Attack on Bush was inappropriate
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Jerome C. Burchard
Published: July 21, 2008
How truly sad and ironic that in the the days surrounding celebration and commemoration of the principles and ideals on which our nation was founded, we are assailed by a rude partisan critique and
politicization of the presence of our president at the naturalization ceremony at Monticello. The purpose of the event, supposedly, is to publicly recognize the significance and honor of the naturalization
procedure and of a representative group of individuals who have declared their belief and commitment to the aforementioned principles and ideals.
That should have been the story.
Instead, our assailant sought the views and opinion of those who regard the participation of this president as a vain and personal exploitation of Monticello and an affront to the academic and Democratic
political communities of Charlottesville.
What is this Center for Politics at the University? Is it simply a peculiarly-named political science department or is it another contemporary university hotbed of political dissent and unrest? What is its
purpose? Is it publicly funded?
When this guy Sabato is quoted as having said, “Bush is so unpopular in so many places these days that it’s tough for him to find anywhere outside military academies, military installations or religious
schools where he can appear happily,” how are we to read this other than as a gratuitous and elitist slur on the military academies, the military in general and religious schools?
And he is further quoted as saying, “In this area, he is probably 80 percent unpopular.” It this an objective assessment or is it giddy gloating?
Is this abnormal distribution of opinion something the academic community is proud of and more evidence of the liberal political warp that typifies our institutions of “higher learning” these days?
The legacy of President Bush will be determined in the greater context of history and not by the sniping and carping of his present-day detractors and definitely not by the audacity of his appearance at a
naturalization ceremony at Monticello.
One thing is for certain and that is that he has cast a long shadow, which means that the reality of the situation is that his successor is the one whose legacy is most at risk.
JEROME C. BURCHARD
Gainesville
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Posted by ( jVA ) on July 22, 2008 at 8:23 am
“How truly sad and ironic that in the the days surrounding celebration and commemoration of the principles and ideals…“
Such as free speech? How truly sad…
“One thing is for certain and that is that he has cast a long shadow, which means that the reality of the situation is that his successor is the one whose legacy is most at risk. “
You couldn’t be more correct. Whether the next president is McCain or Obama, good luck to that man in trying to successfully rescue our country from the disastrous eight years of George W. Bush. It will not be an easy task for either of them. I don’t see how either will have much room to worry about their own agenda and legacy. They will be cleaning up after Bush.
“how are we to read this other than as a gratuitous and elitist slur on the military academies, the military in general “
Of course you can read it that way if you’re an insane wingnut looking for a slight. Fact is that the President can always appear safely at military academies and installations, because he is the commander in chief. Our troops will always show respect for the position whether or not they respect the man. They are not allowed to protest or dissent.
Thanks for your concern though, Jerome. Having lived at both a military academy and several military installations, rest assured that I was not the least bit offended by the original statement.
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Posted by ( Godsaveus ) on July 22, 2008 at 8:05 am
Let the history judge president G.W.Bush. Jimmy Carter Peace Price Novel recipient is one of the worst presidents we ever had, noboby knew he was so bad at that time,but he lead the worst foreing policy we ever had.
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Posted by ( kgotthardt ) on July 22, 2008 at 7:02 am
“celebration and commemoration of the principles and ideals on which our nation was founded”
That depends on how you define “ideals.“ We have suffered some serious affronts to our democratic process and Constitution over the past decade. This isn’t about parties. It’s about maintaining a healthy nation, and right now, our nation is not healthy.
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Posted by ( raywilliams ) on July 22, 2008 at 4:54 am
Osama bin Laden also casts a long shadow and has a legacy that will determined by history. Legacies do not infer greatness. Republicans spent $50 million trying to bring down the legacy of Bill Clinton. Democrats have needed to spend nothing on assisting Mr. Bush determine his.
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