Goodbye Already

And, if it isn't obvious by now, that's me in the RED:

Bush Defends His White House Tenure
By DEB REICHMANN, APWASHINGTON (Jan. 15) - Unpopular but unbowed, President George W. Bush defended his tumultuous two terms in a farewell address to the nation Thursday night, claiming a series of successes at home and abroad.

Reaching back to the Sept. 11 attacks, when the public rallied behind him, Bush declared the United States will "never tire, never falter and never fail."

A series of successes. Really, W. A series. Sounds like, um, see.....one....um....Yeah. One.

I was behind you in those days after 9/11. I wanted to get the bad guys. I wanted our country safe. I was with you when you went looking for bin Laden, but then you lost me when you sharp-turned into Iraq looking for the mysterious, never found WMD. You lost me when you u-turned from the WMD hunt to the Iraq-trains-terrorists chant, and then you changed lanes into 'Saddam Hussein's a bad guy.' You couldn't make up your mind where we were going or who we were fighting.

We were fighting for oil, W. Do the math. Oil man becomes President to fight war in oil-producing nation and takes over control of oil wells. A + B + C = You're an idiot.

Leaving office with the highest disapproval rating since Richard Nixon, Bush said, "You may not agree with some tough decisions I have made, but I hope you can agree that I was willing to make the tough decisions."

Tough, as in stupid. Your presidency will be remembered as The One About The War; the war that was fought for reasons that changed daily; that was declared Mission: Accomplished even though we're still in it SIX YEARS LATER. Tough decisions indeed.

A bookend to eight years indelibly marked by terrorism, two wars and recessions, the brief speech offered Bush one last chance before he leaves office Tuesday to defend his presidency and craft a first draft of his legacy for historians. He spoke from the East Room of the White House with just 112 hours left in office.
It was his final public appearance until he greets President-elect Barack Obama on Inauguration Day at the White House's North Portico.

His final public appearance should have been back in 2000 when he conceded the election to Al Gore since the majority of Americans voted for Gore. That should have the end of W.

Bush called the inauguration of Obama, the first black president, a "moment of hope and pride" for America. "Standing on the steps of the Capitol will be a man whose story reflects the enduring promise of our land," he said.

A promise to fix all the wrongs you and your hellhounds (thanks to Marker at Echo Chamber for giving me 'hellhound') have done to this country. We have hope now, W, something you stopped giving us when you went on your nation-building mission. Hope.

I hope the door doesn't kick you in the ass on your way out.

Bush's presidency began with the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil and ends with the worst economic collapse in three generations.
"Facing the prospect of a financial collapse, we took decisive measures to safeguard our economy," he said. "These are very tough times for hardworking families, but the toll would be far worse if we had not acted. All Americans are in this together. And together, with determination and hard work, we will restore our economy to the path of growth. We will show the world once again the resilience of America's free enterprise system."

........

"Like all who have held this office before me, I have experienced setbacks," said Bush. "There are things I would do differently if given the chance. Yet I have always acted with the best interests of our country in mind. I have followed my conscience and done what I thought was right."

Setbacks. Grievous errors in judgement. Po-tay-to. Po-tah-to. At least, now, you admit to mistakes. A few years back you said you'd made no mistakes. Looks like even you, W, are seeing the truth to your horrid presidency.

Bush also prodded the nation to lead the cause of freedom and maintain its "moral clarity" in what he described as a choice between good and evil. "I have often spoken to you about good and evil," he added. "This has made some uncomfortable. But good and evil are present in this world, and between the two there can be no compromise."

Yes, W, good and evil are present in this worst, and because of your disastrous eight year run, the view of America, and Americans, has swung away from the good side, and now dangles somewhere in the middle. The world used to think of US as the Good Guy; you changed all that.

....

On national security, he highlighted his administration's efforts to equip the nation with new tools to monitor terrorists, freeze their finances and foil their plots. But he also acknowledged some of his controversial policies, including the terrorist surveillance program and harsh interrogation of suspected terrorists.
"There is legitimate debate about many of these decisions, but there can be little debate about the results," said Bush, who also reiterated his belief that spreading human liberty and freedom offers an alternative to extremism. "America has gone more than seven years without another terrorist attack on our soil."

And before 9/11 we'd gone eight years without a terrorist attack. What's your point? You, W, did not keep us safe. The attack on 9/11 came during your watch, when you had spent much of your first eight months on the job ON VACATION. Maybe if you'd been doing your job, watching the world, being present, being President, we might have been spared 9/11. We might have been spared the reputation as the torturers, of holding people prisoner without adequate representation, of doing the honorable thing in difficult time. But you, W, chose to go a different route. And that's your legacy.

Critics claim that while there has not been another attack on U.S. soil, the number of terrorist acts around the world has increased, Iran has gained influence in the Mideast, North Korea still hasn't verifiably declared its nuclear work, anti-Americanism abroad has emboldened extremists' recruitment efforts and a safe haven for terrorists remains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Reflecting on Sept. 11, Bush warned Americans not to become complacent about the threat from terrorists. "As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11, but I never did," Bush said. "Every morning, I received a briefing on the threats to our nation. And I vowed to do everything in my power to keep us safe."

I returned to normal life but you never did? That's your JOB, you moron. It's your job. Shall we all offer a collective sob to make you feel better because every day you had to be briefed? You don't get points for doing your job, W; and you didn't do that anyway.

Trumpeting his domestic record, Bush said he has presided over higher standards in public schools, a new Medicare prescription drug benefit, lower income taxes, more help for people suffering from drug addiction and the appointment of two justices to the Supreme Court.
"We have faced danger and trial, and there is more ahead," Bush said as he passed off a huge set of challenges to Obama. "But with the courage of our people and confidence in our ideals, this great nation will never tire, never falter, and never fail."

I believe we won't tire, falter or fail, now that you're gone. I am tired of eight years of faltering and failing. I am tired of eight years of lies; eight years of rich get richer, poor get left behind; tired of seeing New Orleans still trying to come back after your disastrous handling of Katrina; tired of your smug face as you tried to prop up your presidency.

You failed, W.

You faltered, W.

And we're tired of hearing you speak.