In the year 2026:If George Bush lives as long as his dad (who is currently 82), he'll be 80 years old in 2026 - which will also be the 25th anniversary of the attacks on 9/11. Presumably, he'll still be placing a wreath at the site of the World Trade Center.
The interesting question is, what will the verdict be on Bush at that time? Generally speaking, after 25 years, emotions subside and a more objective perspective takes hold. It is the view of this blog that Bush will be seen as negligent in the face of warnings of attacks and also to have taken a modest threat (that of Al Qaeda) and blown it all out of proportion in order to expand state police power and for partisan gain.
posted by Quiddity at 9/11/2006 08:28:00 AM
In 2026, if there is any justice, a very problematic argument, George W Bush will not be laying wreaths at memorials but spending one hour a day in the exercise yard at someplace like Spandau Prison.
I write this not because I "hate" George W Bush but because I believe he has committed treasonous acts and serious war crimes. He may not be as guilty of inhumanity as Osama bin Laden but his body count, indirect as it is, is much higher.
I actually live in the district of Spandau. Unfortunately, the prison was torn down after the death of its last inmate. An error in hindsight, isn't it?
HB
I totally agree that his legacy should be one of incompetence, negligence and disingenuous use of events for political gain.
However... The thing I fear the most is the next act of this little play we are in right now. There is going to be one more big event before this man leaves office. And I would not put it past Chaney and Rove to use the next "crisis" as justification to give George a third term or to launch a military adventure that "postpones" the 2008 elections.
Barring that....
The other thing that I fear is what comes after bush. A lot of the things he has done have created presidents that will last for a long time. If the war he started expands into a larger conflict then the leaders of our military that emerge could wind up with a huge amount of popularity and power. Add to this the expanded executive power and a disregard for human and constitutional rights pioneered by Bush and you have a perfect witches brew for an American Caesar. If the Middle East were to catch fire (not this little Iraqi occupation) the leader that gets credit for ending that war will have real power. Imagine the damage to the republic that a charismatic, articulate, photogenic, competent war hero could do with the expanded powers. Welcome to Empire America.
The good news is that George's gang have been so bad at being bad. If things had gone "better" in Iraq or if he had proven up to the challenges of Katrina, if he wasnt such a poor admistrator and bumbling fool of a public speaker then he might have the political capital and popular support to expand the "bush doctrine" of preemptive military action. I believe they would have used this support to launch an invasion of Iran.
