The legacy of President George W. Bush

[financeguy]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools

I can't wait until he's out of the White House. I never voted for him, and I was getting bad vibes when I saw him in a debate in my high school class (before he was elected.) He's an incredibly stupid and evil man.

Sometimes, the instinctive responses are the best.

[pgv]

Originally Posted by financeguy

Have you got the gay for George Bush?

You didn't specify - jr. or sr.

Pac Mules answer may be different respectively.

[financeguy]

Originally Posted by The_Pac_Mule

I would find that funny, if I was gay..

Of course you are a gay, you live in Vermont.

[The_Pac_Mule]

funny. I'm not gay, but I am friends with some gay people. Who may just be offended by that.

[pgv]

Originally Posted by The_Pac_Mule

funny. I'm not gay, but I am friends with some gay people. Who may just be offended by that.

I'm not offended by it. I found it endlessly funny in fact!

[The_Pac_Mule]

ok then.

[pgv]

Conversation efficiently killed

[The_Pac_Mule]

I dont even remember what we were talking about.

oh yeah for some reason I got accused for being gay because I said I thought george was a good person?

[dren84]

The Bush presidency will grow up in the forthcoming 30 years, i am quite sure of that. Please consider, that no US president had faced such a large-scale terrorist attack as Mr. Bush did. It is very easy when it comes to judge him harshly, but no one knows how one would behave in the similar situation. The second thing is that there is no Saddam Husain anymore. Is that a bad thing?

US act sometimes as worldwide police, because Europe is too lazy and stuck in the socialistic mud some time ago. I am European and i sometimes think that there's a huge difference in the quality of politicians between Europe and US, in favour of the American ones of course. In general, American politicians make mistakes sometimes, but they do act, do make decisions. In Europe there's nothing but decadency and bureaucracy. Sorry for my bad English.

[The_Pac_Mule]

well said

[The_Pac_Mule]

now everyones gonna shit all over our posts

[dren84]

I'd like to add one thing. There's one big disatvantage of Mr. Bush presidency (who i like however). It is boosting the budget expenditures to the enormous standards. Right-wing politician should not accept this!

[Kieran McConville]

You think the budget deficit was an accident?

Or that in some way this admistration was conservative?

Rightwing politicians had no choice but to accept it. Nay, embrace it. The Conservative Movement is about absolute, lockstep loyalty. I only pray they've marched themselves right off a cliff.

The Bush administration had better grow up in the next thirty years, because god knows the first eight have seen a serious case of arrested development. Oh wait...

[diamond]

Bush commutes sentences of former US border agents

Jan 19 01:09 PM US/Eastern
By DEB RIECHMANN
Associated Press Writer 61 Comments





President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush walk across the South...


WASHINGTON (AP) - In his final acts of clemency, President George W. Bush on Monday commuted the prison sentences of two former U.S. Border Patrol agents whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited fierce debate about illegal immigration.
Bush's decision to commute the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who tried to cover up the shooting, was welcomed by both Republican and Democratic members of Congress. They had long argued that the agents were merely doing their jobs, defending the American border against criminals. They also maintained that the more than 10-year prison sentences the pair was given were too harsh.

Rancor over their convictions, sentencing and firings has simmered ever since the shooting occurred in 2005.

Ramos and Compean became a rallying point among conservatives and on talk shows where their supporters called them heroes. Nearly the entire bipartisan congressional delegation from Texas and other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle pleaded with Bush to grant them clemency.

Bush didn't pardon the men for their crimes, but decided instead to commute their prison sentences because he believed they were excessive and that they had already suffered the loss of their jobs, freedom and reputations, a senior administration official said.

The action by the president, who believes the border agents received fair trials and that the verdicts were just, does not diminish the seriousness of their crimes, the official said.

Compean and Ramos, who have served about two years of their sentences, are expected to be released from prison within the next two months.

They were convicted of shooting admitted drug smuggler Osvaldo Aldrete Davila in the buttocks as he fled across the Rio Grande, away from an abandoned van load of marijuana. The border agents argued during their trials that they believed the smuggler was armed and that they shot him in self defense. The prosecutor in the case said there was no evidence linking the smuggler to the van of marijuana. The prosecutor also said the border agents didn't report the shooting and tampered with evidence by picking up several spent shell casings.

The agents were fired after their convictions on several charges, including assault with a dangerous weapon and with serious bodily injury, violation of civil rights and obstruction of justice. All their convictions, except obstruction of justice, were upheld on appeal.

With the new acts of clemency, Bush has granted a total of 189 pardons and 11 commutations.

That's fewer than half as many as Presidents Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan issued during their two-term tenures. Bush technically has until noon on Tuesday when President-elect Barack Obama is sworn into office to exercise his executive pardon authority, but presidential advisers said no more were forthcoming.

The president had made most of his pardon decisions on low-profile cases, but his batch in December created controversy.

Isaac Robert Toussie of Brooklyn, N.Y, convicted of making false statements to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and of mail fraud, was among 19 people Bush pardoned just before Christmas. But after learning in news reports that Toussie's father had donated tens of thousands of dollars to the Republican Party a few months ago, as well as other information, the president reversed his decision on Toussie's case.

The White House said the decision to revoke the pardon—a step unheard of in recent memory—was based on information about the extent and nature of Toussie's prior criminal offenses, and that neither the White House counsel's office nor the president had been aware of a political contribution by Toussie's father and wanted to avoid creating an appearance of impropriety.

In an earlier high-profile official act of forgiveness, Bush saved Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, from serving prison time in the case of the 2003 leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. Libby was convicted of perjury and obstructing justice. Bush could still grant him a full pardon, although Libby has not applied for one.

Bush's batches of pardons, however, have never included any well-known convicts like junk bond dealer Michael Milken, who sought a pardon on securities fraud charges, or two politicians convicted of public corruption—former Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, R-Calif., and four-term Democratic Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards—who wanted Bush to shorten their prison terms.

Clinton issued a total of 457 in eight years in office. Bush's father, George H. W. Bush, issued 77 in four years. Reagan issued 406 in eight years, and President Carter issued 563 in four years. Since World War II, the largest number of pardons and commutations—2,031—came from President Truman, who served 82 days short of eight years.

YouTube - Muse - Sing For Absolution

[phillyfan26]

Originally Posted by The_Pac_Mule

oh and people seem to forget that george bush is actually a human being...

..and is in fact a very great guy. Not to mention he is one of the few politicians with morals..

Look I don't support Obama, but I know he too is a great guy. In fact he's a wonderful guy. I simply don't want him as our president.

ok thats all my point is

A politician with morals? I don't consider letting people you don't agree with (Cheney & Rove) running your administration with no morals whatsoever very moral at all.

Whether he's a good guy is irrelevant. I think he allowed one of the biggest political atrocities in history happen on his watch out of, if nothing else, apathy.

[kellyahern]

At times like this, I think a farewell song in appropriate:

Tribute to the Bush Administration - Christine Ebersole | January 19th | ColbertNation.com

[bonoz]

Can't believe he is now the Former President Bush. =D

[deep]

Whereever he goes from now on
people should toss shoes at him.

[Irvine511]

george bush is going off to spend his retirement in a lavish home with millions in the bank. i'd prefer it if he were standing trial in The Hague, but at the very least, his legacy will be that he made Obama possible.

[deep]

two words that never should be heard together again, in the future

President and Bush.