Art Buchwald: How Bush will be viewed by history
To ward off his low popularity numbers, President Bush recently said history would vindicate him.
Fifty or 60 years from today, a U.S. president will say, "Thank goodness a generation of Americans rose to the challenge and helped people be liberated from tyranny."
It was a smart idea, laying his present problems on history rather than himself. The speech was given at a fundraiser in Minneapolis, so we have no idea how history will judge Bush.
The question is, who would write the president's history?
The great Republican historians will be gone -- Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Ann Coulter and Pat Buchanan.
Those on the Democratic side of the House will write their own version.
Possibly the "born-again" writers will write the country's history. The schoolbooks will read something like this:
"George W. Bush, our 43rd president, son of George H.W. Bush, who was also president, was first and foremost a man of God. For this reason, the Christians helped get him elected to make sure no more liberals were appointed to the Supreme Court. ...
Although 60 years from today the pro-Bush historians will have their say, the antiwar historians will also be writing.
President Bush's name will appear as an asterisk.
"George W. was one of the worst presidents the United States ever had. He got us into war and couldn't get us out. He dashed all good relations with foreign nations and accused people who were anti-Bush of being traitors.
"He lied every time he quoted his father and said, 'Read my lips.' "
So 60 years from now, history will tell us whether Bush did the right thing when he ran the country, or was suffering from dementia.
Fifty or 60 years from today, a U.S. president will say, "Thank goodness a generation of Americans rose to the challenge and helped people be liberated from tyranny."
It was a smart idea, laying his present problems on history rather than himself. The speech was given at a fundraiser in Minneapolis, so we have no idea how history will judge Bush.
The question is, who would write the president's history?
The great Republican historians will be gone -- Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Ann Coulter and Pat Buchanan.
Those on the Democratic side of the House will write their own version.
Possibly the "born-again" writers will write the country's history. The schoolbooks will read something like this:
"George W. Bush, our 43rd president, son of George H.W. Bush, who was also president, was first and foremost a man of God. For this reason, the Christians helped get him elected to make sure no more liberals were appointed to the Supreme Court. ...
Although 60 years from today the pro-Bush historians will have their say, the antiwar historians will also be writing.
President Bush's name will appear as an asterisk.
"George W. was one of the worst presidents the United States ever had. He got us into war and couldn't get us out. He dashed all good relations with foreign nations and accused people who were anti-Bush of being traitors.
"He lied every time he quoted his father and said, 'Read my lips.' "
So 60 years from now, history will tell us whether Bush did the right thing when he ran the country, or was suffering from dementia.