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December 03, 2007
The L-Word
In a friendly interview published in Sunday's Houston Chronicle, former president George H.W. Bush demurred at reporter Tony Freemantle's question about when an authorized biography might finally be forthcoming, saying "That's what we call the legacy factor. The L-word. We don't like the L-word." Apparently the same cannot be said about his son, the current president.
In a piece posted earlier this evening at Politico, Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei write that George W. Bush plans to use the coming weeks to difuse fights with Congress and lay groundwork to improve his image over the final year of his presidency. Preemptive action on the mortgage crisis, and incremental changes on health care and energy production will be the domestic policy focus, while Africa and a possible Middle East peace agreement (wouldn't hold your breath on that one), will lead on the foreign policy front.
As one Bush aide noted, these actions are aimed to remind people of the president's earlier successes and "any legacy implications will be a byproduct." Given President Bush's dismal poll numbers and that he is quacking into his last lame duck year, such a strategy is understandable. It is a shame it has taken so long.
After September 11th, George W. Bush had a unique opportunity to leave the acrimony and division of the Clinton years behind, unite the nation and solidify a successful legacy very early in his administration. Instead of building consensus and guiding the country on a sensible policy course, he veered hard to the right, dividing America and enacting extremely risky policy, particularly in matters of foreign relations and national security. The country has paid an enormous price (the ultimate price for some its fine citizens in the military), as has his short-term political legacy.
While George W. Bush's long-term legacy is obviously yet to be written, the Iraq War and its concomitant controversial policies (Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo, etc.) will almost certainly define the bulk of that legacy. And despite some short-term security improvements on the ground in Iraq achieved by the troop surge, the long-term prospects for success there remain problematic to say the least.
It is an interesting contrast that the younger Bush already seems preoccupied with how history will view him, while his father remains unconcerned about the subject nearly 20 years after he assumed the presidency. Yet another example of the well-dcoumented differences between father and son, and one which speaks to George W. Bush's undeniably greater political success -- after all, he won a second term.
But it is precisely the current president's focus on the political above all, that has made his administration such a disaster on the policy side. Ignoring the advice of seasoned hands in favor of ideological zealots, replacing competent career political professionals with political hacks, and narrowing his information intake to only that which satisfied a radical policy predisposition helped wreck George W. Bush's presidency.
Instead of relying solely on a "higher father" for guidance, George W. should have sought advice from dear old dad. Perhaps if he had, he too would be unconcerned with the "l-word" and the country wouldn't be in such a ditch.
Posted by houtopia at December 3, 2007 10:53 PM