Worst President Ever?

The always wonderful South Knox Bubba has some interesting perspective on the Karl Rove issue. As I already pointed out yesterday, this is hardly the biggest Bush scandal on the market. South Knoxville Bubba has been kind enough to give us a Cliff Notes version of just what the administration has done. The list is so good that I've pretty much left it intact. And what a list it is: Rigged an election in conspiracy with brother Jeb in Florida to take office. Appoints administration made up of former executives and government officials who helped Saddam develop WMD, were involved in illegal arms sales, traded with the enemy in violation of U.S. law, and whose companies now profit from war. Stonewalled GAO and Congress request for documents relating to Enron influence of Federal Energy Policy. Representing party of smaller government and less Federal spending, creates largest non-defense bureaucracy in U.S. history and signs largest entitlement spending program in U.S. history. Although recovering now, presided over a 30% loss in Dow Jones Industrial Average, nearly a 50% loss in NASDAQ, and a 33% loss in S&P 500, wiping out trillions in wealth. Presided over an increase in consumer debt to all time record high of over $2 trillion and an increase in personal bankruptcy filings to an all time high of 1.6 million households in 2003. Despite taking over after the longest and largest economic expansion in U.S. history, presided over the loss of three million jobs, with the highest unemployment in a decade and nearly nine million people out of work. Presided over the largest trade deficit in U.S. history, a record $489.4 billion in 2003, while the value of the dollar has reached an all time low against the Euro and the Yen. Presides over illegal arrest and detention and physical abuse of criminal suspects, who are held in secret without benefit of counsel without any charges. Signs "Patriot Act" that limits civil liberties and violates the Bill of Rights contained within the Constitution he took an oath to protect and defend. Despite inheriting an $80 billion surplus from the Clinton administration, turns it into a $2 trillion deficit with tax cuts, war, and out of control spending. Bush tax cuts could pay for hiring all nine million people out of work and pay them $40K for two years instead of benefiting wealthy. Gutted clean air regulations, allowing utilities and factories to continue polluting the atmosphere, calling it "Clear Skies". Rolls back environmental reviews and opens national forests up to the logging industry, calling it "Healthy Forests". Rolled back wetlands protection, reducing or eliminating regulations prohibiting pollution of wetlands, calls it "Clean Water Act". Rolled back wilderness protections, opening up wilderness areas to logging, mining, other development. Promotes school vouchers to take taxpayer money away from public education and give it to wealthy families to send their kids to private and mostly religious schools. Adopts the Project for a New American Century's strategy paper on Rebuilding America's Defenses as the official U.S. National Security policy, a policy that calls for imperialist expansion in the middle east and hopes for a national catastrophe "on the scale of Pearl Harbor" to awaken the public to the dangers posed by not adopting this policy. Hires most of its authors to run the Pentagon and develop defense policy. Worst terrorist attack in history, and the worst foreign attack on U.S. soil occurred on current administration's watch, and Bush undermines efforts to investigate mounting evidence of numerous warnings that could have prevented it. Made speeches and signed laws promising more funding for shipping container inspections at U.S. ports to look for nukes and other WMD, then eliminated funding from budget. Allowed North Korean sale of Scud missiles to Yemen. Made deal with Iranian terrorist organization. Conducted preemptive unprovoked military invasion of sovereign state resulting in hundreds of military casualties and thousands of civilian deaths, deceived Congress and UN Security Council using "sexed-up" intelligence to justify. Claims two trailers used to make hydrogen for balloons, a vial of botox in some guy's refrigerator, and some junk buried in some guy's rose garden are "proof" of Iraqi WMD "programs", or as they are later termed in his State of the Union, "weapons of mass destruction related program activities". When U.S. weapons inspectors cannot find 25,000 liters of anthrax, 38,000 liters of botulinum toxin, 500 tons of sarin, mustard and VX nerve agent, tens of thousands of chem/bio warheads, and an advanced nuclear weapons program in Iraq and say that in fact they probably never existed despite Bush telling Congress and the American people they posed a "grave danger" and Rumsfeld saying "we know where they are" and Powell showing the U.N. pictures of them, Bush says "What's the difference?" and blames it on faulty intelligence. Proposes sweeping cuts in veteran's benefits, instructs Veteran's Administration to deceive veterans with regard to benefits available. Dressed in fighter pilot costume and flew military jet to aircraft carrier for stunt landing and political fundraising/campaign event despite having ticket pulled and being grounded for failing to take required physical and drug test and being curiously absent from his post during the Vietnam conflict. Declares victory in Iraq, yet soldiers die in Iraq every day, half the country has no electricity or water, attempts to install democracy failing miserably, WMD cannot be found, neither can Osama. Has destroyed American respect and credibility around the world. Unable to get assistance from France, Germany, or India to provide troops for additional security and peacekeeping in Iraq. But "don't forget Poland." Except they are pulling out their troops. When his Secretary of State openly criticizes U.S. policy in Iraq and abruptly resigns, appoints woman who told the American people that we must invade Iraq before the "smoking gun" is a "mushroom cloud" over American cities and who admitted before a Congressional hearing that Bush had received a briefing at his ranch in Crawford before the 9/11 attacks with the title "Bin Laden determined to strike in the U.S." which expressed concerns about attacks similar to those that occurred. She offered no explanation why she as National Security Advisor, or Bush, ignored the warnings. After two years of war and 1800 U.S. casualties and thousands more wounded and tens of thousands of civilian casualties, no weapons of mass destruction have been found and Bush now says the reason for war was to spread freedom and democracy, which is not what Congress voted to authorize or what the American people were told. When internal memos from the U.K. surface proving that intelligence was being manipulated and the facts were being "fixed around the policy" of invading Iraq and that in fact the war started before Congress authorized it, sends out operatives to claim the memos are fake and are forged documents. Administration under investigation for illegally leaking the name of a covert CIA agent in retaliation for her husband exposing lies about Iraq's nuclear weapons program. The CIA demanded an investigation after Bush's denials. Bush then said it was a serious criminal matter and that he would fire anyone in his administration who was involved. When it is revealed that his longtime friend, handler, and now Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove is one of the leakers, Bush stonewalls the press and the public, refuses comment, and refuses to keep his word. Proposes development of tactical nuclear weapons in violation of 1992 Senate ban which Bush worked to repeal. Begins privatization of Medicare disguised as prescription drug benefit. Lied to Congress and the American people about the cost of the Medicare prescription drug benefit, intimidates government employees to cover it up. Tax cuts would fund health insurance for all 43 million uninsured Americans, including nearly ten million uninsured children. Pushes legislation to eliminate overtime pay for up to eight million American working people. Pushes legislation to limit medical malpractice claims to $250K, even if an incompetent doctor kills your wife or cuts off your legs instead of removing your appendix. Installs new Senate majority leader with ties to health care industry to shepherd through legislation benefiting corporate insurance and pharmaceutical pals. Pushes legislation to limit bankruptcy protections for consumers targeted by predatory lenders, but proposes no reforms for rogue corporations such as Enron that blow off creditors, employees, and investors at pennies on the dollar. According to a biographer, believes that he was selected by God to lead America and had preachers come to the Governor's mansion in Texas to "lay hands" on him and pray for his future during his campaign. Appoints as U.S. Attorney General a fundamentalist Christian who believes he receives divine guidance directly from God and anoints himself with Crisco and who was defeated by a dead man in his failed U.S. Senate election campaign. When his fundamentalist Attorney General resigns in disgrace, appointed a man who wrote a legal opinion for the White House claiming that the United States was not bound by the Geneva Conventions and justified torture and abuse of prisoners. That man is now being discussed as a possible appointee to the Supreme Court. Pushes legislation to fund faith based social programs, Congress rejects it, Bush issues executive order to allow Federally Funded local and state programs to hire or fire based on religion or ideology and to promote religion as part of delivering services. Declines invitation to NAACP convention, but addresses Southern Baptist Convention by satellite, calling them faithful servants and praying for them, while they adopt a policy that "homosexuals can find freedom from this sinful, destructive lifestyle" by accepting Jesus as their savior. Comments on Supreme Court homosexual rights decision, declares "marriage should be between a man and a woman", proposes constitutional amendment in State of the Union address to eliminate civil rights for an entire segment of the population. Sends letter to Supreme Court urging them to strike down Affirmative Action programs, celebrates Strom Thurmond's "remarkable life" and says he was a friend. Allows cabinet member in charge of education to call American teachers "terrorists" and get away with it. Promises not to use 9/11 for politics, releases campaign TV ads showing firemen carrying remains of victims from ground zero. Looked the other way while his political operatives mounted an unprecedented, despicable smear campaign against his opponent, a decorated war hero and Vietnam veteran who volunteered for combat duty while Bush was hiding out in an Alabama mailroom, claiming that his opponent was instead a coward and not worthy of the medals he received and lied about his service and his combat duty. The media played along, and repeated the lies and defamations over and over. Proposes to phase out Social Security, one of the most successful social programs in the history of civilization that has helped millions of seniors live out their lives in dignity, for the benefit of his pals on Wall Street. Wants to renew controversial provisions of the Patriot Act that are in violation of the Bill of Rights and were set to expire, and wants to expand it to include broader police powers. Flew back from vacation in Crawford to sign emergency midnight bill of attainder demanding judicial intervention forcing doctors to continue providing life support for a woman in a permanent vegetative state, after signing legislation as governor of Texas that would allow hospitals to pull the plug on patients with no ability to pay. Also will not support stem-cell research that could save millions of lives. Refuses to account for or even investigate more than $8 billion in U.S. taxpayer cash that has gone missing in Iraq. Despite being at war around the world and under constant threat of terrorist attack at home, Bush has spent 27% of his presidency on vacation, taking more vacation days in his first three years than Clinton took in seven years. Spent more than $200 million to get re-elected against challengers the GOP said were unelectable. Despite this, the Democratic candidate gets the second highest number of votes of any candidate in U.S. presidential election history.