In Praise of George Bush

I don't think that anyone would accuse me of being soft on George W. Bush. For example, I have argued that Bush should be indicted for violating the U.S. War Crimes Act. However, the man is not all bad. I believe that his lack of racism played a significant role in paving the way for the electoral victory of Barack Obama.

As recently as eight years ago, before the George W. Bush administration, I think it would have been impossible for a black person to be elected president of the United States. Among independents and moderate Democrats and Republicans, there were too many white citizens who simply could not accept the concept of a black family occupying the White House. But then Bush chose Colin Powell to be his secretary of state. For his second term, Bush replaced Powell with Condoleezza Rice. Over a period of almost eight years, borderline racists got used to African-Americans operating at the highest level of government, and they got used to judging Powell and Rice as individuals, without thinking about their race.

Thanks to George Bush, when this critical electoral constituency of borderline racists was confronted with a black presidential candidate, they were already comfortable with the idea of black leaders, and they were willing to judge Barack Obama on his merits rather than his race.

So let's give credit where credit is due. George W. Bush, for all of his faults, taught a lot of white Americans to respect African-American leaders. It could turn out that Bush's most positive historical legacy with be his contributions to racial tolerance.

David Wallechinsky, www.allgov.com

P.S. I still think George Bush should be indicted for violating the U.S. War Crimes Act.

Comments

[antibush0001]

Praised? I don't think so.
Prosecuted? I think so.
Read Vince Bugliosi's book: THE PROSECUTION OF GEORGE W. BUSH FOR MURDER.
www.prosecutionofbush.com

[luke150]

Well, that's a little too much. I wouldn't praise him, I expect from our country leaders not to be racial. I don't think anyone should be praised for that.

[darker]

Whaaat?
Bush played NO role in paving the way for the electoral victory of Barack Obama!
The role was BUSH'S OWN INCOMPETENCE.

Bush's INCOMPETENCE played the CHIEF ROLE in Obama's win.

[realpolitic]

If you did not respect black leaders before Bush came along, it is very sad. Bush placed a couple of African-Americans in high positions and ignored the community as a whole. Poverty and income extremes increased under Bush a good deal. He did nothing to help mainly poor blacks escape from a flooded New Orleans or even to supply water and food. This article seems a sad joke!!!

[11907281]

Show me all the elected officials W and his buddies worked hard to get elected. Show me anything other than cynical political appointments that tried to hide the fact this is the party that is still perfectly comfortable sending out "magical" CD's and letting all the African Americans officials of the party run for leadership positions, all zero of them. Do you also believe he was interested in "liberating" the Iraqi people?

[MsYellowDog]

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!! Sorry, you didn't prove your point---both the people you mention were used as "figureheads" by Shrub,and seemed to have absolutely no impact in his backward decsision-making process(if you could call it that).

[RLaitres]

The authors "logic" appears to be rather faulty. "Not having" a particular bad trait does not make an individual "good." All it means is that he/she doesn't have that particular trait. Me thinks that the author is stretching the bounds of credulity in his article. For what purpose, only he can say? He might, in his next article, provide us why he wrote this first one.

[beyobi]

I understand the point David is trying to make here but it is debatable as to whether Bush's motives were to evoke tolerance or simply viewed by the administration as politically expedient. The one other good thing you can say about Bush is he will be gone January 20th.

[SethBLiNK]

I prefer Chris Rock's interpretation of Bush's contribution to racial equality:

"Bush f'd up so bad, he made it impossible for a white man to be elected President.­"

But, since the only real issue regarding Bush's legacy is whether he is the worst President ever or just in the bottom three, we'll put a point or two in his column for appointing Powell and Rice. I'm sure the members of the Warren Harding Society are very disappointed.

However, if we're going to give him credit for putting minorities front and center we have to deduct points for how bad he made them look doing it. He took a great American, Colin Powell, put him in a postion of great influence, refused to listen to him, and pressured him to endorse a gigantic mistake. It will ever be to Powell's detriment that he went along.

He then promoted Condi Rice, who had been National Security Advisor during the worst National Security disaster in our history and as Secretary of State, she accomplished exactly nothing. Not sure if it's because she's incompetent or just had a bad boss.

On the hispanic side, he gave us the shining example of Alberto Gonzalez. Yes Bush helped the cause of equality, showing that people could perform equally bad, whether Black, White or Brown.

Thankfully, the Powell/Rice example was countermanded by the show 24 and actor Dennis Haysbert who showed America that an African American could be a good President.

[StillIRise]

Great post, and I agree with everything you've posted.

[Buddy McCue]

Joe Klein, writing in Time Magazine, agreed with all of this. He wrote an article called "The Benetton-Ad Presidency," back in 2004.

The money-quote: "He has always been a gutbucket populist egalitaria­n." Yes, he was talking about W. I cancelled my subscription immediately.

"Gutbucket populist egalitaria­n." I will never forget that phrase. I remember it every time Klein's name is mentioned.

[swiss-ski]

So many hateful postings. All of you should kiss Dubya's A** for keeping you safe since 911.

[Buddy McCue]

Making enemies around the world doesn't keep us safe.

Condoning torture doesn't keep us safe.

Stretching our military to the breaking point fighting unnecessary wars doesn't keep us safe.

Also, if W is to be given credit for the fact that we haven't been attacked (on our own soil anyway,) then he should also bear the blame for 9/11 happening on his watch.

[beyobi]

And what should we kiss for his performance before 9/11?

[StillIRise]

Bush "kept us safe," but he couldn't save the victims of Katrina! In spite of Bush's disastrous policies which have actually exacerbated the threat of terrorist strikes against America and our allies, we've just been very lucky. And after watching his response to Katrina, we know just how lucky we've been.

[normathumb]

That Bush dismissed warnings from the previous administration regarding Bin Laden and couldn't figure out that a PDB titled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack Within the United States" from his own, might call for serious consideration or maybe even some action, undermines the logic of your argument. He squandered billions, wrecking the economy, depleting the military on a war of his choosing based on lies, made us a greater target for international hatred and derision, turned the Constitution into a museum piece by suspending habeus corpus, perpetrating torture, domestic spying...
Trying to explain to you why we are not safer is an exercise in futility. The willfully ignorant are just that. If we get the chance, it will take generations to put right you and this man have done to America.

[marew]

David Wallechinsky is delusional.

[blaqntelligence]

I can't believe I'm back here again, but each time I read this article I find another delusion that I just cannot ignore....­.such as this.....

"As recently as eight years ago, before the George W. Bush administration, I think it would have been impossible for a black person to be elected president of the United States....­..
WTF!!!!!

But then Bush chose Colin Powell to be his secretary of state. For his second term, Bush replaced Powell with Condoleezza Rice."
WTF!!!

Nowhere in this bush-induced stupidity is BUSH himself credited with turning this nation, and the world, against him....
Nowhere in this bush-induced delusion is credit given to the American voter for voting for a change... ANY change, even The-Black-­Guy's-Gott­a-Be-Bette­r-Than-Thi­s change... after eight years of gagging on the smelly stuff this entire administration tried to force down our collective throats.

Maybe you and your ilk just learned to swallow better than the rest of us.....

[blaqntelligence]

"they got used to judging Powell and Rice as individuals, without thinking about their race."

Riiiiiiiiiight.
And when Barack Hussein Obama came along, I guess "Terrorist!", "Kill him!", "Off with his head!", "He's a Muslim!", "He's an Arab!", "Who is Barack Obama, really?" "He's not one of us..." were all just terms of endearment from an electorate elightened by bush himself...­......
One day I'll be able to read s*** like this and laugh....
Today, ain't a da mn thing funny.

[blaqntelligence]

enlightened.

[blaqntelligence]

Here we go again.....­.

"I believe that his lack of racism played a significant role in paving the way for the electoral victory of Barack Obama."...­.
"Over a period of almost eight years, borderline racists got used to African-Americans operating at the highest level of government, and they got used to judging Powell and Rice as individuals, without thinking about their race."....
"George W. Bush, for all of his faults, taught a lot of white Americans to respect African-American leaders."

B U L L S * * *

You forget Colin Powell became a national disgrace after being the head cheerleader for this criminal's war. The stain on his impeccable reputation will never be completely erased....­.
As for Condi....I won't even go there.
Now name another high profile Black person....­.

President Obama earned support from millions across racial, socioeconomic, and gender lines.
Contrary to your "He's not such a bad guy" spin, Obama won countless votes BECAUSE of your pal bush. And not because of bush's "contributions to racial tolerance".
Many voters publicly said they didn't want to vote for "the Black guy" but had to because they believed he was the only one capable of getting us out of this mess this psychopath, and his minions, drove this country into.... So much for gwb's "positive historical legacy".
An object of contempt and hatred (shoes anyone...?­), bush can't buy respect these days for himself, much less earn it for someone else.