Tuesday, January 20, 2009

... and don't forget to let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.


Fucking liberal media:

BERLIN (Reuters) – Editorial writers around the world have been taking their final printed whacks at George W. Bush, accusing the president of tarnishing America's standing with what many saw as arrogant and incompetent leadership...

"A weak leader, Bush was just overwhelmed in the job," said Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung under a headline: "The Failure." "He confused stubbornness with principles. America has become intolerant and it will take a long time to repair that damage."

Editorials hit out at Bush for two unfinished wars, for plunging the economy into recession, turning a budget surplus into a pile of debt, for his environment policies and tarnishing America's reputation with the Guantanamo Bay detention center...

Canada's Toronto Star was categorical in its condemnation.

"Goodbye to the worst president ever," it declared. "Bush was an unmitigated disaster, failing on the big issues from the invasion of Iraq to global warming, Hurricane Katrina and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

"Bush leaves a country and an economy in tatters," wrote the Sunday Times in London. It said America's national debt and unemployment nearly doubled on his watch.

Britain's Daily Mail said he entered office with a budget surplus of $128 billion but exits with a $482 billion deficit.

"He leaves the world facing its biggest crisis since the Depression, the Middle East in flames and U.S. standing at an all-time low...

The Scottish Daily Record observed: "America is now hated in many parts of the world. Bush leaves a legacy of wars and the world economy in meltdown. He has been dismissed as a buffoon and a war-monger, a man who made the world a more dangerous place while sending it to the brink of economic collapse."

The Economist found room to praise Bush on free trade, immigration reform and China. But its overall view was negative:

"He leaves as one of the least popular and most divisive presidents in American history. Bush has presided over the most catastrophic collapse in America's reputation since World War Two."

The Sydney Morning Herald complained about Bush's "singular lack of curiosity in international matters" in an editorial titled "Farewell to a flawed and unpopular commander-in-chief."

On the other hand, there was the occasional admirer:

Israel was most complimentary, of his intentions if not necessarily of his achievements.

"Of all the U.S. presidents over the past 60 years, it is hard to think of a better friend to Israel than George W. Bush," the Jerusalem Post daily wrote during Bush's final visit.

Last week columnist Caroline Glick wrote Bush "recognizes Israel and the U.S. share the same enemies and they seek to destroy us because we represent the same thing: freedom. But Bush never learned how to translate personal views into policy."

No surprise there ... when you share the common interest of turning someone else's homeland into rubble and murdering its citizens, you can overlook a lot of character flaws.

BONUS TRACK
: At no extra charge.

4 comments:

Rev.Paperboy said...

The Wall Street Journal just assigned the task to Bush's own speechwriter. You can imagine how that went.
http://kevinswoodshed.blogspot.com/2009/01/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-bullshit.html

LuLu said...

Britain's Daily Mail said he entered office with a budget surplus of $128 billion but exits with a $482 billion deficit.

Hmmmm ... now who does that sound like? Big Daddy's got a whole lot of catching up to do -- I'm sure he and his merry band of deficit-humping fuckwits are more than up to the task.

Southern Quebec said...

I have this visual of Bush running out of the White House (a la Super Bowl/Disney thing) and yelling, "I'm going to The Hague!"

Romantic Heretic said...

Bush was in favor of free trade?

You could have fooled me. Like all his principles it remained in place only so long as it didn't interfere with his power.

So far as I know he was the most protectionist President since, um, Ronald Reagan, another great hypocrite.