How Do You Grade The Presidency of George W. Bush?<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
By Brannon S. Howse
 
 
On my live radio program, Thursday afternoon, I asked my audience to grade the Presidency of George W. Bush as an A, B, C, D, or F. Not one caller gave him an A. In fact, he averaged the grade of a C. Click here to hear the achieved broadcast
 
Right now we are conducting a poll on the homepage of www.christianworldviewnetwork.com and at the time I am writing this piece, the President is not even averaging a C. Of course, that might change as our poll is taken by more people.
 
The bottom line is this; true conservatives are extremely disappointed in President Bush. Without Reagan conservatives, he would not have been elected and re-elected and they feel like their worldview was not strongly and consistently represented.
 
Two of the greatest failures of President Bush was squandering two historic opportunities. After eight long years of putting up with the antics of Bill and Hillary Clinton, and their big government, the American people were hungry to follow a leader that was moral, convicted and conservative. After 9-11, he again was given a great opportunity to lead like no other president in modern time. On both accounts, President Bush squandered his opportunities.
 
President Bush has proven that he was not a Ronald Reagan conservative but a big government moderate at best.  
 
Here are a few reasons why I think President Bush deserves, at best, the grade of C for his Presidency:
 

• Under his "compassionate conservatism", which means massive, liberal social spending programs, we have seen the government grow beyond the growth rates of Bill Clinton, even when you take out military spending.
• Under the Bush Administration, the Department of Education grew. This happened with such legislation as "No Child Left Behind" that President Bush passed by partnering with Senator Ted Kennedy.
• Bush pushed for the amnesty of 20 million illegal aliens when he knew that it was not what the American people desired.
• The Solicitor General of President Bush has argued before the U.S. Supreme Court against the 2nd Amendment and in favor of depriving the citizens of D.C. the right to bear arms. If the Court agrees with the Solicitor General, this could be chilling for the 2nd Amendment.
• In January 2008, President Bush traveled to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Israel to urge Israel to give up their land to terrorists. President Bush turned on Israel by telling them to stop occupying the land. 
• Bush pushed through his big government prescription drug program. 
• The Bush administration has been teeming with radical homosexuals like Mark Dybul at the State Department
• His administration has introduced and promoted the North American Union
• An executive order by President Bush allowed for an estimated 100 Mexican trucking companies to travel over our borders. This is not only dangerous but drives down the wages of American truckers and makes the trafficking of drugs more likely.
• President Bush refused to fund and build a wall to keep out illegal aliens. President Bush signed a bill to fund and build the wall before the last election and then his administration put so much red tape in the way that its construction was halted.
• President Bush has celebrated the Muslim holiday Ramadan inside the White House.
• President Bush has refused to pardon two border patrol agents that shot a convicted drug dealer in the side of the butt. These two men now sit in prison and one was assaulted while in prison.
• The administration of President Bush has built a U.S. Embassy in Bagdad that cost nearly one billion dollars.
•  President Bush was slow on defending traditional marriage once in office. Months of meetings and arm twisting by the Arlington Group was required to finally get the President to give a speech in defense of a Constitutional Amendment to defend marriage.
• There are reports from former White House insiders that major players inside the White House would regularly mock evangelical conservatives.
• President Bush could have quickly signed legislation to make the cross in San Diego a national memorial and shut-up the liberal ACLU that wanted the cross removed. President Bush waited months before responding.
• President Bush has failed to defend his policies and administration in a well crafted and executed public relations campaign. He failed to use the "bully pulpit" to sell his agenda to the American people. For instance, why did he not introduce former, top Iraqi air force general Georges Sada to the American people in a major press conference? General Sada spent months in the US speaking and promoting his book, Saddam's Secrets. General Sada said that Saddam Hussein smuggled biological and chemical weapons into Syria, using civilian airliners acting under cover of a humanitarian mission.
• President Bush has allowed the globalist at the State Department to set his foreign policy agenda.

 
I think you get the idea. I will stop adding to this list.
 
On the positive side, President Bush has:
 

• Given us tax cuts
• Defended America and thus far prevented any additional attacks since 9-11
• Defended the sanctity of life and refused to federally fund embryonic stem cell research.
• Appointed what may turn out to be two conservatives to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Returned honor to the Oval Office in his personal conduct and behavior.

The Reagan conservatives are so discouraged by the last eight years and the current crop of Republican candidates, that it will be a miracle if they show up at the poll to vote in large numbers. In fact, if they do show up to vote, it will not be that they are voting for the Republican (liberal or moderate) that is nominated but voting against Hillary or Obama.
 
Indeed President Bush was far better than the alternative of Gore and Kerry. However, the extreme liberal and socialists candidates of the Democrats should not define what we are willing to accept.
 
Thanks to President George W. Bush, the bar has been lowered as to what a "conservative" is and the Republican Party may not survive. Do you really think if President George W. Bush had been a leader like President Reagan the party standard would have been lowered to allow for such candidates as Giuliani, McCain, Romney and Huckabee?
 
So what do you think? Post your thoughts on our website below. Also go to the home-page of www.christianworldviewnetwork.com and scroll down the page to give President Bush a grade on his presidency when you take our poll.