The Real Bush Legacy

The destruction of America will be the real legacy of the George W. Bush administration as illustrated by Rahm Emanuel's review of the State of the Union addresses given over the years by the worst president in U.S. history. The slide Emanuel talks about will take years to undo, if, in fact, this country will ever recover. Historian may well look back on this Bush presidency as the beginning of the end of America.

As President Bush prepares to deliver his final State of the Union address today, it's fair to judge his tenure by assessing the country he inherited and the country he will leave behind. By any examination, the Bush administration has weakened the nation:

George W. Bush inherited a country with a $236 billion surplus. He engaged in seven years of deficit spending that will leave America with more than $3.5 trillion in new debt.

Bush inherited a middle class whose incomes increased more than $6,000 between 1993 and 2001. Median household incomes have dropped over $1,000 since he took office. During his presidency, health-care premiums have doubled, from about $6,000 to $12,000 per family.

Bush inherited a military that had all active-duty Army divisions rated at the highest readiness levels and that was capable of fighting a two-front war. He will leave behind a military facing the worst readiness crisis in a generation, with not a single active-duty or reserve brigade "fully combat ready."

Bush inherited a nation that was respected on the international stage; he will leave behind one reviled by many around the world. A Pew poll of 10 nations found that in 2001, 58 percent of respondents viewed America favorably; today, that number is 39 percent.