Is it time for the American Left to reevaluate G.W. Bush?

by Tom Barnes

Is it possible that G.W. Bush, now out of office for about seven weeks was duped by the ultra conservative zealots in the American Intelligence community who wanted a war? Is it possible that these zealots wanted a war with Iraq and simply used the former President’s zeal to rid the world of Sadaam against him? 

After all, George Tenet plainly told the President that it was a slam dunk that Iraq had WMD’s.  His own photo intelligence people told him so.  And he passed that information onto the President who was inclined to believe it.

I am a left wing Democrat and would love to demonize G.W. Bush but real life is a little different than that.  Demons never get elected President.  Only men get to hold that office. Is it possible that G.W. Bush’s base of ultra conservative Christian Fundamentalist Western and Southern GOP nutjobs-with-money actually used him instead of the other way around? 

Is it possible that he did not dupe us after all but was duped by his own political subordinates, handlers, supporters and erstwhile friends?  Is it just possible that he was as much in the dark about what was really going on around him as we were? 

Old "heck of a job Brownie" G.W. Bush was clearly clueless much of the time about what most of us would consider rather important details of the world around him.  Was he responsible for that or were his handlers who refused to tell the Emporer that he had no clothes?  I am a totally disabled veteran and G.W. Bush passed the largest veterans benefits packages in history.  He did what he could for the healthcare problem in the country considering his conservative base was fighting it all the way.

Does he not get credit for any of this?  Fifty or one hundred years from now if/when the Middle East is democratic and diverse and open to all Faiths and non-faiths in society, will he get credit for opening up the region to democracy ?  Do we know?  Shouldn’t we be fair and at least think about it?  I don’t like this guy and I don’t agree with his politics. But is it possible that in the long run he acted on incomplete information in a critical time in the only way he could considering his subordinates and base allies were duping him at worst or misguided themselves at best? 

Enquiring minds want to know!

CWo3 Tom Barnes, USCG (Ret.)