{"id":795079,"date":"2021-09-20T14:43:30","date_gmt":"2021-09-20T18:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=795079"},"modified":"2021-09-20T14:43:33","modified_gmt":"2021-09-20T18:43:33","slug":"analysis-the-complicated-legacy-of-george-w-bushs-leadership-after-9-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/analysis-the-complicated-legacy-of-george-w-bushs-leadership-after-9-11\/","title":{"rendered":"ANALYSIS: The Complicated Legacy Of George W. Bush\u2019s Leadership After 9\/11"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fanalysis-the-complicated-legacy-of-george-w-bushs-leadership-after-9-11%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=795079&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p>Former President George W. Bush has oddly been praised by liberals and demonized by conservatives since former President Donald Trump took the helm of the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p>Bush did not toe the party line during the Trump presidency, occasionally calling out Republicans for embracing anti-immigration sentiment and pledging too much fealty to Trump. <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/04\/20\/george-w-bush-republican-party\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">He\u2019s called<\/a> the new party nativist, he <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/04\/23\/george-w-bush-voted-condoleezza-rice-donald-trump-people\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">voted for Condoleezza Rice<\/a> in the 2020 election and has made numerous <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/16\/president-george-bush-statement-afghanistan-refugees\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pro-refugee<\/a>, pro-immigrant statements.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, partisan opinions of him seemingly flipped, with Democrats longing for the days of a \u201crespectable Republican\u201d like Bush while the new GOP revolted against his perceived treason against the party.&nbsp;But despite the pivot to nonpartisan observer, the legacy of Bush\u2019s policies post-9\/11 remain underwater with everyday Americans. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/01\/11\/donald-trump-george-bush-better-shape-republicans-democrats-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Comparing The State Of The GOP: Post-Trump Vs. Post-Bush)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That dynamic was evident during the 20th anniversary of the 9\/11 terrorist attack, when Bush <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/09\/13\/trump-bush-9-11-domestic-extremism-capitol-riot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">gave a speech<\/a> in which he honored those who were lost, commended the American spirit and warned against the threat of domestic extremism.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"7.6815642458101\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">For once, Bush is right. You and the other 1\/6 terrorists will just have to wear it, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JackPosobiec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@JackPosobiec<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0Pt19Bhxyf\">https:\/\/t.co\/0Pt19Bhxyf<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KeithOlbermann\/status\/1436791028846104584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"9.027027027027\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Almost weeping, George W. Bush rebukes those Americans who have turned their backs on \u201cthe America I know.\u201d Important speech.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BeschlossDC\/status\/1436708314323243009?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The \u201cnew respect\u201d from the left was once again on display, with some of the harshest critics of Trump and the GOP lavishly praising his Republican predecessor. On the right, some observers took issue with Bush\u2019s allusion to domestic terrorism as a major threat to the country.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"8.1635220125786\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Thank you, my friend, for your powerful and much-needed words on this difficult day. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/N2XhRMGKV4\">https:\/\/t.co\/N2XhRMGKV4<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BillClinton\/status\/1436846068680077312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 12, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" readability=\"13.066037735849\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">As President, George W Bush was not exactly known for his eloquence. But today, he sure showed-up.<\/p>\n<p>This a beautiful and poignant speech, reminding us of what makes us America.<\/p>\n<p>Hope you consider taking the time to listen to it. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ug7XpjNQoh\">https:\/\/t.co\/ug7XpjNQoh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ana Navarro-C\u00e1rdenas (@ananavarro) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ananavarro\/status\/1436734531474763785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2021<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bush\u2019s post-9\/11 legacy is more complex than simple partisan politics. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, his approval rating soared to new heights presidents today could only dream of. <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/4924\/bush-job-approval-highest-gallup-history.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ninety percent of Americans approved<\/a> of the job Bush was doing two weeks after the attack, the highest mark ever totaled in Gallup\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p>The president, less than one year into his term, used this newfound political capital to make sweeping decisions that would change the trajectory of the world forever. Abroad, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were launched, the Bush Doctrine of preemptive military strikes was adopted and \u201cenhanced interrogation techniques,\u201d what others call torture, were used to try and quash terrorism.<\/p>\n<p>At home, the Patriot Act stands out as the defining domestic legacy of 9\/11. Americans would go on to be surveilled in ways never seen before after the attacks, in the name of stopping the next 9\/11. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2020\/09\/10\/george-w-bush-national-geographic-special-9-11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">(RELATED: Watch George W. Bush\u2019s 9\/11 National Geographic Special On The 19-Year Anniversary Of The Terrorist Attacks)<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>While Bush enjoyed astronomical approval numbers at that time, and some mainstream media figures and centrist now look fondly upon his reaction to the attacks and eloquence in speaking about them, the American people hold a very mixed opinion of just how good a job the administration did starting on Sept. 12, 2001.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/8cLrq\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A 2015 poll<\/a> from the ACLU found that 60% of Americans wanted the Patriot Act to be reformed to limit the spying power the government has over regular citizens. For years, a majority of Americans have believed the U.S. made a mistake sending troops to Iraq, <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gallup.com\/poll\/1633\/iraq.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">according to Gallup<\/a>. A <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/08\/19\/poll-americans-believe-afghanistan-not-worth-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recent poll<\/a> found that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the war in Afghanistan wasn\u2019t worth it.<\/p>\n<p>Veterans of the war in Afghanistan <a href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2021\/09\/09\/afghanistan-veterans-poll-biden-withdrawal-trump-obama-bush\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rate Bush\u2019s handling<\/a> of the country lower than Trump\u2019s, who campaigned on withdrawing all U.S. troops. Americans are also strongly opposed to torture of terrorists and suspected terrorists, a <a href=\"https:\/\/usatoday30.usatoday.com\/news\/washington\/2005-01-12-poll-interrogation_x.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">2005 Gallup poll found<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>These factors led to <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20070625170703\/http:\/\/www.msnbc.msn.com\/id\/19352087\/site\/newsweek\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bush\u2019s approval rating<\/a> ending up in the 20s by the end of his presidency, compared to the 90% approval he once enjoyed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President George W. Bush has oddly been praised by liberals and demonized by conservatives since former President Donald Trump took the helm of the Republican Party.Bush did not toe &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-795079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=795079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/795079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=795079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=795079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=795079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}