Jennifer Rubin Makes Strong Case For Third Bush Term

Things we learned from Jennifer Rubin's commentary in the Washingtonne Poste news-paper, this morning, about the former president George W. Bush, presented without comment.

• Only 53 percent of the American people disapprove of George W. Bush. That is almost not even a majority!

• "Unlike Obama’s tenure, there was no successful attack on the homeland after 9/11."

• People remember his "rallying the country after the Twin Towers attack."

• People also remember "7 1/2 years of job growth and prosperity."

• Also also, people remember his "clear moral compass." 

• "Unlike the current president, who’s played politics with the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, President Bush took huge political risks to back the surge in Iraq, which worked."

• Medicare Part D was "fiscally sober." 

• Tax cuts.

• Gitmo and enhanced interrogation worked. 

• He got Bin Laden apparently?

• "Only when we see a robotic, cold president like Obama do we remember fondly the tender, tearful love of country Bush often conveyed and the steely anger directed at our enemies."

• Something about Israel, obviously.

• But he did have some shortcomings.

• "Bush’s shortcomings (misreading Putin, leaving office without dealing with Iran, some excess in domestic spending) are evident."

• Obama is super polarizing, especially compared with the dude with the 53 percent disapproval rating.

• "Obama will be judged on the sum total of his economic record (rotten right now), his success in deterring rogue states (failing so far) and protecting Americans (spotty at best with Benghazi, Libya, Boston and Fort Hood). The fate of Obamacare (a semi-disaster right now), courage in tackling our fiscal woes (non-existent) and general management of foreign policy (shockingly inept) will leave their mark. Obama has 3 1/2 years to change the calculus. But if his record doesn’t improve substantially he’ll be remembered as historic merely for the fact of his election but a pretty rotten president overall."

[ WaPo ]