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George W. Bush is at the mercy of history. While liberal pundits glorify his most infamous policies and blunders, decades from his departure from the White House Bush will be free of the country’s stinging zeitgeist.
The most scholarly of historians may cite his immigration policy, which advocated strict border control and gave a pathway for existing illegals to attain citizenship. His minority appointments, including Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell, will be recognized by civil rights activists as significant in the path to racial equality. Some may even praise his fight against AIDS in Africa.
The majority of his achievements, however, will largely go unnoticed. For the man who currently sits in the highest office in the country and plays the most recognized role in global politics, George W. Bush will leave the White House alone and unpopular.
Harry S. Truman left public office ignored by even his Democratic constituents. He is now appreciated for his willingness to stand firm against Soviet aggression.
While George W. Bush will not become the most celebrated president in US history, he will certainly be recognized for his own willingness to counter the Islamic threat from the Middle East. In dealing with radical extremists, Bush reflects an untreated alcoholic. He is stubbornly aggressive even against public opinion, and for that history will redeem him.
Much of Bush’s legacy is largely in question. Should 9/11 be followed by another unholy attack on our soil, will history recognize Bush as the first to acknowledge the significant threat in the Middle East? Should peace and prosperity follow an American occupation and democratization of the Middle East, will America realize that Bush successfully put an end to the imminent danger posed by radical extremists?
Either possibility is dependent upon time. What is certain is that against the flow of political rhetoric and populist calls for a deliciously swift exit from Iraq, Bush stood firm on his stance against extremism. His call for a surge of troops in Iraq is now recognized as a military success despite strong urges to adopt the Baker-Hamilton report. Iraq is now stable and adopting a democracy free of Saddam Hussein.
Bush came into office and shook things up following a horrific attack from the Middle East. It may take decades for the dust to settle, but eventually the fog surrounding an infamous presidency will clear to reveal a man who, stubborn in his unpopular ways, embraced the need to protect his nation from an evolving threat.
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