As a future, long term historian, I read as much as my brain will allow me about the current political situation. This was put to the ultimate test today, while sitting in a bland waiting room during jury duty. Waiting in that room is like waiting for the polar ice caps to melt; painful to my soul and the effects are lifelong. I wandered to and from the bathroom, cafeteria, the waiting room, and then all over. After this period of my life, I picked up a 5 month old Newsweek. It had a picture of President Bush with the title saying “Where is the GOP to go now?”  I flipped to the main article and read some of it. Evan Thomas wrote on President Bush’s career and the precedent that he and his Administration have left behind in the last 8 years.

President George W. Bush has squandered that trust. His presidency has been, in essence, faith-based-not just faith in God, but faith in Bush. After 9/11, he asked the nation to invest in his narrative of good versus evil. He seemed to be saying, “I’m taking care of this, you have to trust me.” Critics and naysayers were scorned as ditherers or cowards. Bush wanted to appear resolute, but at times he just seemed bullheaded and oblivious. As Jacob Weisberg shows in the following excerpts from his new book, “The Bush Tragedy,” the president constantly changed his rationale for invading Iraq -indeed his entire foreign policy-as inconvenient facts popped up or the mood moved him. Other crises, like Hurricane Katrina and more recently the sinking economy, seemed to catch him by surprise. – Evan Thomas

Thomas’ argument is evident and rings true. In 2008, former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan published a book on his experience and opinion on the shortcomings of the President.  Trust in the executive branch left our society within the first 2 years of Bush’s first term with a rush of problems that he could have or could not have handled.

When thinking about the trail of mud that George Bush has dragged behind him, I can’t help but think about the atrocities that have been committed on behalf of our current regime. Some of the evidence that can be seen would be the “911 Commission Report“, the failings of Operation Iraqi Freedom, failed domestic policy (Katrina), and an embarrassing orating for the last 8 years have given more citizens of the UP.SO. a reason to distrust, disassociate, and disregard our current government. The result has been a back-lash in like-ability in politics and a cry for change.

As an active participant in our society’s judicial system, I sat in a courtroom as the very well educated judge explained the theories of innocence and prosecution and asked myself about the concept of putting our President on trial for his faults.  Could a nation of eager prosecutors be right? Is the man that took unilateral action (in more ways than one) in a foreign country responsible for the death that has taken place there?

Here, I pondered this enormous question as the proceedings of the case continued.  Questions of the possibility of untainted jurors began to narrow down as the defense and prosecution asked all of the citizens if they could fair decisions in the courtroom.  After about three hours of this game, with me being juror 34 of 35, I was released.

But as I walked out of the ornate courthouse, the question of George W. Bush still laid heavy on my mind.  Do the American people have the responsibility to hold their leader accountable, even the country has elected him twice (fairly or not)?  I would say that we do, to a certain extent.

If you look at the article that Thomas writes, he questions the “legacy” of Bush, which doesn’t necessarily mean that he’s looking at the man, but rather the actions of the man.  I can list off action after action that FDR took during his first 3 months of office and his part to define his Administration.  The actions that have presented in Thomas’ article show from the Bush Administration have not positively affected the country or its allies.  The legacy appears to be a failed attempted of a national change in the direction of social conservatism, thwarted by a horrific terrorist attack that was NOT in the Administration’s plans. But then again, no presidential Administration could have expected 9/11.

Regardless of the plan set out by the Bush Administration in 2000, the goals of prosperity, hegemony, and peace are faint from their origin.  As President Bush walks into the sunset of retired presidents, I’m sure he looks back and wonders what could have been.

As for the judicial system and the big “question” of Bush’s actions, only the future will tell us the truth.  It’s every citizen’s hope that the future of their country is in the hands of responsible men, but the truth is, it may not happen.  I guess that’s where democracy comes in and allows us to interact with our government. Looking at this big question, there is no absolute answer or one that could be effectively carried out.  As we enter into a new era (or at least I hope so) of politics, the question of legally judging Bush becomes a fowl stench of dung in a modern, political, potpourri dish. The past is the past and the embarrassed of our country don’t seem to want to try a man whose blemish on our country is so deep that moving on seems more polite. In a sense, I agree. The damage has been done.

An example of this can be seen through Iraq. Thomas Ricks, who wrote The Gamble, has a theory that the damage of Iraq has yet to come and that a decade from now, we will all look back and see that the Bush Administration started the out of control fire, and the Obama Administration will be known for handling the stabilization of the country.  If this is the case, more investigation into the matter will point the finger to the Bush Administration.

Will we need to be prepared to ask ourselves the same questions from the Obama Administration? I hope not, but only time will tell.

-Eric

P.S.

Here’s some links of interest:

• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16583889/
• http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080225/huq
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7507880.stm
• http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB120183030007834031-_ODGkYMWSHHx1q_0YZJ5HF6ojK0_20090131.html