The International Herald Tribune had the bright idea of asking six writers to identity what they most admired about President George W. Bush and would miss when he leaves the White House in January. Not all six were by any means Bush fans, but they all praised certain aspects of his character, often his basic human decency. Bush's admired qualities ranged from his moral clarity, his bipartisan successes as Governor of Texas, the love he inspired in his staff, his good sense in marrying the less conservative Laura Bush, and his unique contributions to the English language with Bushisms such as "misunderestimate," "Hispanically," and "arbo-treeist."The six contributors were Paul Burka, senior executive editor of Texas Monthly; Robert Draper, a correspondent for GQ magazine and Bush biographer; former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer and his successor Scott McClellan; Jacob Weisberg, editor-in-chief of the Slate Group and author of "The Bush Tragedy;" and Curtis Sittenfeld, author of the novel "American Wife." Published in the IHT on November 4, the piece is a very nice read.
Bush was Treated "Disgracefully"
A more strident tone was taken by investigative reporter Jeffrey Scott Shapiro, who wrote in the Wall Street Journal November 5: The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
It seems that no matter what Mr. Bush does, he is blamed for everything. He remains despised by the left while continuously disappointing the right. Yet it should seem obvious that many of our country's current problems either existed long before Mr. Bush ever came to office, or are beyond his control.
Research contributed by Transatlantic Media Network intern Cecily Boggs
