Bush COULD HAVE BEEN one of the greats.

[coloradodem2005]

He could have been if he was smart or had any vision. 9/11 was horrible. But Bush had a golden opportunity to strengthen ties with most countries around the world. For the better part of a year, he had the world in the palm of his hand. He could have helped unite the world in a way never before conceived. He squandered that on Iraq. Looking at that 9/11 news website drove this point home.

You know, I was never a fan of Bush. I thought he was an overgrown frat boy and a do nothing aristocrat. When 9/11 happened, I silenced my judgment on him to see what he would do. But when he started pushing for a war in Iraq, I thought "why?". When we talked about restricting freedoms, I was like, "why?". He could have used 9/11 to win a true peace. Instead he used it to start a war. I hope that history remembers him for how horrible he truly is.

[punpirate]

1. Bush would never have been one of the great...

... presidents. He's a Bush, after all. It's just not in him. All show, no go.

[coloradodem2005]

4. You're right.

I am saying that if he had it in him, he could have been.

[yardwork]

22. You're saying that he had a historical opportunity and blew it.

I agree.

It was a missed opportunity for the U.S. If a moderately intelligent person had been in the White House (like, say, the person who actually won the election), then the U.S. might have used 9/11 as a way to pull many nations together and actually make some progress toward peace in the middle east and reduction of terrorism worldwide.

That is supposing that 9/11 would have happened in the first place.

[coloradodem2005]

25. That is exactly what I am saying.

n/t

[jean]

7. All hat, no cattle - according to Ann Richards

[Fenris]

2. So could Hitler.

Anyone could technically have been one of the greats. But many are doomed to failure because of rotten ideologies and overzealous behavior.

[physioex]

3. I was thinking bout this today...

Even with the intelligence failures of 9/11 and the crappy economy, he still might have could have been reselected. With the screwups with the war in Iraq and the high oil prices things are not looking good. Surprisingly he is still in a dead heat with Kerry in the polls.

[coloradodem2005]

5. Kerry needs to define himself.

He also needs to have a VP pick.

[BillZBubb]

6. You are correct that opportunity knocked for Bush*

But, HE never could have been one of the greats--as you said he lacks the vision, intelligence, and compassion needed to have achieved that.

It is impossible for Bush* to succeed at anything on his own merits. He will always be a miserable failure.

[maggrwaggr]

9. who on DU called him "King Midas in reverse"?

cause that about nails it perfectly.

The man has no character whatsoever. He is a dud as a human being.

[opihimoimoi]

16. Bush is consumed by his delusions of Grandeur.

All his Plans, his plots, his projects have "F" on them. They somehow conceive and implement these projects only to see it go awry. Bumbling Idiots still don't know when to stop.

Every time they try something, down the tubes it goes. Now its getting worse.

We have a mental block when it comes to French wine, toast, bread, Fries, etc

Now its Spains turn: No Spanish Rice, Capers, Dancers, Flamenco, Bull Fighting, etc

Cuba: No Cigars, no boat people

All because of Bush. Who the hell shoved his face onto America in the first Place? Shoot them.

[Elwood P Dowd]

8. Was was selected to give people money and power - not peace.

Even if 9-11 had somehow been thwarted, another one would have occurred.
The rich and powerful don't put a stooge in office simply to achieve
world peace.

[nostamj]

11. exactly....

there's no PROFIT in PEACE

the insipid chimp was only there for PROFIT

he is and will remain the worst of the worst (we can only hope)

[UTUSN]

10. One of the Greats WHAT??!! n/t

[leesa]

12. The point of 9-11 was to launch his oil wars.

[demosincebirth]

13. Not a chance

There never has been a good repbublican since Lincoln...of course, he would not be a republican in this day and age.

[Raster]

14. gee-dubya would never and could never be great...

...all hat, no cattle. He was specially selected to fill a role. This is the second time the repug powers selected their less-than-great figurehead.

I think what you may be referring to is the chance we, as America had to change our destiny and with it, the world's, right after 9/11. For one small time, most of the world was on the same page. The US had an opportunity to say to the world, let's make this a better place--FOR EVERYONE. We, as a nation, had a tremendous amount of sympathy. For a short amount of time, everyone world-wide was an American. We had the chance to rise out of the terror and hate and truly be the world leader, and point a new direction.

Of course, that did not happen. A small, arrogant political cult used this most sobering time not to do good, but to further their own political and financial ends. Instead of our "leaders" calming our fears, they fed them to insure our involvement in a precarious middle east campaign, whose only real purpose is to seize control of that region's natural resource--oil.

And now it appears--and more strongly so with each new revelation--that members of our government, perhaps even up to the highest office in the land, was more involved in ways most of us dare not imagine. I ask you, have the collective actions of the bush* white house encouraged discovery and solution to the questions of 9/11? No they have not. In fact, the bush* administration has done everything possible to hinder and hamstring any meaningful 9/11 investigations. Instead of using every means at their disposal to confront the 9/11 issue and seek the truth, this administration has done everything to bury the truth as deep as possible. I ask you why?

[SoCalDem]

15. No sirree.. He would NEVER have been great..

If he had been fairly elected, and had surrounded himself with decent people, he might have been adequate...but great...N E V E R ..

His philosophy is that of a shortsighted stingy ideologue..
He's incurious, dull, mean and just plain nasty.

His type of people are fine as car salesmen, insurance salesmen or indolent playboys...but president...N E V E R ..

[Dogmudgeon]

17. My Grandmother could have been my Grandfather

Alas, she was born with the wrong set of parts.

Sometimes the Man makes the Times, and sometimes the Times make the Man. In the case of Bush, we're not slouching toward Jerusalem, we're running around in circles.

--bkl

[indigobusiness]

23. We are rushing toward...

oblivion.

[Skittles]

18. LOL, get f***ing real

that piece of shit was never destined to be anything but what he is - an incompetent, moronic asshole who has has everything handed to him and has succeeded at NOTHING.

[scarletwoman]

19. 9/11 WAS his golden opportunity -- to do EXACTLY what he set out to do.

It's all been going as planned, although recently there's been a bit of spanner in the works with those torture photos coming out.

They got the "New Pearl Harbor" they wanted, and proceeded to run their agenda full speed ahead.

sw

[TheWizardOfMudd]

20. Too bad he is a fucking retard

End of story.

[indigobusiness]

21. If he'd had a sex change...

and became a prostitute...instead of entering politics...yeah, he might have been great.

[TruthIsAll]

24. He could have been one of the great Morons, yes. But he is not even that.

A moron would consider Bush a moron.

[LastDemocratInSC]

26. Do you remember Chauncey Gardener in "Being There"?

If you've never seen the movie, "Being There", with Peter Sellers, go out and rent it tomorrow. It will answer all of your questions.

It's the story of an illiterate gardener who, by happenstance, becomes the most electable man in the nation. It is a very, very funny movie and has an all-star cast. It was also Sellers' last movie.

Chauncey would be asked a question on the Dick Cavett show such as "Now, Mr Gardener, what do you think of the situation with over-capacity in our industrial plants?" Chauncey would reply "Oh, yes, overcapacity in our plants is a problem. At times too many seeds are made, and the soil can't support all of them, and some are left to rot while others others germinate and flourish in the areas of sunshine." The panel of industrialists watching Chauncey on television would go nuts saying things like "He's a genius! He means that without adequate capital spin-off companies can't survive ... we've got to get all of our seeds in the sunshine of capital!"

You get the picture. It's the story of George Bush, the idiot.

If you haven't seen "Being There", you owe it to yourself to do so.