Bill Kristol on the presidency of George W. Bush

Back again for another stint in the chair for the kids on this cheery Sunday afternoon. I would like to direct readers attnetion's to a piece written by Bill Kristol,of the Weekly Standard, that's in today's Washington Post. A teaser for you:

I suppose I'll merely expose myself to harmless ridicule if I make the following assertion: George W. Bush's presidency will probably be a successful one.

Let's step back from the unnecessary mistakes and the self-inflicted wounds that have characterized the Bush administration. Let's look at the broad forest rather than the often unlovely trees. What do we see? First, no second terrorist attack on U.S. soil -- not something we could have taken for granted. Second, a strong economy -- also something that wasn't inevitable.

And third, and most important, a war in Iraq that has been very difficult, but where -- despite some confusion engendered by an almost meaningless "benchmark" report last week -- we now seem to be on course to a successful outcome.

Mr. Kristol is right to point out the good in the presidency of George W. Bush. All too often we are reminded -- daily -- of his mistakes. The pessimism exhibited by liberal and conservative critics is astounding. Yes, the man has made mistakes. No, the man is not Jesus Christ. He cannot heal the sick; he cannot walk on water; he cannot make the blind see. But he is a good man with a good heart who deeply loves this nation. Yes, I expect the frothing-at-the-mouth crowd to roundly beat up that last statement, and no, the frothers aren't just on the left side of the aisle.

We can argue until we're blue in the face over whether or not he'll be remembered as a good president. Using Thomas's wisdom, liberals used to be content with rewriting history years removed from issues and incidents that have occurred. they have now switched startegies, and are more than willing to rewrite it as it unfolds. Make no mistake, they'll do their best to rewrite his two terms in office. It will be laced with unfounded accusations of secrecy, spying on Americans, and "abuse" of "detainees." For the record, those people are terrorists, and the interrogation techniques executed against them are anything but torture.

Here is a lesson that should be learned by both sides that seem intent to beat up a man that was elected to lead a nation under the most trying circumstances. To all of the critics, armchair generals, and Monday-morning, water-cooler quarterbacks out there -- I challenge you to put yourself in his shoes, with the information he had in his hands, and do better. Anyone notice how much older a president looks as he nears the end of his term in office? The toll, even for a free-wheeling president like Bill Clinton, is a heavy one. To be honest, it's no picnic for the people that surround the man either.

All in all, while he will not be remembered as the "best" president ever, he is among the top ten, and he has set a benchmark for future presidents to match and exceed in the 21st Century. Has the man had his share of mistakes? He has, but so has every president before him. And at the age of forty-six, I've seen a few presidents in my lifetime. They weren't all perfect, nor were they "saints." But we should acknowledge that they did the best they could with the events that history handed them. We'd all like to think that presidents were perfect, but the simple fact is that they, like us, are only human, and can only do so much. They try to do their best. Some succeed, and others don't shine too well. But we'd be stupid to believe that George W. Bush has had seven years of mistake after mistake. He has done a good job in office, and I do believe that history will judge him kindly.

Sabrina McKinney