Comments on: As his time runs out, George Bush rushes through controversial legislation http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/ Daily views on British politics and the Conservative Party from a centre-right thinker who writes letters on his blog to politicians, journalists and many others. Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:37:35 +0100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Umbongo http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/#comment-4621 Umbongo Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:46:41 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=1489#comment-4621 LFAT Thanks for the explanation re rating I'm not exonerating Bush. All I'm saying is that they all do it so Bush should get no harder ride (or easier one for that matter) than anyone else. However you can bet your boots - or Conservative Party Membership Card - that the commentariat will give Bush a going over for inappropriate pardons while throwing reports of similar behaviour by past (Democratic) presidents down the memory hole. BTW - this list: George W Bush - 113 (to date) Bill Clinton - 396 George HW Bush - 74 Ronald Reagan - 393 Jimmy Carter - 534 Gerald Ford - 382 Richard Nixon - 863 Lyndon Johnson - 960 John F Kennedy - 472 from this 2007 article <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas//6746947.stm" rel="nofollow">here</a> might be instructive. We know Nixon was a crook (well they probably all are, but Nixon was caught) but, setting his "magnanimity" aside, it appears that recent Democratic presidents were freer with their executive pardons than Republicans. Even so, despite my low expectations of the commentariat this time round, in 2001 the <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/feb/15/usa.philhoad?gusrc=rss&feed=global" rel="nofollow">Guardian</a> gave Clinton a bashing and refused to give Carter a free pass even though he issued a blanket pardon for Vietnam protestors/deserters etc. LFAT

Thanks for the explanation re rating

I’m not exonerating Bush. All I’m saying is that they all do it so Bush should get no harder ride (or easier one for that matter) than anyone else. However you can bet your boots – or Conservative Party Membership Card – that the commentariat will give Bush a going over for inappropriate pardons while throwing reports of similar behaviour by past (Democratic) presidents down the memory hole.

BTW – this list:

George W Bush – 113 (to date)
Bill Clinton – 396
George HW Bush – 74
Ronald Reagan – 393
Jimmy Carter – 534
Gerald Ford – 382
Richard Nixon – 863
Lyndon Johnson – 960
John F Kennedy – 472

from this 2007 article here might be instructive.

We know Nixon was a crook (well they probably all are, but Nixon was caught) but, setting his “magnanimity” aside, it appears that recent Democratic presidents were freer with their executive pardons than Republicans. Even so, despite my low expectations of the commentariat this time round, in 2001 the Guardian gave Clinton a bashing and refused to give Carter a free pass even though he issued a blanket pardon for Vietnam protestors/deserters etc.

]]> By: jmb http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/#comment-4600 jmb Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:35:34 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=1489#comment-4600 This just goes to show how he values democracy, not. I would like to say unbelievable! But it is not, in fact it is almost expected. This just goes to show how he values democracy, not. I would like to say unbelievable! But it is not, in fact it is almost expected.

]]> By: Shaun Pilkington http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/#comment-4598 Shaun Pilkington Fri, 21 Nov 2008 21:14:43 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=1489#comment-4598 And, speaking as a staunch critic of bush sine his election via the one-man-one-vote system where the one man had to be a Supreme Court Justice, cogniscent of his early spy-plane-in-China debacle (April 2001 - http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/04/01/us.china.plane/), he's not thus far managed to get us all killed and that has pleased, and surprised, me greatly! And, speaking as a staunch critic of bush sine his election via the one-man-one-vote system where the one man had to be a Supreme Court Justice, cogniscent of his early spy-plane-in-China debacle (April 2001 – http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/04/01/us.china.plane/), he’s not thus far managed to get us all killed and that has pleased, and surprised, me greatly!

]]> By: LFAT http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/#comment-4597 LFAT Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:53:51 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=1489#comment-4597 Umbongo, the rating for every comment starts at 2.5 and goes up or down from there depending on what your fellow commentors think! I'm sure Clinton tried something similar but that doesn't exactly exhonerate Bush.... Jean, I expect Obama to get straight to work on Bush's actions. No doubt he is watching what is happening very carefully. Paulson is also watching his reputation suffer at the moment. Asquith, I'm not sure this is purely an anti-liberal agenda. I've always got the feeling that Bush has been holding back on precisely these sorts of policies to prop up his faltering poll ratings for many years, but now he knows that his time is running out and has clearly made a conscious decision to enforce his own personal religious beliefs on America. Umbongo, the rating for every comment starts at 2.5 and goes up or down from there depending on what your fellow commentors think! I’m sure Clinton tried something similar but that doesn’t exactly exhonerate Bush….

Jean, I expect Obama to get straight to work on Bush’s actions. No doubt he is watching what is happening very carefully. Paulson is also watching his reputation suffer at the moment.

Asquith, I’m not sure this is purely an anti-liberal agenda. I’ve always got the feeling that Bush has been holding back on precisely these sorts of policies to prop up his faltering poll ratings for many years, but now he knows that his time is running out and has clearly made a conscious decision to enforce his own personal religious beliefs on America.

]]> By: asquith http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/#comment-4596 asquith Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:34:27 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=1489#comment-4596 Their treatment of abortion providers counterproductive. If someone like Baby P's mother had said she couldn't cope & wanted an abortion, would she have been forced to give birth against her will? You can talk glibly about adoption, but I can't imagine myself living with the knowledge that a child of mine was living with another family. Surely it is a greater evil to deny contraception to people in the Third World, ensuring that children will be born into misery & more & more pressure will be put on natural resources? The environmental stuff, again, is just horrifying. They don't seem to realise that our well-being depends on living in a healthy environment. It is not conservative to wantonly despoil the planet, or have I missed something? The same goes for the Clarksonite ideal of endless cars, roads & out of town shopping complexes, which even Cameron rejects. I sometimes think they just do things because they they will wind left-liberals up & give them a laugh, when even they don't imagine it doing any actual good. Their treatment of abortion providers counterproductive. If someone like Baby P’s mother had said she couldn’t cope & wanted an abortion, would she have been forced to give birth against her will? You can talk glibly about adoption, but I can’t imagine myself living with the knowledge that a child of mine was living with another family.

Surely it is a greater evil to deny contraception to people in the Third World, ensuring that children will be born into misery & more & more pressure will be put on natural resources?

The environmental stuff, again, is just horrifying. They don’t seem to realise that our well-being depends on living in a healthy environment. It is not conservative to wantonly despoil the planet, or have I missed something? The same goes for the Clarksonite ideal of endless cars, roads & out of town shopping complexes, which even Cameron rejects.

I sometimes think they just do things because they they will wind left-liberals up & give them a laugh, when even they don’t imagine it doing any actual good.

]]> By: jean baker http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/#comment-4593 jean baker Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:52:57 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=1489#comment-4593 Paulson tried and failed in his 'time of crisis'. Paulson tried and failed in his ‘time of crisis’.

]]> By: jean baker http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/#comment-4592 jean baker Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:50:46 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=1489#comment-4592 Obama will undoubtedly address and reverse unacceptable effects of the Bush administration. Obama will undoubtedly address and reverse unacceptable effects of the Bush administration.

]]> By: Umbongo http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/#comment-4591 Umbongo Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:34:52 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=1489#comment-4591 How come my preceding comment was rated at 2.5 stars within a nanosecond of posting the comment? How come my preceding comment was rated at 2.5 stars within a nanosecond of posting the comment?

]]> By: Umbongo http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2008/11/21/as-his-time-runs-out-george-bush-rushes-through-controversial-legislation/#comment-4590 Umbongo Fri, 21 Nov 2008 17:33:06 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=1489#comment-4590 It's traditional. This is the <a href="http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pardonchartlst.htm" rel="nofollow">list</a> of pardons handed out by Clinton the day before he stepped down as pres but you won't hear much about this from the BBC or the rest of the MSM. It’s traditional. This is the list of pardons handed out by Clinton the day before he stepped down as pres but you won’t hear much about this from the BBC or the rest of the MSM.

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