How George W. Bush Went From Liberal Pariah To Hero

Eight years of the Bush Administration and liberals across America had more than enough of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. The President and Vice President at the time, respectively, had reinvented American foreign policy in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. Although intervention abroad wasn’t exactly new, the War on Terror took things to a new level. With this new emphasis on combating terrorism, domestic policies changed as well. The surveillance state grew significantly and the Bill of Rights eroded.

Because of all these developments, liberals called the former President names such as Hitler. Antiwar protests were numerous and some citizen’s arrests were even attempted on Cheney by fringe left-wing activists.

They were not welcome figures, and it was for this reason that a political rookie rose to fame and become President. Barack Obama represented a new direction and a departure from the apparent horrors of the Bush Administration. The public was ready for a big change.

So how is it that in the aftermath of the Obama years, this once reviled pariah is now becoming a superstar on the left?

It’s quite similar to how Senator John McCain (R-AZ) has risen to fame on the left. Like Bush and Cheney, Sen. McCain seldom finds a war he doesn’t want to fight. All three politicians were prominent figures in the neoconservative reinvention of U.S. foreign policy. Because of this, the Arizona Senator was an unwelcome figure on the left for a great many years. When he went up against Obama, he was painted as a despicable old racist.

But like Bush, Sen. McCain is now gaining a great deal of praise from the left.

But why? Bush, supposedly once a Nazi who was wrecking America with war, is now a hero. The same Bush who lied to drag the military into Iraq is now a hero. How can this be?

The key to winning the affection of the American left is quite easy in this day and age. All it takes to have your past sins forgiven, no matter how heinous they may be, is to say seditious things about the current president, Donald Trump. Sen. McCain himself has famously butt heads with President Trump often, dating back to the campaign last year.

As for Obama’s predecessor, Bush has come out of the darkness to rip President Trump’s America.

Throughout the Obama years, Bush maintained his silence. He repeatedly refused bait to attack his Democratic successor, stating it wouldn’t be fair or right. His belief was that he should allow Obama to try and make America work. Even through various problems such as Obamacare, Bush stayed silent.

Now everything has changed for the left.

Through the 2000’s, it wasn’t uncommon for hyperbole to be used to describe the Bush administration. While the administration was deserving of much criticism for a number of reasons, the significance of these issues should not easily be forgotten. The rise of the surveillance state, the reinvention of foreign policy, and lying about Iraq are all extremely dangerous for numerous reasons. They shouldn’t be forgotten because the men behind these awful policies are now saying mean things about a sitting President.

No matter what he says about President Trump, former President George W. Bush is no hero.

Chris Dixon is a liberty activist and writer from Maine. In addition to being Managing Editor for the Liberty Conservative, he also writes the Bangor Daily News blog "Undercover Porcupine" and for sports website Cleatgeeks.

22 Comments

  1. I was leary of him when he was first elected as Prez..finally after that speech, I know why.. his liberal side glowing like a bright search light NOW….

  2. Yeah sure George. You sat on your ass for 8 years while Obama was in office and said nothing and now Trump is in for 8 months and all of sudden you say something. Better to be silent and have people think you’re an idiot, than to open your mouth and prove it.

Comments are closed.

Latest from Politics

Thanks for visiting our site! Stay in touch with us by subscribing to our newsletter. You will receive all of our latest updates, articles, endorsements, interviews, and videos direct to your inbox.