January 12th, 2009 11:19 AM Eastern
America’s Talking Question
by Live Desk Producers
Monday, Jan. 12: President George W. Bush takes questions during a news conference in the pressroom at the White House
Speaking at his last press conference before leaving office, a reflective President Bush discussed things he could have done differently or whether taking the “popular” route would have been the best course for the United States.
“There’s plenty of critics in this business. I understand that. And I thank you for giving me a chance to defend a record that I am going to continue to defend because I think it’s a good, strong record,” he said.
We want to know:
The Bush legacy: What will people say a decade from now?
Post your comment below! (Please include your NAME and TOWN)
History will be kind to Pres. Bush because he achieved many good things during his term as president.He kept us safe, He established great relations with Africa, China, India and other countries;He stood alone many times for what he believed would be good for our country;He and his family stayed free from scandal; He represented what is good and courageous in all of Americans; He never responded in a mean, hateful way to his critics as they maligned him and the causes he represented; He was and is above the fray of Washington. He is a patriot, and people will remember him for being strong in defense, and a patriot for the cause of freedom in Iraq and in Afganistan. I truly respect him and I’m sorry for all the ones that can’t see the man as an outstanding president.
President Bush will go down in history as one of the best American presidents in history.
Pres. Bush has tried to avoid the chances of Americans attacked by a WMD. We may never be able to prove that he actually prevented it, now that the Iraqi dictator is gone or we may not be able to compare the damage could have caused by an attack versus the cost. There is no doubt that many people will thank him for the freedom he has brought to the middle-east with a great price. For that the world will be grateful to him forever. I hope that the American liberals who hate him the most will understand one day that they were wrong.
I will remember President Bush as a bumbling idiot, who makes up his own words, and laughs at his own jokes.
On another note, I do not see how he could be remembered as a President who made us safe, when his cabinet ignored threats to our country well before the 9-11 incident, and so many of our American soldiers died because he ‘thought’ Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.
I say ‘good riddance’ to the moron, and hope his golf game’s better than his speech ability.
Wendy R. in Smithville, MO
President Bush will be remembered for never faltering under a staggering propaganda machine called the “liberal media”. A ball and chain that was relentless in its brainwashing and actually created a mental illness called “Bush Derangement Syndrome”.
I cannot believe how George Bush has been savaged by many Americans and by the media in general during his 8 years as President. George W. Bush has been and will always be a top notch guy in my book! And Laura Bush is a class act as well! Was he the best speaker? No. Did that affect his ability to lead? No! He was a strong leader who will be remembered for leading us and protecting us after 9/11. People are so shallow. They would rather believe some smooth talker than someone who knows what he has to do and someone who abides by his principles and convictions, rather than someone who says what he thinks people want to hear. I will always remember George W. Bush as someone who led this country with dignity and someone who always placed the well being of the USA and its citizens in the forefront of whatever he was trying to accomplish!
hey bill noone tops what I did pal
Much of his legacy will be determined by which direction the media will take it. Since he was elected, they’ve relentlessly and tirelessly attacked him. They did the same with Palin and McCain.
You have seen the Character of this man by how he has made every effort to make Obama’s transitation in the White House as smooth as possibble. You do not know this is happening because none of the other media is saying anything about it. Another character this president has was when he made a decision he did not waiver from it now matter what the liberal media said or how low his popularity was with them or people even his own party. I’ve have seen many presidents come and go over the years and he is the first to stick to his beliefs while most others were only worried about their ratings. To name one recently Clinton. He was a man of God and profess it openly and many liberal people did not like this. What really brought this to my attention and showed liberal bias was when O’Reily asked Ted Turner who did the most for people with aids in Africa. Ted Turners answer was typical of most liberals. Oh it was Clinton, He was wrong the person who did the most in terms of money and help was my President George. W. Bush matter of fact he did more than any other country in the world. Their are many other things that people will find out thru the years that he did for the good of our country. I am sadden that the liberal media has taken upon themselves to determine how this country goes and that people do not recognize that they are not getting their voice heard and how our government is to run
Ken: You sing the praises of Bill Clinton. Have you forgotten that the military had bin Laden “in the cross hairs,” and Clinton didn’t have the guts (or whatever you want to call it) to give the okay to kill the animal? If he had ridded the world of bin Laden, there might not have been a 9/11!
Comment by Dallas_1234
January 12th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
My Gosh - I’ve never seen so many “butt kissers” in my life. Geeeeese.
And I’ve never seen so many other people full of hate loathing for a president who did everything he could to keep us safe and that’s all I want from my government. So face it, you hate him becasue he’s not a liberal, plain and simple, even though he spent a ton of cash and bypassed true conservative principles on several occasions; most recently, the bailout. You just hate him because he isn’t like you. It’s pure biased hate.
I do not agree with everything W did, but he did what was necessary to defend us and keep harm off US soil. His legacy should be that of a devout defender of our country and its people. Today both liberal and conservative can walk the streets freely and in less chance of harm from terrorism. I would bet money I won’t be able to say the same after 8 years of Obama.
Jon from WI
Bushes greatest failure was his inability to confront, challenge and neutralize the many critics and press who pounded continually from the time he ’stole’ the election in Fla until he was incapable of leading the nation.
His greatest strength was to ignore the critics and do what he believed was right and would keep the nation safe and respond to other issues in a timely manner. I believe he will eventually be regarded as a steady, if inarticulate hand at the wheel in the future.
He will be remembered as the President that faced a terror we haven’t seen since Pearl Harbor. He keep America and Americans safe.
They will blame him right through the entire Obama administration for the recession/depression, what ever it turns into.
I praise Bush for being the person he was and not compromising his principles and belief in God.
GWB will one day be recognized as the no-BS, great defender of our country. Whether that is in 10 years or 20, it will come out. He was a great governor for Texas, and was a superior President for America and it is a shame that the American people do not realize this. It may never come to light everything that was done for us to keep us safe during 9/11. I soon hope that TEXAS realizes that we can leave the union and decides to do so and become our own great nation. I can only hope that when we do so, that President Bush will become the President of Texas. Then I will safe again, until then, God Bless us and watch over us until better times.
Although the last 8 years have been very tumultuous times for this nation, President George W. Bush has kept us safe since 9/11/01. I think his legacy will be that he was a man of faith, commitment and resolve to stay true to his integrity and values in spite of criticism and polls. Although there were mistakes made during his presidency, it was not because he was trying to appease the critics, but rather to do his best to protect the country that he loved and to be a Commander in Chief that the armed forces were proud to serve under.