George Bush Report Card

[cannon_fodder]

I got in a discussion with a friend (he has an AM talk show in Des Moines and is a political junkie) about what GW's report card would look like.  So we drafted out the categories and each scored him with a sentence of explanation to start a discussion.  I think it will give an interesting impression of where everyone here stands.

The Card:

In each of the follow area's I would give George Bush's administration the following letter grade-

Economics:  (how his administration has managed the economy and its effectiveness)

Fiscal Policy: (while handling the finances of the United States, how has he performed?)

Environmental & Energy: (the two are nearly inseparable, how has he done managing our energy supplies while protecting our environment?)

Social Agenda: (how satisfied are you with the social direction the president has push for and/or his effectiveness at doing so?)

Military: (has he strengthened or reduced out military to your satisfaction?)

Foreign Policy: (has the US position in the world improved or decline and if so, to what extend is Bush to credit?)

Stewardship: (the president inherited the leadership and will pass it on, how has it taken care of the position and the US image in the world at large)

Overall: (GPA if you will.  Perhaps some areas scored well but are not worth as much as others?)

My Life: (regaurdless of the president, how has your life improved (A) or declined (F)  or stayed the same (C) in the last 7 years?)

[cannon_fodder]

(I tried to not inflame and give things as an opinion as well as only blame/credit the administration where credit is due)

Economics:  B-.  The economy is booming, but tax cuts and a push for free trade are his only contributions.  The rest is timing.  Immigration policy coupled with generally poor foreign relations and over spending still looms as a potential danger area that the president could have addressed.

Fiscal Policy: F. An ongoing war is no longer an emergency measure, republicans are not supposed to increase entitlements, and as much as I hate to say it - if you are going to spend you have to tax.

Environmental & Energy: C-.  While he has not implemented much applauded "solutions" such as massive subsidies and draconian dictations on emotions that I think would be in error, he has done nothing to steer the country towards greener technology such as streamlining the permitting of new cleaner power plants & refineries or offering research grants/prizes for certain goals.  Basically, he has done nothing.  Which is actually above average for a politicians but not good enough for a C.

Social Agenda: D+.  I am concerned by the tendency to trade freedom for the illusion of security is concerning. Also, not everyone is a fundamentalist Christian.  I  do not think abstinence only works nor do I think stem cells are an abomination.  I do think opening funding to religious charities was a wise move as they often prove to be fiscally responsible (used to operating on tight budgets) but have to urge careful over site.  

Military: B-. He is a strong supporter financially and in lip service, clearly has great faith in the military and I think he means well by them.  However, his (his administration's) poor planning put them in jeopardy and is now stretching it too thin.  I believe the military is stronger now than when he took office but at risk of losing any gains by it's over use and unclear mission strategy.

Foreign Policy: D.  China is gaining influence in Asia, Hugo in Latin America.  Afghanistan and Iraq remain in chaos and most of the world has a more negative view than before.  Saving him from an "F" is the admission that we have a problem with Islamic Terrorist and trying to do something about it and doing recoverable damage to most relations.  

Stewardship: D.  He inherited a country well liked under Bill, got a lot sympathy and support after 911 and has managed to piss away all the goodwill of the world and any goodwill the government had with the people. People view the US government with more suspicion at home and abroad.  Saving the "F" is his portrayal of the United State as a powerful stand alone force, at least if we have to be hated they think we might do something about their actions.

Overall:  D+.  The economy is doing well, there has been an admission that SOMETHING has to be done with Iraq, we are starting to improve foreign relations, and considering the potential for disaster things are going OK.

My Life: B.  Good job.  Low interest rates. Things have gone as well as could be expected in my world over the last 7 years.

[rwarn17588]

Economics: B+

Fiscal Policy: C- (mostly because of the big deficits)

Environmental & Energy: C- (Oil remains a big problem for us policy-wise.)

Social Agenda: C+ (I'm not sure Bush has much of a social agenda at all.)

Military: D (There's little doubt the military is weaker.)

Foreign Policy: D (The U.S. has lost a lot of credibility with other nations because of its bungling.)

Stewardship: F (The problems the next guy faces are enormous.)

Overall: C-, as befits Bush's grades in college.

My Life: C

[RecycleMichael]

Environmental  D-

He has supported recycling (republicans get the fact that it is a jobs thang).

He has decimated the EPA's ability to regulate air and water issues, has eliminated or raised the amounts of pollutants that can be discharged by industry and has allowed unprecendented drilling and harvesting in the nation's forests and public lands.

[cannon_fodder]

Could you reference some info for me RecycleMichael?  I was under the impression that the harvested forest land was already under the control of the USDA (who's goal it is to exploit resources).  I am also not aware of any newly designated drilling areas (which is a complain of mine on the energy side).  Likewise, I thought his Clear Skies initiative failed and his regs were not implanted in re pollution limits?

I'm sure you pay closer attention to environmental issues than I, so I probably just missed somethings.

[pmcalk]

Isn't a D- generous?  Remember, a D means you get it right 60% of the time.  IMO, Bush hasn't gotten anything right 60% of the time.

[Rico]

quote:Originally posted by pmcalk

Isn't a D- generous?  Remember, a D means you get it right 60% of the time.  IMO, Bush hasn't gotten anything right 60% of the time.

I believe, according to my sources, he has gotten his shoes on the correct feet 60% of the time.....

Oh OK,.... it was actually 30% of the time but cut the guy some slack... he has been under a lot of stress.

[mr.jaynes]

My estimation of him was low when he somehow made it into the Oval Office in 2001; over the years, it went lower. After Katrina, I have zero respect for him.

[iplaw]

Well, it was a decent discussion.  I was going to post something until the three stooges made their appearance.  Thread's doomed for sure now.

[Rico]

Well that is what I get for just trying to inject a little humor into the mix....



Although from a few days ago let's have a look at something more akin to the "real deal"....



5/1/2003..........Today

U.S. Troops Wounded                              

542...............24,912

U.S. Troops Killed

139...............3,351

Contractors Killed

69................916


Journalists and Media Assistants Killed
   
11.................167


U.S. Forces in Iraq    

150,000.............146,000


Size of Iraqi Security Forces
   
7,000-9,000............334,300


Number of Insurgents
   
less than 5,000........~70,000 (Sunni only)


Insurgent Attacks Per Day
                 
8......................148.9


Cost to U.S. Taxpayers
         
$79 billion............$421 billion

Approval of Bush’s Handling of Iraq    
             
75%......................24%

Percentage of Americans who Believe The Iraq War Was “Worth Fightingâ€?    

70%.......................34%


Bush’s Overall Job Approval    
     
71%.......................32%

[Conan71]

^ Oh, that's right, Rico.  I forgot you have over 50 friends who volunteered for Viet Nam, so you are an expert commentator on Iraq.

[cannon_fodder]

Mr. Jaynes - so the people's failure to evacuate NO, the cities failure to plan for the inevitable, the state failure to respond, and FEMA's lackluster response is a reflection on the president?  I didnt know he was so intimately involved with every cities disaster planning.  When did he visit with Tulsa on our tornado response planning?

pmcalk - I wasnt really grading him on a % correct/wrong basis.  I guess an F would be everything that could have gone wrong has - a severe negative.  C would be maintain the status quo and "A" would be perfectly handled.

[iplaw]

Rico:

You're right.  Those poor people were way better off before we got there. [xx(]

Approaching two million, including between 150,000 and 340,000 Iraqi and between 450,000 and 730,000 Iranian combatants killed during the Iran-Iraq War. An estimated 1,000 Kuwaiti nationals killed following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. No conclusive figures for the number of Iraqis killed during the Gulf War, with estimates varying from as few as 1,500 to as many as 200,000. Over 100,000 Kurds killed or "disappeared". No reliable figures for the number of Iraqi dissidents and Shia Muslims killed during Hussein's reign, though estimates put the figure between 60,000 and 150,000. (Mass graves discovered following the US occupation of Iraq in 2003 suggest that the total combined figure for Kurds, Shias and dissidents killed could be as high as 300,000). Approximately 500,000 Iraqi children dead because of international trade sanctions introduced following the Gulf War. -- Heroes & killers of the 20th century


Torture Methods in Iraq
*  Medical experimentation
*  Beatings
*  Crucifixion
*  Hammering nails into the fingers and hands
*  Amputating the penis or breasts with an electric carving knife
*  Spraying insecticides into a victim's eyes
*  Branding with a hot iron
*  Committing rape while the victim's spouse is forced to watch
*  Pouring boiling water into a rectum
*  Nailing the tongue to a wooden board
*  Extracting teeth with pliers
*  Using bees and scorpions to sting naked children in front of their parents -- DoD

[Conan71]

Economics: A, Really kind of ties into fiscal policy.  Tax cuts have stimulated an economy which was slowing down.  Job growth is still there, though the media wants you to believe adding well over 250K jobs since the first of the year and 4.5% UE is bad news.

Profits are being made investing in the American workforce in on-going workable businesses, not speculation on tech stocks and investment with borrowed money from IPO's which hit a lot of smaller investors hard with failures.

Fiscal Policy: C, Tax cuts were already on the board prior to 9/11, WOT, Katrina, Wilma, Rita, etc.  The cuts have obviously shaken off a sluggish economy he faced when he came into office.  More overall tax revenue.  Voodoo economics does work.

Deficit is scary, discretionary spending is very liberal when compared to Clinton who is really a fiscal Reaganite.  Reagan would have likely taken Bush II to the wood shed for his discretionary non-military spending []

Environmental & Energy: C- on existing resources.  Background ostensibly in oil & energy, yet we are paying almost $3.00 a gallon for gas.  I realize a President doesn't set the price, but he can push agendas which can impact oil and gas prices.  If I were a single-issue voter and anyone but Kerry was running against Bush in '04 I would have voted against him for that singular reason.

A- on renewable energy.  If you worked in my business, you would see how much investment has been made and is on the table for ethanol and bio-diesel in the last six years.  Most people don't see it unless they are religious readers of the business pages.  As of right now we are about at market saturation with bio-D and ethanol.  Still more could be done with creating more market demand, but that is a free-market issue.  As it stands now, the gov't buys a lot of bio-d for the military.  The announcement of a new windmill plant which will employ 450 people in the Tulsa area is good news.

Social Agenda: C, I think Bush has allowed Iraq to bog down a lot of initiatives here in the states.  If he has some sort of social agenda, it's been over-shadowed by Iraq.  I don't know what all you would cram in here, but some policies I've disagreed with which affect us socially were the bankruptcy reform as I felt it benefitted predatory lenders, and a lack of immigration reform.

Katrina was not a Bush problem, but rather an example of how bad Gov't beaurocracies can screw things up.  The only fault I found there was his quick praise of "Brownie".

Military: B-

Foreign Policy: C-, I don't buy the credibility loss with other nations.  We are keeping European nations from worrying about terrorism spilling out of the ME for now.  C- because the "we don't negotiate with terrorists" policy makes no sense to me.  Get on an airplane and go talk to Syria, Iran, et. al.

Stewardship: C, There are problems for the next President to face, but we should have a robust economy.  Stepping into the foreign policy quagmire would be enough dis-incentive for me to run.  I do believe he has restored some semblance of honor to the White House (I can hear the laughs now, if you only base it on Iraq and Scooter Libby, then you have missed the big picture of what the honor of the Presidency is all about).

Overall: C+  I think he is very earnest and has strong convictions.  If he would have been able to use those qualities on things closer to home, he'd wind up with an A.

I think he could have gone down as one of the more productive Presidents if he would have just kept Saddam on a short leash and put more effort in at home.  

Eventually someone was going to have to deal with Saddam, and there WAS enough fear at the time of what he might be able to sell to terrorists.  Either they never existed or they were "exported".  There were far more people than the Bush Admin who had those same fears and helped sell the war in Iraq.

My Life: A, private sector and government investment have helped in my line of work.  I'm salary plus bonus on sales.  It's been a good ride the last few years.

[NellieBly]

And the U.S. takes the high road....


Each day brings more information about the appalling abuses inflicted upon men and women held by the United States in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world.

U.S. forces have used interrogation techniques including hooding, stripping detainees naked, subjecting them to extremes of heat, cold, noise and light, and depriving them of sleep—in violation of the Geneva Conventions and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

This apparently routine infliction of pain, discomfort, and humiliation has expanded in all too many cases into vicious beatings, sexual degradation, sodomy, near drowning, and near asphyxiation. Detainees have died under questionable circumstances while incarcerated.