The Legacy of a Lemming
"The most important job I have had - and the most important job the next president is going to have - is to protect the American people from another attack." - President George Bush, January 13, 2009
There has been much talk in the past few weeks, and especially this week, about the legacy of President George Bush the 2nd. For starters, it is far to early to start talking about legacies, one point on which I agree with the often embattled president. A legacy is defined by the future that follows. Who knows, Mr. Bush could someday be viewed as the visionary leader responsible for bringing lasting democracy to the Middle East. He could just as easily be remembered as a foolish, bumbling, schoolboy who viewed himself as God’s answer to the Muslim hoard. Either is possible, neither is probable, and my guess is that history will be kinder to the man than the present.
Either way he has presided over momentous times and that, more than anything else, can not be ignored when evaluating his ‘likely’ legacy. And if not viewed in the light of 911, it is impossible to even talk about his legacy, much less make accusations about his character or performance.
I talked about my Grandmother a few posts back. She was born and raised in Mississippi during the Great Depression. That was a seminal event in the history of America and, like Pearl Harbor, we have spent much collective effort since then to avoid similar disasters. The impact on lives from each of these events was incalculable and horrific, and while the economy recovered and we won the war, my grandmother never did. To the day she died in the late 90’s she remained in depression mode, basically missing out on the unprecedented economic boom during the second half of the 20th Century. And she wasn’t alone. Millions of Americans from that generation saved cash obsessively, lived much more frugally than necessary, abhorred debt, cultivated self-sufficiency, distrusted banks, gave food as Christmas gifts, and hated the Japanese. Though her persimmon cookies were excellent and her husband (my Grandfather), who actually fought in the war, wound up selling Toyotas later in life.
Cataclysmic events have this kind of effect on people. I have a friend who’s husband suddenly died. Another friend who suddenly lost a child. They are fundamentally different people now. Think back now to that fateful day when Islamic terrorists struck not at a U.S. Naval base on a far-flung island territory, but at civilians at the very heart of Americana. Remember the footage of President Bush spending time with school children – probably one of the more enjoyable parts of being President – when he was told by a Secret Service man that the United States had been attacked. At that time we didn’t know who, or if, there was more to come. President Bush spent the majority of the day airborne and no one knew where he was. As details began to emerge, an act far more dastardly, heinous, and yes, evil, than Pearl Harbor was revealed. In fact, IMHO, it makes Pearl Harbor look rather tame by contrast. Indeed, it compares more with Nazi atrocities or the rape of Nanking than a sneak attack – something we are proud of our own troops for successfully pulling off. It is a black mark that Islam will forever live with, and that fundamentally changed George Bush. It might even be fair to say that it made him, dare I say the word, crazy?
One minute he is reading to school children. The next he is contemplating the fate of 3,000 murdered Americans in a smoking pile of rubble. He went to Ground Zero when it still stank. Remember what it did to us? Imagine what it did to him! The responsibility was his. I believe that since that day he has lived in constant dread of another such attack. Lurking fear has colored every decision, every waking minute, every emotion, since that day. And I can’t say I would be any different. Can you?
Legacies? Having them is good, getting them is not. Legacies are earned through sacrifice and, more often than not, death. President Clinton had a far more hospitable climate during his reign and much was said about his legacy, too. But his enemies were domestic and the wars he fought were either lost or little more than U.N. peacekeeping missions. Whether or not he did a good job or a bad is left for each of us to decide, but there can be little doubt that he inherited a strong economy and was in office during a time of relative peace. Whatever legacy he is ultimately assigned should reflect the relatively unchallenging events of his time.
Did Mr. Bush do a good job? Have you been in his shoes? Were you sitting in that chair enjoying yourself when the worst news imaginable arrived? Not the relatively minor horror of the sudden passing of a loved one, but the astonishment that pure evil has vaporized thousands, and everyone is asking you what to do. And you are responsible. And must try to sooth the grieving, comfort the frightened, and rally the survivors. All while appearing brave and stouthearted when you’d probably rather disappear. Don’t forget, Mr. Bush is a very compassionate, sympathetic man by nature. And do you think it might have just ruined his dream of being the President of the greatest nation ever to arise on this planet? Have you ever gotten something of incredible personal value and have a thug bust it the same day?
The country is worse off today than eight years ago. Mr. Bush made major mistakes. But legacy? The man is still president for God’s sake. And the job has nearly killed him. He leaves office, I would say, a little crazy. And not the good kind. So those of you crucifying him with ‘boiling anger’ while you labor as a shoe store clerk, or an accountant, or an auto worker, or any of a million other jobs with no real responsibility or ambition, where a mistake means sending home a size 7 ½ in a size 8 box, get in line with the other lemmings. Please. I’ve heard they’re headed somewhere fun.
-Futbol Guru, http://mises.org/blogs/not-a-lemming