A Legacy to be Proud of

The impending inauguration of President-Elect Obama provides an opportunity to consider the future of his new administration as well as reflect upon the record of the outgoing administration. I submit that future generations of Americans will appreciate the accomplishments President George W. Bush achieved in the face of the extraordinary challenges that have confronted America during his tenure. Historians will remember him much more fondly than the fickle winds of public opinion see him today.

It’s important to keep in mind that President Bush was confronted with tremendous difficulties when he ascended to office on Jan. 20, 2001. The country witnessed a struggle for the presidency that lasted over a month past Election Day and President Bush faced the challenge of uniting a divided country. He also had to grapple with an inherited recession immediately upon assuming office. The Dow Jones reached its high in January 2000, one year before President Bush took the oath of office.

However, these challenges paled in comparison to the extraordinary tragedy that befell the nation eight months later.

The president’s most important accomplishment has been keeping America safe since 2001. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 85 percent of Americans believed it was likely that we would be attacked again. The lack of attacks has not been for want of trying: since September 11 the U.S. Government has foiled plans to blow up ten planes flying from the UK to the United States simultaneously, the terrorist plot to explode JFK airport in New York, the Al Qaeda plan to fly an airplane into the tallest building in L.A., and other planned attacks, domestically and internationally. Considering the many foiled plots that have not been made public, the safety and security of the Unites States since September 11 has been truly remarkable.

The Bush administration worked to ensure America’s safety by reforming our homeland security and intelligence infrastructure to face the new threats of terrorism. New intelligence and security departments and offices were created, emergency management plans improved across all levels of government, legal reforms implemented, and borders made more secure.

In addition to overseeing a rapid recovery from the 2001 recession due to tax cuts and shrewd economic policy, the administration has made consequential efforts to shore up America’s economy in this latest financial crisis. As the largest buyers of sub prime mortgages from 2004 to 2007, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac helped fuel the housing bubble and exacerbate the burst. The Bush Administration tried no fewer than 18 times, publicly and on the record, to push Congress to agree to reform these Government Sponsored Entities.

And while Defense and Homeland Security spending has increased to face the perils of a post-9/11 world, the growth in non-security discretionary spending has been lowered to 1 percent, lower than inflation, and well below the 15 percent growth in President Clinton’s last budget.

America’s trade has increased by 60 percent under President Bush, following a more than quadrupling of the number of free trade agreements in place since Bush took office. The president has done an admirable job under trying worldwide economic circumstances, and as a result America’s 2008 Gross Domestic Product growth was higher than that of the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, or Japan, as well as the average for advanced economies, according to International Monetary Fund projections.

President Bush has also made an unprecedented effort to reach beyond our borders and save lives overseas. His efforts to fight AIDS in Africa have been extraordinary. In Vice President-elect Joe Biden’s own words, “The president’s Emergency Action Program for HIV/AIDS has saved more than a million lives. It may be the greatest legacy this president leaves.”

The incredible progress that has been achieved in Iraq and Afghanistan is evident in the lives that their citizens now live as peace and freedom take root. While there was a worldwide intelligence failure and there were postwar planning and strategic mistakes under Secretary Rumsfeld in Iraq, the strategy was adjusted and we may soon see a fountain of democracy in an otherwise turbulent Middle East.

In addition to the politically historic progress of the democratically adopted Status Of Forces Agreement between the U.S. and Iraq, Iraqis’ quality of life has improved. According to the Brookings Institute, telephone subscribers in Iraq have increased by 17 fold and internet subscribers have increased by 183 fold from prewar levels, and there were more than 400 independent media sources as of two years ago while none existed before the war.

While it’s easy to focus on the headline making, day-to-day difficulties of war, historians will have a broader perspective, recognizing that more than 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan were liberated by President Bush’s courageous policies.

Ultimately, President Bush strived to serve all Americans, whether working with Democrats on No Child Left Behind or the Medicare prescription drug benefit, or in appointing the most diverse group of top advisors in history. When the dust settles and historians begin to analyze the Bush Presidency, they will recognize his successes.

For generations to come Americans will benefit from our footing in the war on terror, citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan will enjoy lives of freedom, and millions of Africans will live without disease because of President Bush.

Indeed, President Bush has had a steady hand in turbulent times, possessing the courage and fortitude to make difficult and unpopular decisions. He sought the best for America, not the praise of the liberal media, and that will vindicate his presidency.



Caleb L. Weatherl ’10, a Crimson editorial writer, is an economics concentrator in Currier House. He is President Emeritus of the Harvard Republican Club.