Bush Years Editorial Cartoon retrospective
At first glance George W Bush looked good with a first class education, , a background in business, been a governor and grown up around people who were integrally involved in governing the nation. That should have accounted for something. What happened?
Still to be fair we must consider that something untoward could have happened, something that undermined his ability ,
Maybe it wasn't the beheading, but just the usual results of the stress and strains experienced by many young Texas millionaires, who still suffering from the agony of the Alamo defeat, turn to altered states of conscious callousness. Something happened to disrupt normal cognitive processes. George W Bush has admitted to a drinking problem, caught a DWI and stated that he can't remember if he used cocaine. He is fairly certain he wasn't involved in any of the drive by shootings in Andover, Kennebunkport, New Haven, Cambridge or any part of rural Texas.Still suspicions remain about the causes of his singular behavior and speculation about its causes has become a national sport.
Many don't believe Geo W is on crack, but documentation for that belief is lacking. Let's move on from culpability to achievement. Tor of Geo W's list of achievements would be the non regime change that brought democracy to Iraq.
Not only did he bring democracy to Iraq but left behind partners for peace and democracy there.
His astounding economic policies solved the Pentagon's decades long recruitment problems. AP reports that there are military who are reenlisting for Afghanistan and Iraq to avoid the economically hostile environment in the homeland.
So maybe Iraq and the economy will have to take second place in Geo W's hierarchy of achievement. Second place to his stunning program, No President Left Behind. While fixing blame on school systems that have been chronically underfunded for decades and on brutally over worked and underpaid teachers, Geo W took a strong position on standard tests the result being a further reduction of teaching time as students studied for The Test. Despite the fact that as governor of Texas he parlayed that state to last place in national ratings for education.Geo W, never more than a c- student in schools that the only thing harder than getting in is failing out. As our nation's Educator in Chief Geo W imposed his ideas which were testing, testing and more testing. This resulted in a few students getting very proficient in test taking, took what little joy learning holds for others, drove drop out rates and fostered the fudging of test scores by educators. Photo ops abounded, Geo W assumed the get tough mantle and the whole masquerade was seen as a huge political if not educational success. The hand of Geo W was felt in education.
If money talks as many think then education has been mute for so long we may as well move on to other of Geo W's achievements and that would have to be the contribution he made to democracy.
Some took The patriot Act very seriously
George W's relationship with Lady Justice and Lady Liberty were the subject of magazines commonly found at check out counters in grocery stores.
Tourism fell 17% in 2006-7 and our airports assumed the look of military bases.
So maybe democracy building wasn't Geo W's strong suit still some remained true to Geo W through thick and thin and thinner.
Geo W gathered a flock of financial wizzzards to his breast and went on to make economic history. Below is how he did it.
.jpg)
Don't think, even for a minute that Geo W didn't know about Madoff's Ponzi scheme!
During the Bush Years Americans came to know a new type of federal bum who replaced the 3 card monte men, pick pockets, horse dopers, flim flam men and turn style jumpers who traditionally were found in front of the Treasury Building.
Under Geo W's regime Uncle Sam found new ways of doing business. Shown below Uncle does a new type of banking at the Spank of America.
In a bold move Geo W reversed long held Republican theories of trickle down benefits and instituted policies that allowed wealth to flow from the middle and lower class to the super rich.
His introduction of a previously unheard of of and splendidly generous welfare is often used to prove that Geo W is a true compassionate conservative,
It's hard to say where all the bailout billions went, but it's certain that they didn't go to job creation. Some of the money went to General Motors just in time to save it from going belly up and there by making GM's move to China problematic.
His achievements in the health care industry need to be taken account for the day when Geo W is called to account.
Certainly Geo W defined conservative values and principals more clearly than ever before. This seems apparent to the few still wandering the nations malls.
About his legacy? 
Leaving the White House is not without some joy for The Oily One
for more editorial cartoons on this and other topics
for more editorial cartoons on this and other topics
.jpg)
