It's easy to say that George W. Bush is the "worst president in American history." You hear it all the time. And maybe it's true. Clearly he's been abysmal, horrific and yes, criminal. But there were other presidents who fit these descriptions as well. But is George W. Bush THE absolutely worst president ever? What do you think?
Bush: Worst President of All Time?
Bush was clearly the worst in this century. (Duh.) And of course, we're all obsessed with our own time, and most knowledgeable about it, as opposed to earlier periods. But, even without detailed knowledge of earlier administrations, a very good argument can be made that we're talking about the absolutely worst, most corrupt and most deceitful president in history.
The question to ask is, Is there one single, solitary thing that George W. Bush did right? Just one? Is there? Other recent presidents, as bad as they were, at least did one or two things well that they deserve to be credited with. LBJ at least gave us Civil Rights legislation, Medicare, Medicaid and a whole host of excellent programs like Head Start. Nixon, for all his corruption and mendacity, at least gave us the Environmental Protection Agency and opened up relations with China. Jimmy Carter at least made awareness of the need for Human Rights part of the global discussion. Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush implemented tax increases (however inadequate and unequally shared) when they were necessary for the financial stability of the nation. Dwight Eisenhower sent protection for the black students enrolling at Central High School in Little Rock, cut the military budget significantly early in his administration and spoke out against the "Military-Industrial Complex".
George W. Bush has done absolutely nothing right. Nothing. In fact, virtually every single thing he has done has been harmful, destructive, and highly irresponsible. The only other question is how much of this was deliberate and intentional and how much was just George being George, with his head off in the clouds, while he thinks about really important things, like that afternoon's workout or how well the Texas Rangers might do next year.
George W. Bush, an absolute disgrace and absolute failure, in every sense imaginable, from beginning to end. When historians look back on this period, he'll be spoken about in terms of America, the way "Nero" and "Caligula" are spoken about in terms of Rome.
The Bush history isn't over, however. Will George and his henchmen have to stand trial for war crimes or related crimes against humanity, in some tribunal, somewhere, before they die? Only time will tell.