From an article on AlterNet titled “The Ten Most Awesomely Bad Moments of the Bush Presidency” comes this list of honorable mentions. It’s a trip down (bad) memory lane:
- warrantless wiretapping
- Valerie Plame
- Scooter Libby’s sentence commuted
- Bush believes Rafael Palmeiro is innocent
- soldiers face neglect at Walter Reed
- signing statements
- the Kyoto treaty ripped up
- loyalty oaths
- the fake turkey
- a staged teleconference with troops
- staged FEMA press conference
- extraordinary rendition
- support for junk science
- endorsement of neo-creationist “intelligent design”
- inaction against global warming
- record oil prices
- record budget deficits
- record trade deficits
- record number of Americans without health insurance
- two recessions
- no-bid contracts
- bin Laden still at large
- the Federal Marriage Amendment
- stem cell research vetoed
- waterboarding ban vetoed
- “Bring it on”
- “I’m the decider”
- “I’m the commander guy”
- “I’m a war president”
- “This is the guy who tried to kill my dad”
- Cheney shoots some guy in the face
- the Military Commissions Act
- Jose Padilla arrested and held without charge or access to counsel
- endless tax cuts for the rich
The article also includes some priceless quotes about the legacy that Bush will leave:
One of the Bush administration’s favorite pastimes over the past eight years has been gleefully urinating in the faces of the other two branches of government.
In what will no doubt go down in history as one of the craziest things our federal government has ever done, the U.S. House and Senate both passed an emergency law to save the life of a woman who had been near-brain dead for more than a decade. The case of Terri Schiavo, who collapsed in her home and who later lost oxygen to her brain after her doctors misdiagnosed the cause of her collapse, was undoubtedly tragic for everyone involved; it was also undoubtedly none of the federal government’s business. But Bush, who seemingly never misses an opportunity to take a naked ride on the crazy train, interrupted one of his frequent Texas vacations to sign the thing into law.
We can laugh at Bush’s antics over the years, but in reality there’s a hard, sad truth to what he’s done to this country. I sincerely hope those who voted for him, and those who continue to support him, realize how his legacy will endure to the detriment of all of us and to all this country has stood for these past two hundred years.