Bush/Rove: What Was the Good of It?

Mr. Rove is a history buff, and we think that history's ultimate judgment will not depend much on his role in the scandals of the moment -- "Plamegate" and the firings of U.S. attorneys -- to which some attribute his resignation. Rather, he should be judged on his own terms: as the would-be architect of a long-lasting Republican majority, like the one Hanna forged more than a century ago. The GOP's wipeout in 2006 would suggest that Mr. Rove did not achieve this goal, notwithstanding his brave parting words about Republican victory in 2008. And if the manufactured polarization of the Bush-Rove years did not even serve its ostensible purpose, then what was the good of it?

Good question: what WAS the good of the Bush Administration the past 6 1/2 years?  Did ANYTHING positive come out of this bizarrely incompetent, corrupt, venal, nasty, "neo-conservative" Administration?  If so, what?  Let's review.

Foreign Policy
*The intelligence community consensus is that the botched Iraq War, Bush's major foreign policy initiative, has produced more terrorists than it has killed or captured, making America LESS safe in the process.

*Spending on the Iraq War is likely to reach $1 trillion.  That's right, $3,000 for every American man, woman and child.

*Thousands of brave Americans have been killed in Iraq, and tens of thousands wounded.  For what, exactly?  What was Bush's strategy, if any?  Heck, what was the basis for the war in general, given that Saddam Hussein did NOT have wespons of mass destruction and was NOT in any way connected to 9/11?

*The Bush Adminsistration took its eye of the main ball - the leaders of the Al Qaeda that attacked us on 9//11 (and not the separate group that calls itself "Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, but which is NOT part of Bin Laden's gang).  As a result, we are losing Afghanistan...and Pakistan as well.
*Russia has gone authoritarian and has drifted into an assertive anti-American position since Bush looked into Putin's "heart and soul."

*The Arab-Israeli situation has been almost completely neglected by this Administration.  Not surprisingly, the situation is dire.

*The United States is continuing to run huge trade deficits even as the dollar has fallen sharply against the euro and other currencies.

*We have made little if any progress on the trade front during this Administration, whether "free" or "fair."

*Our international image is severely tarnished, our relations with allies strained.

*International institutions are weaker than they were 6 1/2 years ago, as is America's ability to utilize "soft power."

*Oil prices are in the $70+ per barrel range. We are more dependent on OPEC oil than ever.

*We have made ZERO progress on the international environmental front, most prominently global warming, where the ice caps are melting and the polar bears drowning as we speak. 

Domestic Policy
*Turned budget surpluses into deficits.

*Made the problem of "Three Americas" (as Jim Webb calls it) worse than ever, as the "rich got richer, the poor got poorer, and the middle class got squeezed."

*Consistently favored the rich and powerful over the rest of us - e.g., pretty much everyone reading this right now, and pretty much everyone you know.

*Two words: "heckuva job!"  The Bush Administration's pathetic, disgraceful response to Hurricane Katrina was a stain that will never be erased. 

*Government by the big corporations, of the special interests, and for the military-industrial complex.  What more is there to say?

*Utter disregard and disregard for the Constitution, which Bush allegedly called "just a goddamned piece of paper!"

*The assertion of unprecedented Executive powers, including "signing statements" that are wildly unconstitutional and dangerous to the separation of powers.

*Infrastructure falling apart, bridges falling down, lots of children "left behind."

Politics

*Far slower progress in curing diseases than could have been possible thanks to a fundamentalist-religious-based opposition to stem cell research on blastocysts that would be THROWN OUT ANYWAY.

*Nastier than they've been in decades.  Bush/Rove not only failed to improve the tone in Washington, they actually managed to make it much worse.

*Increased polarization in the country as a result of the Iraq War and of Bush/Rove's strategy of playing to the right-wing, fundamentalist "base."

*The cynical use of Rovian (yeah, it's an adjective!) scare tactics, "wedge issues," and the politics of division/personal destruction to try and win elections. 

*A coarsened political dialog, such as the disgraceful attacks on Max Cleland, the vicious assault on John McCain in 2000, and the "Swift Boating" of John Kerry.

*A politicization of just about everything, including science.

*Government bureaucracies filled with Republican Party hacks and graduates of sub-par schools like Regent.

*Rampant corruption, including Tom Delay and the "K Street Project," Jack Abramoff, et al.  Oh yeah, then there's Mark Foley and his enablers - including former House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

*Incompetence rewarded at the highest levels. including Presidential Medals of Freedom to three guys should have been fired: Paul Bremer (as responsible as anyone for screwing up Iraq), Tommy Franks (absolutely no post-war planning, wildly irresponsible), and George "Slam Dunk Case" Tenet (told Bush et al. exactly what they WANTED to hear, not what they NEEDED to ehar, leading up to the Iraq invasion).

*A complete and utter failure by Bush/Rove to produce a Republican majority in this country.  To the contrary, Bush/Rove/Republican policies led directly towards the striking repudiation at the polls the GOP suffered in November 2006 - including the victory of Jim Webb here in Virginia.

Have I forgotten anything?  Sadly, I'm sure I have.  So take this as just a partial legacy of the Bush/Rove years until this moment.  God knows what further disasters we'll see in the remaining 16 months.

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