Historians Rank George W. Bush Among Worst Presidents

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Here, in stark contrast, is part of the Bush-Cheney anti-terrorism record before September 11, 2001:
-- Backed off Clinton administration's anti-terrorism efforts.
-- Shelved the Hart-Rudman report.
-- Appointed new anti-terrorism task force under Dick Cheney. Group did not even meet before 9/11.
-- Called for cuts in anti-terrorism efforts by the Department of Defense.
-- Gave no priority to anti-terrorism efforts by Justice Department.
-- Ignored warnings from Louis Freeh, George Tennant, Paul Bremer, and Richard Clarke about the urgency of terrorist threats.
-- Halted Predator drone tracking of Osama bin Laden.
-- Did nothing in wake of August 6 C.I.A. report to president saying Al Qaeda attack by hijack of an airliner almost certain.
-- Bush - knowing about the terrorists' plans to attack in America, warned that terrorists were in flight schools in the US - took a four week vacation.
-- By failing to order any coordination of intelligence data, missed opportunity to stop the 9/11 plot as Clinton-Gore had stopped the millennium plots.
-- Blamed President Clinton for 9/11.

Rick of FL 6:51PM February 16, 2013

President Clinton led the fight against terrorism over strong opposition from Republicans in Congress and the pro-Republican Media. Here's a partial - yet incredibly long - list of accomplishments against terrorism for which the Clinton Administration gets almost no credit or even recognition. President Clinton:
-- sent legislation to Congress to TIGHTEN AIRPORT SECURITY. (Remember, this is before 911) The legislation was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the airlines.
-- sent legislation to Congress to allow for BETTER TRACKING OF TERRORIST FUNDING. It was defeated by Republicans in the Senate because of opposition from banking interests.
-- sent legislation to Congress to add tagents to explosives, to allow for BETTER TRACKING OF EXPLOSIVES USED BY TERRORISTS. It was defeated by the Republicans because of opposition from the NRA.
When Republicans couldn't prevent executive action, President Clinton:
-- Developed the nation's first anti-terrorism policy, and appointed first national coordinator.
-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up 12 U.S. jetliners simultaneously.
-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up UN Headquarters.
-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up FBI Headquarters.
-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
--Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up Boston airport.
-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up Lincoln and Holland Tunnels in NY.
-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the George Washington Bridge.
-- Stopped cold the planned attack to blow up the US Embassy in Albania.
-- Tried to kill Osama bin Laden and disrupt Al Qaeda through preemptive strikes (efforts denounced by the G.O.P.).
-- Brought perpetrators of first World Trade Center bombing and CIA killings to justice.
-- Did not blame Bush I administration for first World Trade Center bombing even though it occurred 38 days after they had left office. Instead, worked hard, even obsessively -- and successfully -- to stop future terrorist attacks.
-- Named the Hart-Rudman commission to report on nature of terrorist threats and major steps to be taken to combat terrorism.
-- Tripled the budget of the FBI for counterterrorism and doubled overall funding for counterterrorism.
-- Detected and destroyed cells of Al Qaeda in over 20 countries
-- Created a national stockpile of drugs and vaccines including 40 million doses of smallpox vaccine.
-- Robert Oakley, Reagan Counterterrorism Czar says of Clinton's efforts "Overall, I give them very high marks" and "The only major criticism I have is the obsession with Osama"
-- Paul Bremer, Bush's Administrator of Iraq disagrees slightly with Robert Oakley saying he believed the Clinton Administration had "correctly focused on bin Laden. "
-- Barton Gellman of the Washington Post put it best, "By any measure available, Clinton left office having given greater priority to terrorism than any president before him" and was th

Rick of FL 6:49PM February 16, 2013

And for the record....President Bill Clinton know for years how damgerous AL-QEADA was and never went after then...he considered them a "POLICE ISSUE_....half ASS half WIT....He should be much lower on the list...but because he is a good bull SH!TTER....HE skates...BTW....He was impeached not long after he left office due the the foot dragging of the Democrat held congresss failing to pursue charges while he was in office...Monica Lewinsky ring a bell...andhe was a good president...everyone should aspire to be like him ;)...If he was in the real world he would have been remove/fired for interacting with a subordanant.. Being Commander in Chief he shoukld follow the same rule the military follow!!!!

John of NJ 7:47PM November 29, 2012

Yea and OBAMA is the savior...What has he done...pay out billions to save Wall Street Crooks and Detroit(in his backyard and union voters)...He is the worst president.....hands down...will never be surpassed

John of NJ 7:41PM November 29, 2012

Sad but true. G W Bush was and will always be the worst president this country ever had.

cindy of IN 9:55AM October 16, 2012

[asided from those events, what did Kennedy actually do ?]
The space program, the Peace Corp, Civil Rights and the first Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Less than three years.

ignatz of NY 2:47PM May 22, 2012

[G W Bush will be remembered as a top President when the bitterness and nastiness about his terms are at rest.]
Yes, two wars he couldn't finish, a crashed economy, the biggest attack on America in history, the destruction of an American city, and the first President since Hoover to leave office with the market lower than when he took ALWAYS makes one look good.
Goodness knows what would have happened if he did a BAD job,

ignatz of NY 2:43PM May 22, 2012

Polk should absolutely be in the top ten. Certainly higher than Wilson.

Kumquat of AK 2:40PM May 22, 2012

I think Bill clinton was the best president.The only time we had a balance budget.
George W. Bush the worst borrow all the money from China and went into a war that was wrong and very costly with money lives.Reagan was not a good president.

m Greene of FL 2:13PM February 24, 2012

lastly, if you did not fight in any of the wars, you are not allowed to talk about them being a waste. you have not seen what really happens over in those countries and how much we help people. yea lets let muslim countries continue to beat women, stone them for losing virginity make them be fully covered in public, not get educated. many of you easily forget all the good and focus on the bad

Pete B 82nd abn inf of OH 9:24AM February 23, 2012