What you don't understand you can make mean anything.
CHUCK PALAHNIUK, Diary
“To be sure, Mr. Bush is not completely alone. His low approval ratings put him in the good company of former Democratic President Harry S. Truman, whose own approval rating sank to 22% shortly before he left office. Despite Mr. Truman's low numbers, a 2005 Wall Street Journal poll found that he was ranked the seventh most popular president in history.
Just as Americans have gained perspective on how challenging Truman's presidency was in the wake of World War II, our country will recognize the hardship President Bush faced these past eight years -- and how extraordinary it was that he accomplished what he did in the wake of the September 11 attacks.”
part of an article from some idiot at the WSJ
Truman is remembered for containment – a pragmatic, but unpopular approach to a new and expanding danger – the Commies. Truman went to Korea as a response to an overwhelming invasion. Truman fought a limited war with limited objectives, to popular dis-appeal at home. Truman told the truth about the war and fought with a real coalition.
Bush had containment, he went for war. Bush went to war with a country using the oldest excuse of bullies – ‘they were begging for it’. Bush set objectives for war that can never be met – we are involved in an open-ended war ala 1984. (Ask – when will we be in condition green again?) Bush lied to get us into the war, and lied to keep us there. Bush fought with a coalition of the willing – paid mercenaries and England.
Truman provided adult guidance and measured responses to critical events. He is well remembered for this. A lesser President would have allowed MacArthur to nuke the Chinese on the Yalu, using bombs provided by Lemay – that’s what the public was clamoring for.
And that’s the President they would have gotten with Bush.
Truman said no when a big chunk of the population wanted to have an all night, bat-shit crazy orgy of violence to, 'end this once and for all' with the Red's.
It’s a delusional sop to take the lessons of Truman and apply them to Bush. I don't really want him or his watchers to sleep easier with the thought that it is.
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