[Vision2020] Re: Professor, educate thyself....

[Chasuk]

On 3/21/06, ToeKneeTime at aol.com <ToeKneeTime at aol.com> wrote:

> You say Bush has done more to destroy America's reputation than ANY AMERICAN
> you know.  We are still recovering from eight years as the laughingstock of
> the world thanks to Bill Clinton.  He confirmed the impression many
> foreigners have of Americans as vulgar hedonists.

I have tried to stay out of this, but this statement is too absurd to
ignore.  I had the experience of living for half of my lifetime
overseas, and can report that Reagan was largely considered a charming
buffoon.  He actively made made foreigners laugh at us, and in droves.
 Clinton was, and is, greatly admired.  Most of the world laughed
themselves sick that Americans wasted so much time chasing our
voyeuristic blowjob obsessions while ignoring real issues.  You are
WAY off the mark, here.  If you don't trust my experiences, look at
any polls.  Reagan was considered an unclever chimp, and Bush is
considered his less intelligent successor.

To substantiate my claim about Bush, consider the survey of 415
historians conducted at George Mason University.

A few germane quotes:

"Indeed, Bush puts Nixon into a more favorable light. He has trashed
the image and reputation of the United States throughout the world; he
has offended many of our previously close allies; he has burdened
future generations with incredible debt; he has created an unnecessary
war to further his domestic political objectives; he has suborned the
civil rights of our citizens; he has destroyed previous environmental
efforts by government in favor of his coterie of exploiters; he has
surrounded himself with a cabal ideological adventurers . . . ."

And:

"Actually, I think [Bush's] presidency may exceed the disaster that
was Nixon. He has systematically lied to the American public about
almost every policy that his administration promotes." Bush uses
"doublespeak" to "dress up policies that condone or aid attacks by
polluters and exploiters of the environment . . . with names like the
'Forest Restoration Act' (which encourages the cutting down of
forests)."

And:

"I would say GW is our worst president since Herbert Hoover. He is
moving to bankrupt the federal government on the eve of the retirement
of the baby boom generation, and he has brought America's reputation
in the world to its lowest point in the entire history of the United
States."

The article also includes this:

'The second most common response from historians, trailing only Nixon,
was that the current presidency is the worst in American history. A
few examples will serve to provide the flavor of such condemnations.
"Although previous presidents have led the nation into ill-advised
wars, no predecessor managed to turn America into an unprovoked
aggressor. No predecessor so thoroughly managed to confirm the
impressions of those who already hated America. No predecessor so
effectively convinced such a wide range of world opinion that America
is an imperialist threat to world peace. I don 't think that you can
do much worse than that."'

Here is the link for the article:

http://hnn.us/articles/5019.html

Yes, there are statements both pro and con.