Posted by
Tim Blessing on Tuesday, March 04, 2008 7:41:38 PM
Every recent President has done one good thing and one dumb thing in the historical sense.
Bush is no different, but I think he will be regarded like his Great Uncle President Franklin Pierce. Another man who had a penchant for total inflexibility on anything he took a stand on.
Bush's total inflexibility come's to the fore on taxes and the war in Iraq.
The first issue has exhausted itself as an issue of relevance to the voters.
The second issue has become an albatross for the Republican Party.
If Bush cannot have figured out how to win in Iraq after 5 years then there is something wrong with him as a leader.
Perserverance is a handy skill to have, but too much of it lead's to false certainty and arrogance.
Bush has failed because he did not think through the consequences of his actions in Iraq and as a result this will most likely be the defining issue of his Presidency and it will overshadow everything else that he did or did not do as President.
Yes, Bush will stand out in history, but as a psychological study and not as a leadership model to emulate.
Finally, Bush's personality is a lot like his great uncle and ironically he will be just as irrelevant as Franklin Pierce.