re: GW Bush was not my favorite president, but he sure had some shite happen on his watch

quote:

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Massive spending
Ballooning debt
Worst financial era besides Great Depression
Weakening Constitution
Erosion of civil liberties
Katrina response
Multiple endless foreign expeditionary wars

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Most of those things can be tied back to 9/11 and our decisions on how to handle that.

We cut taxes in 2003 to try to juice the economy, but we decided to go after all those responsible for 9/11. So we had higher spending and lower revenue.

Weaker constitution and erosion of civil liberties both were responses to terror. As was all our multiple wars.

Katrina response, I believe, would have been better if 1) our LA National Guard wasn't dicking around in Iraq and 2) FEMA would have still been a cabinet level organization, instead of being buried inside Homeland Security (again, a 9/11 response).

About the only thing not tied to 9/11 was the "worst financial era since the great depression". And you could argue that liberal policies to extend credit to err'one was a big driver in that.

The only big financial mistake I really hold him responsible for was Medicare Part D, but that was something supported by a lot of older Republicans as well.

I've always wondered how W would have done, if 9/11 never happened, or happened much later in his presidency.