# What would it take for George W. Bush to mend his reputation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 10, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835 "2010-08-10T16:09:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/141 "2010-09-01T10:01:20Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > as Goebbels said, tell a lie loud enough and long enough and soon people will believe it. Given the previous discussion about Bush’s insistence on the presence of WMDs despite all evidence to the contrary, I find it amusing that you’ve ascribed this behavior to the Left. ---
**Author:** ![Don123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e19adc/32.png) [@Don123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don123)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2010, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/142 "2010-09-01T11:15:38Z")
Of course you know Iraq is in an escalating civil war, with no government, and corruption from stem to stern, but what did you expect from Muslims following the Koran? Invade Iraq? Why the hell not, they are Islamic or pick a better reason; let’s see Huinsane gassing 5,000 of his own citizens—sure, that will do it, with democratic approval and funding no less. Muslims are doing a better job of killing each other than Bush ever dreamed about from the very start. In the last 30 days in Iraq there have been about 348 killed and 1,248 injured in Islamic terrorist attacks (Muslims killing Muslims), with 49 terrorist attacks or 1.63 attacks every day for the last 30 days. And with all their untold billions in oil money they still cannot get the country up and running. I suppose that is Bush’s fault also. I mean this is Muslims killing Muslims and Obama is standing back and watching saying how great and perfect Islam is, and you blame Bush? Ha, that is so funny. But the point is what can Bush do to rebuild his reputation? Give the free world a big apology for allowing Iraq to set up an Islamic government based on the Koran and Islamic Sheria law would be a good start. Bush had absolutely no understanding of Islamic culture and the barbarous population he would encounter. Shame on him, he should have known and been a real war president that he claimed to be. Don ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/143 "2010-09-02T03:00:17Z")
As far as I am concerned, there is nothing GWB can do to mend what little I thought of him anyway. The best he can do, is to stay “retired”, stay out of the public eye and stay out of politics. Forever. And keep quiet, as he has been doing. ---
**Author:** ![godix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/278dde/32.png) [@godix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/godix)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/144 "2010-09-02T18:54:52Z")
There is one simple thing Bush could do to redeem his reputation. Change that R behind his name to a D. After all, it’s always been pretty clear the only reason many have hated him is that he dared be a different political party than they are. Christ, and I thought daily kos or red state were full of moronic pinheads. Do you guys realize what you sound like when you call Bush ‘evil’, make potshots like ‘my pet goat part 2’, refer to his entire administration as assholes, or say he can redeem himself by committing seppuku? Honestly, do any of you understand these sorts of comments show how small minded, hateful, petty, and cruel you are? Even the birthers have more integrity than this thread shows, at least they aren’t suggest Obama commit suicide. And yes, I know I’ll probably get bitchslapped from a mod. Because suggesting someone kill themselves is perfectly acceptable, but pointing out how despicable that attitude is most likely will be considered flaming. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/145 "2010-09-02T18:57:09Z")
No, most likely you’ll be pretty much ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/146 "2010-09-02T19:07:08Z")
> [@godix](#): > > And yes, I know I’ll probably get bitchslapped from a mod. ::Bitchslap:: No matter how you may feel about what they’re saying, you are not allowed to call other posters “moronic pinheads” and other juvenile names. Not while you’re posting in this forum. If you want to do it in the Pit, go post there. ---
**Author:** ![Kiber](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiber/32/317_2.png) [@Kiber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiber)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/147 "2010-09-02T19:20:52Z")
> [@godix](#): > > There is one simple thing Bush could do to redeem his reputation. Change that R behind his name to a D. After all, it’s always been pretty clear the only reason many have hated him is that he dared be a different political party than they are. > > Christ, and I thought daily kos or red state were full of moronic pinheads. Do you guys realize what you sound like when you call Bush ‘evil’, make potshots like ‘my pet goat part 2’, refer to his entire administration as assholes, or say he can redeem himself by committing seppuku? Honestly, do any of you understand these sorts of comments show how small minded, hateful, petty, and cruel you are? Even the birthers have more integrity than this thread shows, at least they aren’t suggest Obama commit suicide. > > And yes, I know I’ll probably get bitchslapped from a mod. Because suggesting someone kill themselves is perfectly acceptable, but pointing out how despicable that attitude is most likely will be considered flaming. Oh well. I’m not sure you’re really getting the point here. I don’t think people are suggesting these things because they want him dead. I think the point is that, if he did commit seppuku, it would indicate that he had perhaps reflected on his achievements and found them wanting. It would indicate a conscious understanding of what he did. Of who is dead because of him. Of what we have spent, for no gain, because of him. Of the damages done in his name. It would reveal a sense of understanding and reflection that nobody has ever seen from this man. Remember, this is a man who, 6 years into his Presidency, admitted to a grand total of 2 [mistakes](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/14/60minutes/main2359119.shtml): > [@GWB](#): > > Abu Ghraib was a mistake. Using bad language like, you know, “bring them on” was a mistake. Many of us may not think he is evil. But many of us do believe that some of the things he did were evil. Many of us believe the war was evil. Many of us believe that torture is evil. In short, many of us hold our country to a higher standard then we saw those 8 years. And because of that, we would dearly like to see him exhibit some sense of understand regarding his responsibility for those things. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/148 "2010-09-02T22:02:40Z")
> [@godix](#): > > There is one simple thing Bush could do to redeem his reputation. Change that R behind his name to a D. Give it a year for the rest of the party to keep moving to the right, and FoxNews will do it for you. > [@](#): > > After all, it’s always been pretty clear the only reason many have hated him is that he dared be a different political party than they are. Yeah, his blatant lying to the public and Congress, starting a war based on those lies, condoning torture, raping the Constitution in a dozen different ways, staffing the Justice department with unqualified political flunkies, failing to doing anything constructive when Katrina hit…those had nothing to do with why so many people hated him. It was all about his party. I’ll agree with you on the hyperbolic death wishes, however. That got old before the first person finished typing theirs. ---
**Author:** ![FREQ\_FORCE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/fbc32d/32.png) [@FREQ\_FORCE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FREQ_FORCE)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/149 "2010-09-02T22:25:25Z")
I’d settle for him leveling with the American people and apologizing directly for the flagrantly dishonest, divisive, and factually bankrupt rhetoric from his administration during the run-up to the Iraq war. If he came right out and said that this was an action aimed almost exclusively at establishing a long-term military footing in the middle east and facilitating a pro-western business environment, I’d at least respect the man for coming clean. As long as we’re speculating on wild fantasies here, I’d also like to hear him admit that the policies undertaken on behalf of his administration in the wake of September 11th were reactionary and short-sighted, and that he wishes they had made an attempt to appeal to the better part of our nature instead of banking on rampant jingoism and xenophobia. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Smashy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mr\_Smashy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Smashy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/150 "2010-09-02T23:20:58Z")
I can’t believe this thread got reincarnated… As said way upthread, it’s not at all a given that W was actually ‘lying’, as you put it. You should probably read the whole thing before taking what you take as stipulated. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/151 "2010-09-03T03:49:23Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > \*\*What would it take for George W. Bush to mend his reputation? > \*\* > > His reputation was besmirched from day one by a bunch of whiners who couldn’t stand the fact that he won the election in 2000. The shit-slinging started and never stopped, and as Goebbels said, tell a lie loud enough and long enough and soon people will believe it. > > So, what would it take? Massive apologies by the left, including the media. And that ain’t gonna happen. Not gonna happen. Not now, not ever. Not from me. Y’all will die of old age first. I thought he was an idiot and a gross incompetent then, and I still do. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/152 "2010-09-03T15:51:12Z")
> [@Kiber](#): > > I hate that these debates always hinge on the mere presence of WMDs. To me, the presence of WMDs themselves was still not sufficient to justify war. This. At the time I assumed Saddam had some sorts of WMD, since simple nerve gas qualifies. But so what? His was the one “evil” country _which was little threat_ – he was in a box due to flyovers, sanctions and inspections. (In fact, reading between the lines, it is clear some Bushites favored that war precisely because Iraq was no threat: they wanted to go after Iran but that was a war they might lose. Kissinger publicly revealed his reason for War against Iraq: “Afghanistan wouldn’t humiliate radical Islam enough.”) I’m curious if the Bush supporters on this topic have ever Googled “yellowcake Wilson” or some such. Their comments seem willfully ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835/153 "2010-09-03T16:11:09Z")
> [@Mr\_Smashy](#): > > I can’t believe this thread got reincarnated… > > As said way upthread, it’s not at all a given that W was actually ‘lying’, as you put it. You should probably read the whole thing before taking what you take as stipulated. And as I said, who gives a fuck whether he lied or not? He got us into a war which was a disaster. It doesn’t matter whether he lied to get us into the war, or was honestly mistaken, the fact is he chose this disaster for our country, and for that he earns the title of El Assholio Supremo Del Mundo. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-it-take-for-george-w-bush-to-mend-his-reputation/549835.md?page=7)