Will History Be Kinder to Pres. Bush or V.P. Cheney?
(PHOTO CREDIT: SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Vice President Dick Cheney gave an interview to ABC's Jonathan Karl in which he defended the administration's decision to invade Iraq, the war on terror, water boarding, Guantanamo and more. Yesterday President Bush gave a similar interview to our Candy Crowley.
With only 34 days left in office both men are reflecting on the past eight years and perhaps thinking about their legacy and how they'll be remembered. It's a time to talk up their accomplishments in the hopes that critics attention will be diverted from the other stuff.
Bush and Cheney are leaving Washington in the middle of two wars and the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.
There is certainly no shortage of memories of our 43rd president. Everything from speaking at Ground Zero after the 9/11 attacks to the time he choked on a pretzel and fainted while watching Sunday night football.
Then there's the Vice President. He has redefined the role of the Nation's second in command. He will long be remembered for that but also for shooting his hunting companion in the face in 2006.
Here’s my question to you: Who will history be kindest to: President Bush or Vice President Cheney?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Philip from Toronto, Canada writes:
Kinder to Bush, he is just a dupe and a slow thinker, propelled from failure to failure by his father’s political and financial connections. Cheney on the other hand is evil, self absorbed and more than likely an undiagnosed sociopath. A power-mad Rasputin unrestrained in his own lies and deceits. He feels no one's suffering except his own.
Marie from Ontario writes:
History will be kinder to Bush as he is widely regarded simply as a buffoon in need of adult supervision and totally under the influence of Cheney and the other extremists. On the other hand Cheney is viewed more as a very evil and sinister figure that operated in the shadows to gain benefits for himself and his corporate buddies.
Judy from Exeter, California writes:
It seems Bush is taking the lead here. The White House has given its priority to cleaning up the images of both men, so we can all look upon them with great admiration in the future. I wonder how long it will take for the families of our fallen soldiers and those of the dead and maimed Iraqis to change their minds?
Marie writes:
Bush. People tend to forgive incompetence before malice.
Wariz from New Jersey writes:
I deeply hope that when my children are studying this period in American History class, Cheney and Bush will appear as nothing more than a blip. A long forgotten memory of a dark period in our country's history. Let us look forward to new leadership and new beginnings.
Alan from Buxton, Maine writes:
Historians are the greatest fiction writers ever so who knows what they might say. Bush is just stupid but Cheney is evil so they will have to use their imaginations to rewrite the last eight years to make either of them look human.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
Neither, They make Nixon look like an amatuer.
History should not be kind to either of them but if I were to choose one I would have to say Bush.
Jack, I think history will be much kinder to Vice President Cheney. Although recent history will be much harsher to Cheney, in the long run, Presidents are the ones that are remembered, not Vice Presidents. Do you remember who the Vice President was during the Grant Administration? During the Harding Administration? Exactly.
The buck stops where? VP's are not pictured in our history books so go figure Jack, it will be Dick WHO. Bush deserves to go to prison for war crimes as does Chenney and the others but nothing will become of it. Justice may not come to them until they have to answer to the Almighty.
Hey Jack,
It will depend on how long it takes the courts to try these two criminals for treason and war crimes against Humanity!
Thomas, Carlsbad, CA
Histroy will be kinder to bush people know his mental abilitys are to avg to creat the hell they have brought to our world .Cheney has a heartless unamerican mental state I dont think he can help himself the mind is broken
Definitely Bush. History rarely even remembers VPs. Then again, with Cheney that's probably best.
History will be kinder to Bush, only because he is a pretty pathetic figure. It won't be so kind to Cheney because it doesn't have to be. It will be interesting to see what Bush's library will include.
The way I see it, it becomes a case of 0 for 2. I can't wait for the international court tries the two for war crimes. Incidentally, we could enter the president in the newest Olympic event: Shoe Tossing.
I hope neither. Both should be tried as war criminals.
i believe George W. Bush will quickly go down as the worst president in the history of the nation. For a few years, people will remember that Dick Cheney, his mentor, was actually responsible for most of what went wrong, but over time the vice-president will be forgotten and the dubious honor will be his alone.
History like Justice should be without prejudice, however neither is exempt from foul odours.
I am always confused when to use who and when to use whom. This question would seem to be a "whom" question to me. I would like Jack to explain why it isn't.
No, they have to be held responsible for the suffering they have caused here in North America and around the world. War based on lies, war profiteering, torture, cronyism the list goes on and on.
It can be argued that Cheney is more evil than Bush, but he can not be accused of being incompetent like Bush. Overall I think Bush will take the most punishment.
Jack,
I don't think that history will be kind to either of them, but Bush will surely bear the brunt of the distain as he was the Head Hauncho, the man in charge, the ultimate one responsible.
Judie
St. Augustine, Fl
Probably Bush, who has mostly been a weak-minded tool of an intelligent and cunning Cheney who has been the puppet-master with the elitist vision.
Ha!...History will hopefully reveal the truth & show them both to be a joke' in terms of leadership and put them in their place
Which will be 'last' place, the all time 'worst' presidency ever!
I hope that history reflects the truth regarding Bush and Cheney. Especially how they took our country to war in Iraq for their own personal reasons. Please note both of their statements of admission to that fact over the last few day of interviews.
When History is written about the Bush-Cheney era, it will reflect a time of mostly economic prosperity as well as a time when our President and Vice-President protected America from terrorist attacks. Our new President and Congress "wish" they can protect us as well as Bush-Cheney has. The whining sissys who plead the cases of the terrorists at Gitmo will never even be mentioned in my grandaughter's history book.
Jack, with all the scandals and schizophrenic behavior that has taken place with our current administration, being it Iraq or the President most recent attempt to sale the State of Utah to his oil friends, which is a lot more important than the witch hunt that is currently taking place with Barack Obama, can only be described as paranormal. So why we are trying to write their history, they are stealing us blind.
neither, the souls and lives of many lie on their shoulders and what goes around will come around to them.
It's possible that the President will still be viewed as the fool that surrounded himself with people who had all of the wrong advice. Or as a man who picked people that wanted to settle an old score from the previous Bush 41 administration. However, I think it's more likely that he will be viewed as a President who got dealt a really bad hand and did the best he could with the cards he had. On the other hand, I think VP Cheney will be history's 'bad guy'. I still equate VP Cheney with the Wizard of Oz – behind the scenes, yet controlling everything about the Wizard. I think as time goes on, VP Cheney will be shown to be, in some cases, the 'real' President.
Jack: History will not be kinder to either-and that will be recorded-looking for kindness for Bush or Cheney-that's is better left to God. But if you want Jack, be kind to unkind people - they need it the most.
I think they will be more kinder to Bush then Mr. Cheney. President Bush will probably come across as a person that became overwhelmed by the presidency. A person that did not have the intelligence to be president and was led by others in making some of the worst decisions in the history of our nation. A president who knowingly lied to the country to get what he wanted. Cheney on the other hand will be shown as the vice president is actually became president without any transfer of power. A vice president who talked out of the side of the mouth while deliberately lying to the country to help achieve the invasion of Iraq, for the sole purpose of getting their oil. Both men will be shown as people who had no respect for our constitution and stepped all over it with impeachable offenses.
NOPE!!..they committed war crimes and got away with murder..bush and cheney were very arrogant in their interviews when it comes talking about the war, mass weapons of destruction etc....i really don't care how historians will remember them..
history will not remember Dick Cheney as much as it will President Bush. Since Bush was the President, not Cheney, history will be kinder to Cheney.
History willl see these 2 were just following orders. Cheney, a little more deftly. Eventually, history will see the puppetmasters, and not just the puppets. The oligarchs that put these two knuckleheads in place are the ones who will get the rath of history.
History will be kinder to Vice President Cheney. Thinking to any presidency before JFK, how many Vice Presidents' names can you even remember learning in history class? Our grandchildren will hardly know of the things Cheney did to our country.
This is real easy. Bush comes across as
just insipid. Cheney comes across as
a real bad dude. Especially after his
recent comments about ordering the
torture (water boarding) of arabs.
Also, Cheney and big oil portend
big problems.
Both should share a cell but Cheney's term should be longer.
🙂
That depends on how well Bush and/or Cheney re-write history.
I hope that history lumps Bush/Cheney together just like they lumped the American people together and labeled us as "stupid" and "patsies". However, I hope that history brands them as "criminals"-which they are.
Cheney, because we'll simply forget all about him like we do most Vice Presidents.
How can you separate the puppet from the puppeteer? We all know Bush wasn't smart enough to get into THIS much trouble! Since they are joined at some point on their anatomies, I don't think history will separate them out in remembering them. It is a joint legacy of corruption, Constitutional erosion, ineptitude, and lies.
Cheney will be be remembered more favorably. He is better at hiding the bodies. Remember the body-sized safe in his office. Putting the Vice in President since 200.
Neither. This is sort of our "Black Plague" of the New Millenium. Its going to take us generations to get respect in this world. I don't think either one will do well in History books.
It seems Bush is taking the lead here. The white house has given it's priority to cleaning up the images of both men, so we can all look upon them with great admiration in the future. I wonder how long it will take for the families of our fallen soldiers, and those of the dead and maimed Iraqis' to change their minds?
History should reflect the behaviors, decisions and actions of both. Cheney knows who he is. He supports waterboarding, the war and WMD hunting. Bush will be seen as the President who was always ducking the shoe.
Neither position is coveted.
Bush. People tend to forgive incompetence before malice.
Bush will be remembered as a simpleton in over his head and Cheney will be remembered as the man with the bionic heart.
Ray Kinserlow
Lubbock, Texas
Larry or Curly? Tough choice as either stooge was about equal in ineptness and all that is wrong with the human species.
Even though I believe Cheney has run this show, history should be kinder to him. Why? Because Bush is the ultimate "decider"; he has the final say; he was given that power when elected. So, history should really lay the blame on Bush.
(Jack – I laughed so hard at the way you described Bush & Cheney in this question! Thanks for a good chuckle on a gloomy day!)
History will be kind to neither Bush nor Cheney.
Thieir no buck stops here approach, failing to admit errors, to an opaque executive branch is in my opinion the worst administration in US history.
Their preemptive Iraq war for oil and contracts is indefensible, denying torture while waterboarding, rendition, and general trampling on our constitution made Nixon's offenses look mild.
Probably kinder to Cheney: while no orator, at least his sentences were coherent - if disgusting, damaging, dangerous and demeaning.
Cheney looks like someone that can manipulate someone like Bush. History should apoint them as arrogants and for making the American people believe that the Iraq war is working as good as the Wall Street bailout. I know none of these two things are working for our benefit.
I recently went to the Lincoln Library and there is a room where they talk about how he was ridiculed and called names by the media and is now a National Treasure and hero. I believe the same will be the case for Bush more than Cheney. I know this might be a hard pill to swallow for some but he has kept us safe since 9/11. If we have an attack in the next few years I think people will be appreciating him and his administrations efforts much more. Besides history is never kind to VPs.
I will wait and see the book that either of them will write. Probably call
it "This is the way things were done"
History will be kindest to Cheney. Why? He's only the VP. Bush is the man in charge. It all happened on Bush's watch. History will show Bush was weak in management skills, dysfunctional and a liar.
Try to corpate with them
It is hard to conceive of history being kind to either. They have acted in concert and both are responsible for the extreme difficulties we are in. Only partisan historians will speak kindly of them. The truely objective Historians will look at the facts and there is no way their judgements can be kind.
Neither one
Bush will fair better. no one here in Las Vegas blames a casino front man for the actions of the mobsters that really are in control.
probably will be the same with Bush and Cheney.
Clearly we're looking for the "lesser" of two EVILS. President Bush is simply an idiot who was used by the puppet master Cheney. After VP Cheney's shocking admission in an interview recently that he "authorized" the use of torture (and he stands behind that decision today), hopefully, history and the American judicial system will treat him very harshly. I can only assume that VP Cheney willing made these admissions because he knows a pardon is waiting in the wings for him.
As Americans, we have been lied to and used. We need to stand up and point out that the revisionist history that Bush and Cheny are now spinning is not going to work a second time. History and the American people should be very harsh on both of them. They deserve no less.
Define kind...!
History will remember President Bush for his failed policies and almost bringing America to its knees, its fallout with countries around the world and the fiasco of the war in Iraq. VP Cheney will be remembered for the shootin incident that almost killed his friend and being a yes man for all failed policies
Was history kind to Nero? No and it shouldn’t be to Bush either. He’s done more harm to us, than Nero did to Rome. As a nation, we are going to be fortunate, if we can dig out of the mess they have put us in.
Bush's legacy will morph into the general positives of the legacies of other presidents with controversial administrations. In the long run, he will be remembered for his 911 speech and not for his "mission accomplished" carrier landing. He will be remembered for the lack of terrorist attacks following 911, perhaps because he bottled up the terrorists on Iraq. He brought the economy out of the 2002 recession caused by Clinton (although no one remembers Clinton for that). etc., etc.
I think that history will forget Chaney, as it does all VP's
History will be kinder to Cheney! It's hard to place the blame on someone who spent eight years in an undisclosed location! Bush was visible and he deserves the blame! He was the "decider".
History will be kinder to Bush, since we tend to excuse those who appear mentally challenged. I think he really believes the revised history he’s been preaching on his “Farewell Tour.” Pathetic.
History is just a bunch of lies that a certain amount of people agree on. If people listen to the re-write of the last 8 years that Bush & Cheney are doing now on t.v, then "history" will be good to them.
There won't be a whole lot of difference. Cheney will probably come out worse, but only relatively speaking.
To paraphrase this administration when they said we're safer but not yet safe...
Bush will be treated kinder but not kind
There's an old saying: "Whatever hits the fan, it won't be evenly distributed!"
In other words, I think that history will judge Bush as the lovable idiot, and it will judge Cheney as the dark lord of the Sith.
I wish George Lucas would make just one more Star Wars sequel, and use Dick Cheney's voice for Darth Vader. I bet that he won't even have to read the script!!
Neither. History will be more kinder to the shoe thrower, even though he missed.
History will be kinder to Bush because the Republicans are spending 50 million on refurbishing his image over the next 5 years.
I think they will both ultimately be remembered as war criminals as Cheney himself admitted yesterday without any fear of prosecution whatsoever.
And this terrible Congress will be remembered as one who let them get away with war crimes and every other sort of foolish mistake and crime while it sat on it's hands and did nothing.
It remains to be seen if the Obama administration will restore the rule of law, but I fear they will also choose to sweep this under the rug and stain their own legacy as well.
Janice – Aberdeen, SD
Who will history be kindest to: President Bush or Vice President Cheney?
Dear Jack,
As I was listening to the interview with President Bush, what surprised me was to think about the timing...it felt too early even for him to start making sense of his legacy and there must be a fatigue from the population that are going through tough times and I am not sure that they feel compassionate about anything being said at this time from the President or Vice-President for that matter.
It reminded me of an image of how a parent slaps you behind the head (trust me I still remember..) and when one day they finally get caught they make a joke about it that it was tough love to justify their actions to strangers. That's the uneasy feeling I got when I heard these interviews.
Bottom line : history will be different for every american! Kinder? At home or abroad? I think that at home and abroad people are really looking for a very different ambiance from government which brings us back to your first question about what republicans can do to help Obama..start thinking right now about the history making that you are making now for your legacy during this economic crisis.
One can only hope that history records the impeachment and life jail terms for these two. History should only tell the story of one of the blackest eras in the United States.The sad tale of power absolute, and aggression so grievous, against another Nation, and the subsequent murder of thousands of innocents, from many Nations, not the least of them, Americans. History be kind to either one? NO.
Not if the things which I've heard about them both ever comes to light...
Jack,
I deeply hope that when my children are studying this period in American History class, Cheney and Bush will appear as nothing more than a blip. A long forgotten memory of a dark period in our country's history. Let us look forward to new leadership and new beginnings.
NONE of the above.
Jack If I were a Historian and had to write my opinion of Bush& Cheney There isn't a publisher in the world that would print it. There isn't a material in this world that could stand the heat. These to have got to be the bottom of the barrel.
Time is the healer of all wounds. No one can rewrite the disasters of Bush and Cheney but in the future some may believe they were motivated by good intentions. The last eight years have been a heck of a ride for Americans and I doubt that most that has lived through them will be inclined to forgive and forget.
History will find that Bush was much better than the 2 previous Democrat presidents. Since 9/11, there were no terrorist attacks on us. The economy was thriving under his administration until the democrats took control of congress. His approval ratings were better than the democrat congress. The negative is that he did not finish the war in Iraq. He put too many restrictions on the military. Then the war would never have been fought if it weren't for Democrat President Jimmy Carter allowing terrorists to overthrow the Shah of Iran and hold Americans hostages for 444 days. The money spent on the was in Iraq and deaths rests on Carter's shoulders. He was the worst president in history.
Taking everything into consideration, history will be kinder to
Bush.
It takes a whole lot of manure to grow a beautifull rose. I think bush legacey will take a lot of fertilizer to make a beautiful rose as far as the presidents legacey goes.
wow. first time you stumped me jack! good job!
My sincere hope is that for the sake of Democracy history will record them both as they were without revision – both destroyed the character of America.
Presidents are always the main focus of history since they ultimately make the final decisions. VP Cheney will be the focus of constitutional scholars as they explore the expanding power of the executive branch in general and that of the current VP in particular. Since Cheney's was the voice in the president's ear regarding torture and warrantless wiretaps of US citizens, I hope he shares President Bush's fate in federal court for violations of US law and the constitution or in The Hague for violations of international laws and treaties.
The lesser said about these two in the history books, the better.
Probably Cheney because he was smart enough to divert all of the problems onto Bush.
Jack, I think history will be much kinder to Vice President Cheney. Although recent history will be much harsher to Cheney, in the long run, Presidents are the ones that are remembered, not Vice Presidents. Do you remember who the Vice President was during the Grant Administration? During the Harding Administration? No? Exactly.
History will be kinder to Bush simply because he was second in command.
An accurate history will not be kind to either of them. There should be no mercy for these two.
Well Jack, the answer to your question in my view is that since Bush is the President, history will deal him a harsh blow, in effect, treating Cheney a bit kinder, but not by much. When Bush name is mentioned in a historical context for years to come, his legacy will be 9/11, Afghanistan, Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2008 meltdown of the US economy!
What a legacy! Thanks George!
I actually think Bush will fare better. He's a tragic figure who just didn't get it. Cheney, on the other hand, is evil personified.
I don't think it's a matter of history being kind to either Bush or Cheney. I think they should serve as a reminder that never again will history repeat itself.
In order for history to have an opinion, history will have to know at least some of the facts about this administration. So as this lot will have learned from the mistakes that Nixon made when covering his tracks, I doubt that history will have much actual first hand information on which to base a premise.
As much as Cheney was the puppet-master, it will be Bush who will be vilified as the worst president since at least Herbert Hoover. And the shoe incident will be a lasting memory he will never shake.