Thursday, May 8, 2008

Bush and Truman

I keep seeing apologists for President Bush attempt to compare him to Harry Truman, who was another president who was deeply unpopular at the end of his more than one term presidency.

They argue that someday, maybe 50 years from now, George W. Bush will be remembered much more fondly by history. I think they are deluding themselves. A better comparison would be Richard M. Nixon, another two term president who stretched the constitution to the breaking point and who left office in infamy.

Here is a response that I penned to a recent article attempting once again to make this feeble and muddle defense of President Bush:

People remember Truman fondly--some anyway--because he bombed Japan and and is associated with winning WWII. He certainly is not highly regarded by most legal scholars, although some on the Right may esteem the way that he attempted to increase presidential powers, for which he was widely derided during his tenure, just as Bush has been.

Unless something really good happens really fast for this Bush, I think that it is a far stretch to compare him to Harry Truman, because there is not going to be that sort of wonderful association that we have with Truman as the President when WWII finally ended.

William Loeffler

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/05/presidential_pariah.html