Illinois start digging out from the whole it is in. It feels good to have a governor who actually considers it an honor to live in the people's house in Springfield, doesn't it?