# Things Bush Has Not Screwed Up
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352
**Category:** Great Debates
**Created:** [October 10, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352 "2008-10-10T18:06:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/1 "2008-10-10T18:06:55Z")
So the military is over stretched, the world hates us, stock market is down, the Republicans are in dis-array, and Bin Laden is still at large. But there must be a few things Bush has not fucked up. I think that professional sports are still in good shape. I’m looking forward to the baseball playoffs and the start of the NBA.
What else hasn’t Bush ruined?
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### Author:  [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/2 "2008-10-10T18:08:01Z")
Africa. The Bush Administrations action in Africa have been very good. Not perfect, but better than most.
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### Author:  [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/3 "2008-10-10T18:08:44Z")
Well. I’m better off than I was four years ago. I know that’s important to him. He told me.
Of course, I worked hard to be better off than I was four years ago, so I’d like to take a little of the credit myself.
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### Author:  [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/4 "2008-10-10T18:11:03Z")
Well, \*\*Jack \*\* you have to give him credit. Try as he might, Bush has yet to find a way to screw up your hard work, so I think that counts.
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### Author:  [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/5 "2008-10-10T18:11:30Z")
Well, Bush hasn’t nuked Tehran, North Korea hasn’t nuked Tokyo or Seoul, and India and Pakistan haven’t nuked each other, so it could be a lot worse.
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### Author:  [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/6 "2008-10-10T18:12:20Z")
One thing that comes up is the Bush admin has done a exemplary job of appointing women and minorities to positions of real power. That’s a plus.
Also, I’m of the belief that his finally calling Saddam’s bluff about WMD was a positive move. FOr the better part of a decade, Saddam had played this “Maybe I do, maybe I don’t” game, and he was finally forced to open up his country for full inspections to answer that question.
Of course, by then invading after inspectors find nothing you kind of lose whatever “good job” points you had accumulated.
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### Author:  [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/7 "2008-10-10T18:13:00Z")
During his administration no new and foolish gun laws were passed.
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### Author:  [@askeptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/askeptic)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/8 "2008-10-10T18:17:17Z")
Apparently none of the human animal hybrids he warned us about have been created. 😕
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### Author:  [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/9 "2008-10-10T18:20:57Z")
> [@silenus](#):
>
> Africa. The Bush Administrations action in Africa have been very good. Not perfect, but better than most.
Recently he is trying to screw it up even that good point:
> **[US cuts funding for condoms in Marie Stopes' African clinics](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/oct/04/usa.internationalaidanddevelopment)**
>
> MSI categorically denies supporting forced abortions or coercive sterilisation in China
> [@](#):
>
> The US government is cutting its funding for the supply of contraceptives to family planning clinics run by Marie Stopes International in Africa, alleging that it condones forced abortions in China.
>
> MSI has categorically denied that it supports forced abortions or coercive sterilisation in China or anywhere else in the world, and says that the actions of the Bush government will result in more abortions in Africa, as women will be unable to get contraceptives and will end up with unwanted pregnancies.
>
> …
>
> MSI says the USAID edict will seriously hamper its work in at least six African countries - Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. USAID is the biggest supplier of contraceptives in many African countries.
>
> According to MSI, the inevitable consequence will be more abortions. It estimates that it will lose $1.5m worth of supplies in the next year, resulting in 325,000 extra unwanted pregnancies in the six African countries and 65,000 abortions.
>
> “At a time when governments have pledged to increase their commitment to improving the health of women, only the Bush administration could find logic in the idea that they can reduce abortion and promote choice for women in China by causing more abortion,” said Hovig.
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### Author:  [@Slacker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slacker)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/10 "2008-10-10T18:27:27Z")
He has only molested one or two foreign leaders.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/11 "2008-10-10T18:27:48Z")
I think he’s a brutal President but even I find it very easy to come up with stuff. Any administration will do some things right.
**Africa.** With the exception of the Marshall Plan, probably the most significant foreign aid effort in American history.
**No Child Left Behind** is full of flaws but it does have its good points and the gist of it is correct.
**Further liberalization of trade** , and avoiding the disastrous move of raising tariffs to deal with the financial crisis.
\*\*Bush’s positions on immigration reform \*\*are admirably sensible and progressive. He can’t convince Congress, though, but he gets an A for effort.
**Moving against racial profiling**. He never gets credit for this and yet I believe he’s the first President to ever pass a law against racial profiling.
**Appointing women and minorities to positions of power** , already mentioned. Sure, there’s no tangible difference, but I do think it means something.
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### Author:  [@Merkwurdigliebe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merkwurdigliebe)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/12 "2008-10-10T18:36:30Z")
Honestly, I think Bush has managed to really turn things around since the Democrats won in 2006. But I think in the end I think his first six years will go down as being a very strange time for America. It will be known as a time where we really diverged from what really makes us Americans. We got greedy and all bought SUVs and cheap shit from China and built gigantic houses built on cheap Mexian labor. And he sold it as the American Dream. Undeserved excess isn’t though. So after we get through the mess we’re in now, I think we’ll be a lot different.
Having said that though. I’ve been pretty much okay with Bush’s handling of the financial mess. He seems to have a good guy in Paulsen. I actually believe that Paulsen is definitly competent enough and has the resources to make the best effort possible to save us. I don’t think anyone else is better equiped for the job. So by putting our fate in this man’s hands I think Bush has done us a huge favor. Luckily he didn’t screw it up by putting a Brownie in the position.
Also the preparation re: Gustav was pretty good too. He seems to have learned that government actually has a place in this world.
Bush has screwed us over pretty good, and I don’t like giving him credit for doing a good job to get us out, but I suppose I have to give him some credit. If he gets us out of this mess then I believe I might even be neutral on his Presidency. I don’t believe he caused it. I believe that years of Republican bullshit economic theory has caused it. “The magic market fairy will be kind to all!” But you gotta give him credit for calling a spade a spade and doubling back on every Republican ideal that got us into this mess.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/13 "2008-10-10T18:40:44Z")
_Huge_ new National Park/nature preserve out by Hawaii.
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### Author:  [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/14 "2008-10-10T18:40:48Z")
He didn’t screw up the hamburger I made for dinner last night.
Hasn’t he cut funds for condom distribution in Africa, or discouraged it somehow? I seem to recall that, but I don’t have research materials right at hand.
At the very least, I’ll stick with my burger statement up top.
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### Author:  [@Heropsychodreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heropsychodreamer)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/15 "2008-10-10T18:40:54Z")
I think he has done a good job with homeland security because who would have thought there would not be a successful attempt at further terrorism on our soil after 9/11.
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### Author:  [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/16 "2008-10-10T18:43:26Z")
He created the largest [Marine Protected Area](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_Hawaiian_Islands_Marine_National_Monument) in the world.
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### Author:  [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/17 "2008-10-10T18:47:59Z")
I was gonna say breathing, but then there was that pretzel…
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### Author:  [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/18 "2008-10-10T18:52:35Z")
He hasn’t fucked up the stock market, nor did he create the current credit crisis. The credit markets and obviously the major stock markets _are_ fucked up badly at the moment, but Bush didn’t fuck them up anymore than I did or anyone else posting in this thread.
The “policies of Bush coming home to roost” is an excellent campaign strategy because most people who vote are dumb enough to dimly believe that the President is God-King of the American (and Global) Economy who actually gets to control whether or not the financial markets perform well or not.
I voted for Bush twice, and have never regretted those votes. Yet I’ve always said he’s fucked up royally in a lot of instances. But he didn’t create a financial house of cards in which trillions of dollars in paper assets were created from the 1990s on until 2007, the banks did that. They’ve paid dearly for it, and we’re going to pay dearly for it. Maybe Bush should have done something to regulate this better, but Clinton never did, and FWIW banks all across the world were involved in the trading and creating of these paper assets (which have proven almost impossible to value when things get ugly), so if Bush failed in his duties then so did the leaders of every other major market economy on earth.
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### Author:  [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/19 "2008-10-10T18:57:25Z")
He quickly signed off on the [Great Lakes Compact](http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/10/03/greatlakes_compact/?refid=0) which I appreciated. There was concern that, if it didn’t pass before the 2010 census, it may not pass at all.
Obviously Congress did the grunt work of the legislation but it still made my day to hear that Bush signed it quickly and it’s a done deal.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2008, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-bush-has-not-screwed-up/467352/20 "2008-10-10T18:57:42Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#):
>
> He hasn’t fucked up the stock market, nor did he create the current credit crisis. The credit markets and obviously the major stock markets _are_ fucked up badly at the moment, but Bush didn’t fuck them up anymore than I did or anyone else posting in this thread.
> .
I agree he didn’t fuck them up, he he has several powers and options to slow or stop the problem, and clearly has not done so. Whther or not they would have helped or whether or not anyone could have see this coming are other questions.
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