The Bush Legacy

In one week the Bush Administration will be over. Love him or hate him, the 'otts and my political coming-of-age have been largely defined by George W. Bush's presidency.

I first heard of Bush when he was Governor Bush. My Aunt, who lived in Texas at time, mentioned that she really liked him as Governor. I should mention she also liked Ross Perot, and I suspect voted for him. Texans.

The next time I heard Bush's name was obviously in the 2000 Presidential Campaign. I remember him doing some rather nasty political things to Sen. John McCain in the Republican primaries. After that, I don't remember much other than a few funny SNL skits and that I did not vote for him. In 2000 I was a high school senior and registered to vote for the first time. I voted for Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate. In my defense, I voted in Kansas, a state so Republican there is a Republican River running through it. I didn't vote for Al Gore because I grew up thinking "Democrat" was some sort of dirty word, like "Atheist" or "Organic". I voted for Nader because I was going through the beginning of a very pro-third party period of my life, and also because I liked the environmentally-friendly, anti-corporation platform of the Green Party. I remember feeling somewhat guilty for not voting for Bush. If only I'd known that was the just the beginning of the rebellion-against-Conservative-upbringing guilt I'd come to experience.

During 2001-2005, otherwise known as Bush's First Term, the world changed drastically. The world watched in horror as terrorists flew planes into America's financial and government centers. It seemed as if overnight everything was different, and the 24-hour news networks were there, streaming it into our homes at all hours. President Bush was seen as a leader and a hero. America was angry and scared, and consequently more than willing to retaliate against anyone or anything that moved, and be led by just about anyone.

The month or so before 9/11 I started as a college freshman in a small western Kansas university. By partway through that first semester I changed my major to political science and I was quickly immersed in classes teaching the substance of this stuff I'd seen on television, and making friends with people who shared not only my interests, but my evolving views of the world. In March 2003 I was in Chicago with one of these friends. We watched in horror as President Bush announced to the world that he, armed the trust and power thrown upon him by the still angry and scared America, would indeed retaliate against anyone or anything that moved. While Iraq had nothing to do with the September 11th attacks, the President, and the right-leaning media, used a fabricated connection and the premise that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and would attack the United States the first chance it had, as pretexts for war. I remember being very angry.

In 2004 President Bush ran for president again. In 2004 I graduated from college and moved to Iowa to start law school. Iowa is often a battleground state and was again in 2004. I voted early in Iowa and was excited for my vote to "count". I guess if I really wanted it to count I should've voted early and often. While I was never too excited about a President Kerry (and apparently neither was anyone else), I simply could not fathom another Bush term. Inconceivable. But somehow it happened. I remember watching the protesters on Inauguration Day. There were two Americas: the one that, despite images from Abu Ghraib, Dick Cheney and such atrocious dishonesty, was proud to call Bush its Commander-in-Chief, and the other that would rather throw eggs at him.

Now, in 2008, parties instead of protests are planned. There may still be two Americas, but I think they both are tired of being lied to. Both are tired of government being synonymous with corruption and mismanagement. Time will only tell what the Obama Legacy will be, he may prove to be the leader we hope he can be, or he may falter. Either way, it is for the future to decide. The Bush Legacy, on the other hand, is set in stone.