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However, after seven years in office Bush's overall performance has been disappointing, especially because of his Iraq policy, which has been widely criticized both at home and abroad. Within the United States, the Democrats have described his policy as a "catastrophic failure."
Troubles seem to have hit the country one after another during his term -- daily suicide attacks in Iraq, the Katrina hurricane, school shootings, and the recent California forest fires. Unhappy anti-war demonstrators have gone so far as to proclaim, "God hates America."
U.S. policy in Iraq cannot be called successful. Hardly a day passes without a terrorist attack. Suicide bombings have become footnotes to the daily news reports. The fighting in Iraq has caused millions of casualties to the affected nations, as well as to the American people. The physical casualties can be counted, however the spiritual harm is incalculable. The United States did not find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, yet continued its war against an invisible foe called "terror."
Of course it is not Bush alone who bears responsibility for the failed outcome in Iraq. Vice President Dick Cheney, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and former Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz were major architects of the war. Either their intelligence or their analysis proved fatally wrong -- not only were there no WMDs, but their expectations that Americans would be greeted as liberators and the war would be over within six months also proved totally wrong.
A side effect of the Iraq invasion has been a deep partisan division among the U.S. public. Contributing factors to this divide include Bush's leadership style, his choice of policies and governing strategies, but, most of all, it is his failure to win the war in Iraq quickly and decisively. A majority of Americans supported the war at the outset; now a majority wants it ended as quickly as possible.
Perhaps worst of all is that the aggressive U.S. position in Iraq has resulted in a credibility crisis for the United States as the nation that carries the banner of freedom. The invasion of Iraq not only alienated old Cold War enemies like Russia and China, but also distanced allies like Germany and France, and created differences with some friendly countries like Japan, South Korea and India. Even Taiwan, which has always been submissive to the White House, has dared to offend and ignore American warnings over its moves toward "independence."
Bush started out as a "good guy" in the eyes of most Americans -- the typical Texas hero ready to uphold law and order and defend his country and people. He came from a good family, which instilled in him the virtues of compassion, responsibility, love and honesty. He gave up drinking and stuck to his religion. He defended his father when George Bush Sr. faced criticism during his presidency, and he carried on his family's political heritage in the White House, surpassing his father's record by winning a second term.
He also invaded Iraq in 2003 and eventually killed Saddam Hussein, taking revenge and fulfilling his father's unfinished mission following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
After seven years in office, Bush is now seen as a "bad guy" by many Americans, and by people all around the world, in nations considered traditional friends as well as foes of the United States. Bush has stirred up trouble. His War on Terror has alienated many people, especially in Muslim nations. It has also aroused anger in nations that feel pressured to participate. He has not made his country safer.
Bush's presidency will come to an end in January, 2009. What kind of legacy will he leave to his country and the world? Regardless of who wins the next presidency, the new president will have ample lessons to draw from his predecessor's policies. Hopefully the next U.S. administration will be more responsible in its handling of global affairs -- especially if it wants to regain its lost "good guy" image.
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(Zhang Quanyi is an associate professor at the Zhejiang Wanli University in Ningbo, China, and a PhD candidate at Shanghai International Studies University, studying policy making and collective identity. He is currently a research fellow at the School of International Studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, under a grant by the Korea Foundation. He can be contacted at qyzhangupi@yahoo.com. ©Copyright Zhang Quanyi.)
