Assessing Bush’s Place in History

by | Quotes

“… if I were Bush, I wouldn’t despair. He has not escaped being labeled by some people, as most presidents are before their terms are over, as “the worst president we have ever had.” But that is simply the bellow of exasperation vented by the worst critics of almost every president. I don’t detect, in the larger tides of public opinion, anything like that sort of animosity toward George W. Bush … there isn’t a trace of savagery that animated the opponents of (say) Franklin Roosevelt and Richard Nixon. Bush may not go down in history as a great president, but neither will he be remembered as a terrible one.”

Source: The Conservative Advocate,”Bush’s Last Few Months” (August 5, 2008)

Keywords: elections,remembrance,governance

Author

  • William A. Rusher (1923–2011), publisher of National Review (1957–1988), was a leading conservative spokesman, columnist, and author. He helped draft Barry Goldwater for the 1964 GOP nomination, shaping the party’s future. A Princeton and Harvard Law graduate, he served in WWII, worked in law, and advised the U.S. Senate. In 1989, he became a Distinguished Fellow at the Claremont Institute and remained active in conservative circles until his passing in 2011.

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