When did bush's presidency "jump the shark"?

[LDS Jock]

When did it go downhill? Was it from the very beginning in the stolen election of 2000? The abandonment of hunting for OBL to instead invade Iraq? Tax breaks for the rich? Refusing to take responsibility for anything? Playing the 9/11 card anytime he gets in trouble? When do you think?

[POed_Ex_Repub]

1. I think it began when he asked for $87 Billion for Iraq

I think that's around the point where it started hitting home to people that this wasn't going to be the promised quick and easy war on the cheap.

[amber dog democrat]

2. From the start in 2000 with the stolen election

but letting 9/11 happen on their watch sealed it.

[Maiden England]

8. total lame ass ditto

[XanaDUer]

3. From the first second he was awarded the presidency

that was crap from the getgo.

[terrya]

4. Taking the good will of the world after 09/11 and...

essentially flushing it down the toilet. We had such a wonderful opportunity to do some good things.

[LDS Jock]

6. that was truly remarkable

to completely turn around the world opinion in so short a time and to such a strong degree. Getting it back will be a much harder task.

[aden_nak]

5. November 6th, 2000.

When Florida was arranged, courtesy of Jeb.

[Technowitch]

7. If you look at the approval ratings...

...the ONLY things that boosted Bush's approval have been terrorism and war.

I'd have to say though that in my opinion the real "beginning of the end" was pretty much one that lots of folks missed. If you remember, back before July 4th of this past year, they tried to foist yet another phone 'alert' on the American people.

And not only did we collectively yawn, finally the press noticed that the warnings always seemed to follow some piece of bad news for Shrub and his faux administration.

The blatant 'jump the shark' moment though? Abu Ghraib.

[LDS Jock]

11. oh yes.. that was a definate shark moment

There are so many, I couldn't even begin to make a list for this post. Thats why I didn't try to make it a poll. There would be post after post of "why didn't you include such-and-such" and it would be an excellent shark moment. The only problem is there are only ten entries and countless numbers of shark moments.

Abu Ghraib. What a sick place. Again, total denial of any responsibility by the administration.

[Memekiller]

9. The insurgency...

That was when the tide really started to turn (I believe the Kay report was around that time).

Actually, if you define it as when the downturn began, I honestly think it was when they jumped the gun and tried to take out Saddam Hussein with that misfired missile, thus losing the element of surprise. It was amazingly symbolic of the debacle to come. Then there were stories about how the troops were having more trouble than they thought they would on the march to Bagdhad because there weren't enough of them. Yes, it was a victory, but you started to see the foundations of failure.

Then again, maybe it was everything after Afghanistan. His bungling at the UN gave us all heed. We just held our breaths and kept mum about it until the invasion.

[FunBobbyMucha]

10. For me, it was with his pious response to the drug question.

After eight years plus of Bill Clinton having to defend every time he was ever within four dorms of a bong, this silver (coke) spooner indignantly says "I'm not going to bring that into the arena," and the press COMMEND HIM for taking the high road!

Then the drunk driving charges, then the AWOL evidence...


that and when Dave and Maddie finally had sex. Ruined it.

[donheld]

12. From the moment they stole it

if not before.

[bif]

13. Inauguration day.

[ProfessorGAC]

14. When He Stood On The Rubble At WTC With The Real Heroes

With that stupid bullhorn, after he spent that Tuesday running around the country and hiding. Instead of acting presidential and coordinating the international response, he proved he was an empty suit looking for the next photo-op.

I didn't like him, didn't think much of him or his platform, and thought he stole the election before that.

After that performance, dislike and disagreement became loathing.
The Professor

[Bucky]

16. I thought that moment was his moment of grace

He also took the initiative and denounced violence against Muslims and Arab Americans on the 12th or 13th of September. That alone probably saved a number of lives.

The shark jumping didn't start until the following autumn when they first started referring to people who criticize their policies as being "soft on terror." That one had "Brady Hawaiian cursed tiki statue" written all over it.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Then We Differ

I saw no moment of grace. He ran and hid for 2 days. His speech was treacly nonsense. He shows up a stands on the rubble and shouts into a bullhorn. Anybody paying attention knows that, even if one doesn't buy LIHOP or MIHOP (and i don't), their hubris, incompetence, and negligence, created this catastrophe.

I won't grant an inch of grace to him. He screwed up and never admitted it. He's a complete and utter failure, and 3000 people are dead because of it.

The speech wasn't graceful. It was a grandstanding, vomit inducing photo-op.
The Professor

[DelawareValleyDem]

15. The second one you mentioned

On March 13, 2002, just half a year removed from 9/11, Bush made this statement concerning bin Laden:

I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him... I truly am not that concerned about him.

And thus we went from fighting wars on terror to fighting wars for no good reason