Project for Philosophical Evaluations of the Economy |
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The exit interview
Bullet Points on G.W. Bush’s final presidential interview, first drafted on Jan. 15,
published on Jan. 19, 2009
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George W. Bush’s last interview as President with Larry King has left Noah denkt™ with the following conclusions:
Bullet Points on G.W. Bush’s final presidential interview, first drafted on Jan. 15,
published on Jan. 19, 2009
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George W. Bush’s last interview as President with Larry King has left Noah denkt™ with the following conclusions:
- Mr. Bush is correct when he points out that actually bearing a responsibility is quite different from thinking
and opining about it.
- He is also correct when he explains that his role as commander-in-chief is primarily about staying focused
on the main issues and not getting sidetracked by a daily news agenda that is hysteric by definition.
- In this respect, it is equally true that it would be wrong for a commander-in-chief to conduct politics on the
basis of poll ratings.
- Additionally, he also gets it right when he ascertains that as President he needs to keep his underlings
motivated so that he cannot afford himself the luxury to sulk about their failings.
- And finally, Mrs. Bush is correct when she points out that some of the criticism that was levelled at her
husband was way too personal.
- As much as Mr. and Mrs. Bush get it right on the aforementioned issues, it is quite disconcerting though
that even in their final days in office, they cannot (at least publicly) show a disposition to question or revisit
any of the reasonings that have led them to take this or that policy stance.
- Given that it is quite unthinkable to believe that a reasonable leader does not have the occasional doubt
about certain decisions he took, Noah denkt™ feels compelled to state that the intransigent self-
assuredness displayed by Mr. Bush in the aforementioned interview has nothing to do with the legitimate
and principled steadfastness of a good commander-in-chief.
- Much rather do we believe that this as a sign of stubborn denial which in turn suggests that behind all this
there is quite a haunted soul hidden which saw no other option for itself but to dig itself in to be able to bear
the overwhelming criticism that has been and is being levelled at it.
- It is only because of this denial that Mr. Bush has no qualms in proclaiming that, in deed, he did sleep well
throughout the eight years, even though in an afterthought he later on felt obliged to add that, of course
there were the occasional worries that plagued him at times just before going to bed.
- On Iraq: Obviously it would have been fair for the Bush administration to argue that given the 2001 terrorist
attacks, given the continued threat for such attacks in the future and given Mr. Husseins’ entrenched
hostility towards the US (including a prior attempt to have G.H.W. Bush assassinated) the precautionary
removal of Mr. Hussein from power is imperative for the US in order to protect its national security. The
problem however is that in this clarity the respective argument was never made. Instead the Bush
government wrongly suggested an existing collaboration between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaida,
exaggerated Iraq’s WMD threat, underestimated the internal frictions in the Iraqi society, misjudged that
country’s ability to establish a democracy in its borders and generally misinterpreted the preparedness of
the Arab culture for the advent of freedom and democracy.
- Overall we have to concur with Mr. Bush when he states that some fundamental issues and challenges
have, albeit unwillingly by him, been brought to the fore though his presidency. These issues include the
inadequacy of Mr. Bush’s unilateral foreign policy approach, the inability to export democracy through
controversial preemptive strikes, and the ineptness of a simple-minded, technocratic neo-liberalism to
manage the economy.
- In conclusion Noah denkt™ cannot help but state that in its opinion Mr. Bush probably is an affable human
being, who should however never have tried to win the Presidency in the first place.
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