George W. Bush's legacy will largely be associated with the attacks of September 11 and the war in Iraq. He will be remembered as a man who was largely controlled by others in his administration: Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and Condoleeza Rice. The moderate Colin Powell left him because he was marginalized throughout the president's first term.
In addition to the attacks of September 11 and the Iraq War, the president will be remembered as a man who failed miserably in the area of diplomacy and who oversaw enormous deficits which made him look like a liberal in fiscal policy. Another disaster which struck during his presidency and which showcased his incompetence was Hurricane Katrina which brought so much disaster to the city of New Orleans.
Foreign policy was also far from impressive. The invasion of Iraq was supported by relatively few countries. Russia, China, France, Germany, Canada and Mexico were all opposed, to name just a few. The president tried to get support from the United Nations to invade Iraq, but when he did not get it, he decided to attack anyway. It was a very unilateral action on his part, but it may be true that the only reason he sought support from the UN in the first place was due to prodding from Prime Minister Blair.
With respect to environmental issues, he did relatively little. The problem of climate change which has been highlighted by many scientists was largely ignored. If not for congress and the senate, his government would have probably begun drilling for oil in Alaska's wildlife reserve.
The first few months of his presidency could be characterized as those of a president who spent more time at his ranch in Crawford, Texas than at the White House. Some argue that he has kept the United States safe since the attacks of September 11, but what president would not have done the same? Many argue that the Patriot Act, an act which most members of congress passed without reading it carefully, has resulted in many abuses.
The fact is that the Bush Administration had information about a possible terrorist attack on American soil, but did little to counter one, and in the worst case scenario, even prepare for one. Immediately following the attacks of September 11, President Bush appeared to be a man who did not know what to do. Letting all members of the Bin Laden family fly out of the country without questioning shortly after the attacks was unacceptable, but there is no question that the Bush family has significant business dealings with Saudi Arabia. This must be the reason that despite the fact that most of the hijackers were Saudis, the USA has not really pressured Saudi Arabia to cut off all funding for terrorist organizations and make significant financial contributions to the war on terror.
Another failure for President Bush is his inability to capture Osama Bin Laden. Rather than finish the job in Afghanistan, he decided to switch focus and turn to Iraq, a country which was not behind the terrorist attacks of September 11.
In all likelihood, President Bush targeted Saddam Hussein for personal reasons: he was a dictator who had tried to assassinate his father. He also wanted to gain access to Iraq's large oil reserves, establish democracy in the Middle East with governments friendly to the USA, and please former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon who wanted an end to Saddam Hussein's support of Palestinian terrorists. Reality, however, is that the war in Iraq has become a breeding ground for terrorists.
The war on terror should have been conducted in a much more covert, sophisticated way. It was absolutely unnecessary to sacrifice so many lives. The president of the United States owes it to his people and to his country to turn aside desires for personal revenge so that he may do what is ultimately best for the country. Sadly, though, President Bush clearly has not done so.