George Bush legacy

George Bush will be remembered as the president who made the USA a hated nation, especially in Latin America and in the Muslim world, especially after the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan. He was unlucky to start his presidency with 9/11 attacks which must have shaped his whole internal and external policies.
But the fact that he was re-elected in 2004 shows that he isn’t a minority in his country. The republicans are historically the most electable to the White House. In the past forty years, there were only two democrat presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

Contrasting Clinton with Bush, the first ended his term as one of the most popular presidents in US history, because it was a time of peace and economic prosperity. He left a surplus of $1, 3 trillion which was used by Bush to finance his wars.

Concerning the Middle East, he was true to his words when he threatened to remove Saddam from power. But he failed in his peaceful initiatives. Iraq is still unstable. There is no peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians and it remains doubtful if the Palestinians can have their state by the end of his term.

What should he be considered: a disastrous choice, a ruthless and opportunistic war-monger?After his election, he was described as a cowboy in the White House. As a cowboy he tried to be heroic in every aspect, but wars have so far proved more costly than decisive.

What will he leave the world on January 20th, 2009?On the one hand he will leave the wars he has started. His successor will have the challenge to establish peace in the troubled regions like Iraq and Afghanistan. He will leave him to deal with a more obstinate Iran concerning its nuclear program. He will leave him with a more militarily powerful Russia and a more economically powerful China. Internally, he will leave an economy that needs redressing after being battered by the war efforts, the oil prices and the fall of the dollar. These are just some examples.
The good point is that he will leave his successor some strong allies in Europe, particularly, France, Germany, UK and Italy.

In case, the Republican John McCain gets to the White House, not all the blame should be on George Bush since it is the will of the majority of the voters to have a president with conservative ideals. In case Obama wins, how far can he undo what was done by Bush during his eighth years in office, especially foreign policy. Time will tell.