President Bush has been making the media rounds lately to promote his new book, "Decision Points". I happened to catch him on Oprah and was surprised to find myself laughing along at his corny jokes. He actually seemed likable. There were times during the interview when I even felt a little sorry for him, like when he discussed his responsibilities after September, 11th.
Now I try very hard to stay neutral in class and keep my political opinions to myself. If anything, I try to play the devil's advocate to get you to see the other side of things. However, I will admit that by the time President Bush left office, I was glad to see him go. It had nothing to do with the Republican party, or politics in general, it was just him. I had just had enough! Then here is is on Oprah, and I find myself actually seeing his side of things for the first time.
Last week in class I asked you if you though history would judge President Bush better than America does currently. Most of you thought that history would judge him the same. So my question to you this week is "When you think back on President Bush's years in office, what do you remember him most for? Name one positive and one negative thing that you think came out of his presidency". You must answer both questions to earn full credit. Answers are due no later than Sunday, November 21st, 2010.
I'm not sure that I really paid attention to Bush's presidency. My mother really did well with distracting us from a lot that had gone on politically. I mostly remember thinking about how much he looked like his dad, but they didn't really speak with the same mannerisms that some children do of their parents.
ReplyDeleteWhat I will remember his most for his calming words after 9/11. I remember going to NYC after the attack and watching a video of his speech. His words were soothing in the way he spoke.
I never really thought negatively of him until we watched the Katrina video in class. His words were not really that comforting to me. I couldn't imagine how I would feel if I were a victim.
I was editing photos and my brother has Bill O'Riley on while he was interviewing Bush. I was also surprised to find myself empathizing with him, as I didn't like him.
ReplyDeleteI didn't support many of Bush's policies. I don't support us being in Iraq, I was beyond irritated that many of his policies branched from what was right by his religion. I'm for gay marriage as well as stem cell research, prochoice, the Kyoto treaty, and many other things that Bush did not approve of and worked to ban or ignore. I remember him most for, in my opinion, being backwards on many modern issues that I felt needed to be looked at again to meet our modern times and issues and not following the separation of church & state rule.
So, perhaps others further on down the line will see him in a more positive light, depending on what their opinions and beliefs are. I only see us getting more progressive, so in that sense, I think Bush will be seen as being behind the times.
The positive thing I can say about Bush, is that he stuck to his guns. I can respect that, the ability to make a decision and stick to it. Negatively, beyond my opinions of his policies, he was an awful speaker. So awful in fact, that I was very surprised by how intelligent he sounded compared to when he was in office.
I believe that a lot of peoples' personal views are impacted by ones political views. Honestly I was a fan of bush when he first came into office, I feel that he had some major things to deal with. I think that possibly years down the road people wont have such a negative view of Bush, of course things could have been handled much differently, I don't think that any of us doubt that, but I also believe he took the blame for a lot of things that he couldn't necessarily control. One positive thing that came out of his presidency is that I feel that he calmed a lot of nerves from 9/11 and handled the situation well for being the first time we as a country had had to deal with something like that. A negative thing was the outcome of Katrina. I feel that a lot of people didn't handle the situation well at all and that clearly reflected on the office.
ReplyDeleteI think on the positive side, we went to Iraq and took out a dictator that we using geneside against his own people, so I give credit to Bush for doing that. As for the negetive side of his presidency, I think he did a poor job in trying to find Osama. I think he was just protecting Osamas family in that matter, just for the oil that Bush and Osamas family share. I think Bush knew where he was but just didnt really try to capture him for that fact. We should have found him by now.
ReplyDeleteok well i never really cared for bush much. i was in middle school when he was president for the second term and in middle school i voted for gore. I'm not quite sure what it is about bush that i don't like but i just don't like him. The only thing i remembered most about him was when he would go to do a speech or something it always seemed like he was shocked or surprised it made me laugh every time. One positive thing that came out of his presidency to me was his little speech after the 9-11 thing it definitely was and still is a big issue bit i feel like he handled calmly with made the rest of America feel calm as well. A negative thing to me is probably his wait on the Katrina thing. We all new that it was coming and if we knew i know he knew and i feel like he's the president he has more power than the rest of us, but when he had the chance to put some of the power to use he laid back and didn't act quickly enough so now we still have new Orleans all jacked up because of his slow pace! thancks bush!
ReplyDeleteI remember him most for the war against terror. A positive thing that came from his presidency to me must be creating an multinational alliance against terror. A negative would have to be the poor execution for rescuing the victims of Katrina.
ReplyDeleteI'm not Bush fan and i did like it when he left office. I never really paid much attention to him, let alone anything at the time. I rememeber the speechs that he gave and how much he had trouble saying everying. I kind of also remember that he kept talking about some sort of Doctors, but can't remember to the full details.
ReplyDeleteThe positive thing i remember was the speech after 9/11 and that's it. I really don't remember anything else. The negitve side; tons. Katrina is prehaps the most remember, on his words saying how 'help' is coming. I also found negative on going to war with the wrong country. Yeah, he stop someone, but not the person that casued what happen in Amercia. I also didn't find much on his view on gay marriage, stem cell research, prochoice, or the Kyoto treaty.
Well the positive things that came out of him during his presidency was taking care of Sadam and how he motivated us during the events of 9/11. The negative things that came out of him was not finding Osama before Obama became president and how he handled Katrina. I think I read on a Yahoo frontpage not too long ago that Katrina was one of the events during his presidency that he regrets the most. From that Katrina video we saw, I do not blame him!
ReplyDeleteThe positive thing was him going to get osama bi laden. the negative thing was the fact that they got the wrong guy. yes saddam hussein was a terrible dictator but we haven't gone after every dictator look at north Korea they have just gave the power to their leader's son. the worst thing was probably how he handled katrina.
ReplyDeleteI mostly remember those idiotic sound bytes, but positively I remember him for being enthusiastic about retaliating for the events of 9/11. He really showed a "never back down" attitude then and throughout his term. Negatively, I remember August 2005, where Katrina ripped through and left New Orleans a mess. And how he said there were troops and water and food on their way down there. But you turn on the tv the next day/week and they're (New Orlean natives) are still asking for water
ReplyDeleteThe most positive thing I remember about Bush was seeing him at ground zero of the twin towers walking around with other volunteers. I remember this the most because he was not wearing a mask while other civilians were. I took this as he was willing to risk his health just to lower the fear factor. The negative side would be the picture taken of Bush looking out of the plane window down at New Orleans. I'm not sure how he could have even considered that photo. It would be hard to look out and know that there were thousands of people that needed help.
ReplyDeleteAt first I didn't have much of an opinion on Bush because I was not into politics. During his first term as president I was in high school, so I "had better things to think about". Then September 11th occured during my Senior year. I remember that day like it was yesterday, as do most of us. During that time I thought he was doing what he should be doing by representing the US as a country that would not let that go. Then, as time went on, I started questioning his decisions about invading Iraq. I also remember the night (or really early morning rather) when the war started. I stayed up all night watching the footage of the first bombs. I was questioning him at that point, wondering if he was doing the right thing. Overall, I remember Bush most for the war in Iraq and being such a bad speaker. Has there been a president you could make fun of more? The most positive thing that came from his presidency is that America united after 9-11 and he helped bring that out of us rather than us holding a lot of anger over the attacks. The negatives that came from his presidency are the aftermath of Katrina, the No Child Left Behind Act, and of course the war in Iraq. However, I'm sure that over the years we will see his presidency differently and we will appreciate him more for the things he did do.
ReplyDeleteI really don't remember President Bush all that much. I remember what went on while he was in office. But when it come to remembering exactly what I thought about some of his views and opinions that is kinda hard.
ReplyDeleteI kinda have to agree with some of the other students on a positive that happened was Bush going to ground zero. I think that a negative thing that happened was the disaster of hurricane Katrina and the lack of support from our countries politics.
Well unfortunately I remember him most for the negative things. I remember him always mispronouncing words and sounding like an idiot when giving speeches. One positive thing that came out of his term is that he developed a department of home land security. One major negative is the war in Iraq.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that I remember much good things about Bush's presidency. One good thing that I can say is simply that he was very urgent to take action on most issues. He was usually ready to try and fix things somehow or at least keep our countries minds at some point of ease. That is really all that comes to mind on good things. On the other hand I just felt as if he wasn't really the right man for the job due to his lack of intelligence as he displayed in several of his speeches. I know that most people will never give him the benefit of the doubt because of the condition our country was in when Obama took office. I don't know what the history books will say about him...if he was a good leader and did all he could for our country? I'm just not sure. But what I do know now is that it isn't always beneficial to dwell on the bad things because we don't really receive anything positive in return but the same old country with a different leader. Time will only tell how everything plays out, and our country will be mended in time.
ReplyDeleteThe biggest thing I remember it him being at ground zero and how fast he reacted to 9/11. It was on every channel, in every newspaper, everywhere how fast he reacted and how good that looked.
ReplyDeleteThen I remember all the horrible speeches he gave.
The way he talked, the words he used and how he didnt really sound like a president.
Bad thing Bush passed bills that took away american rights in the name of "security" e.i. - the patriot act, the military commissions act, and the john warner defense act
ReplyDeleteAreas around three uninhabited Pacific island chains were set aside as National Monuments by President George W. Bush to protect them from oil and gas extraction and commercial fishing. This was the largest marine conservation effort in history, and only second time Bush has used the law to protect marine resources.
I remember him for the negative public media. He made many mistakes during speeches and developing ideas that back fired. I think that America will always remember Hurricane Katrina, but I don't think that people will remember the late responses that we feel happened. I remember the country feeling unified after 911, and I definately think that benefited Mr. Bush. I agree with you the one day people will look back and feel differently about him than we do.
ReplyDeleteThe positive thing that i remember him for was with 911. That he really handled it very well and he did the american thing and we went after who hurt are people in some many ways. But for me to just narrow it down to one thing that i did not like about president bush is very hard to do. But to get credit i will, i think that he did not handle the whole situation with the mission accomplished sign. That was a big slap in the face to all of the americans over seas putting there lifes on the line to protect us here in america. Because after he said that, to this day we are still in the middle east. Just like i said there are many other things like katrina, tax credits for the rich, oil prices and etc...
ReplyDeleteI think what everyone remembers most about his presidency is 9/11, just because of the magnitude of the event. His actions during the few months after 9/11 got so much press, and the decisions he made were criticized so much that I think that time is engraved in everyone's minds. I don't know a lot about what he did and did not do during that time because I was so young then and the memory has kind of escaped me, but I think he handled the situation just as well as any other President would have. We went to War over it and, at the time, I think that was the right thing to do. That is the one positive I will always remember about Bush.
ReplyDeleteThe negative thing about his presidency, for me, is that we stayed at War for way too long. I think right after 9/11 it was a good idea for us to defend ourselves because nobody knew if there would be more attacks. But there comes a point when we're not defending ourselves anymore and we're just trying to be the World's police. That is the one mistake I will always remember about Bush.
I used to dislike former President Bush until a discussion I had with an uncle at one of my family get togethers. He said, "Bush will go down as one of the greatest Presidents in history, after all, who took democracy to the Middle-East." This statement kind of blew my mind. My opinion of Bush before that was of a guy who used made up words and had no clue as to what he was doing.
ReplyDeleteThe bad thing is his public speaking, but some people just aren't good public speakers. His 'Bushisms' and cluelesness during interviews and important speeches got to be obnoxious. The negativity that the media and critics drowned him in didn't help either.
When I think of President Bush, the first thought that comes to my mind is his grammar. Now for most, this is considered negative but humorous because at times our president could not seem to speak correctly! However, on a positive note, I think of his actions after the events September 11 occurred.
ReplyDeleteWell for little that i remember president Bush is the war, and him trying to make his own words during interviews. I'm not sure what can i say of a good thing he did, because when i got to the USA it had past half of his time on the presidency... But for I remember him the most is for the War!!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I didn't pay attention to W's presidency. I was only eleven when the Twin Towers were struck, and I never got into the politics of it all.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching a few speeches in class afterwards, and the only thing I got from it was how passionate he was about our country and the event. I liked that he did care about us, even a lot of people were unhappy with the results of the war, at least he was trying to do something about it. I kinda feel like other men would have done similar things if another person was president at the time.
Now, what I didn't like was the fact that the man couldn't speak properly. I understand some people just aren't cut out for public speaking (I'm not), but it's frustrating when he's supposed to be the leader of our country, but he can't articulate himself correctly.
Honestly I believe President Bush will be remembered as the President to fight back. I was all for going to war, how dare you attack us! I'm proud to say it. Would Obama go to war? I believe he wouldn't. I admit Obama is better at public speaking; for this Bush needs to learn from. I hate public speaking; I studier. Bush was a down to earth, he was in the military and a good president. I think all Presidents should be in the military and take extra speech classes.
ReplyDeleteI remember Bush sitting there with that dumb look on his face in that classroom after he was told that the world trade center towers had be attacked. The only positvie thing that could have possibly occured because of his presidency would be that people of my generation learned that our so-called "democracy" is often controlled by inept people, who's only goal in office is to enrich the people who got them there while distracting the masses with hyperbole and empty promises.
ReplyDeleteNow the negative.
We see it on the news almost every day. Not as much as we once did though. We are fighting one war against a people who have never been conquered and we started another war over a lie. I hate Bush and those who whispered in his ear for all the lives that have been wasted on both sides. The blood is on their hands.
I only caught the first 15 minutes of Oprah, the day President George W. Bush was on, and I must say my reaction was the same as yours. I was happy to see Bush go when his term was up, I felt like we were ready for a change. But as I watched him laugh and wink, and tell really funny jokes (actually) while charming Oprah, I really couldn’t help but like him. One negative thing I remember about President Bush was him mispronouncing words, at time quite hilarious, but really … the President of the country mispronouncing his own language, not good! An a positive thing President Bush did was took a stance on terrorism, I’m not saying I agree with the war by any means, I just mean he made sure they got their payback, which they should have.
ReplyDeleteI don't really remember much of him. I choose to forget about things/people that I don't care for. The negative thing I remember is the war and how it went on for so long. Then at the same time i thought of him possitively when I would here him speak about the war I really was nieve and believed that he had a purpose in it. But I choose to forget his presidency.
ReplyDeleteI remember him for the war. He will always be remembered for that. I believe as of now that this war will be looked on negatively. It has cost us so much money and lives for what little we have gained.
ReplyDeleteMedicare would be a good thing he has done. Helping the elderly in a time where it's hard to support yourself with a full time job is a great step toward showing caring for americans
- Chris Johnson
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people don't care for Bush and due to that, they know very little of what he has done. One major thing Bush has done correctly is his Foreign Policy plan. His plan was to build a stronger economic and political relationship with Latin America and Mexico.
One negative, well, pretty much what everyone else is stating. The response time for Katrina victims was horrid.
I think that the the most memorable and positive moment in George w. bush's time in office was his reaction to the 9/11 tragedy. The most negative thing is possibly what people call the "bushisms", where president Bush says the wrong things, as well as the manner in which he says it.
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