Having written an article earlier on one very prominent politician from the United States who could and should be convicted of war crimes, we can move to another.
No less than the very man at the top, President George W. Bush, cannot travel to certain countries, because he could legally be regarded as a war criminal.
"Miss me yet?"
No, not really.
Whatever problems President Obama may bring to the table (and the main one, so far as I am concerned, is that he seems far too comfortable continuing many of the policies of his predecessor), we have to remember, nonetheless, that Bush was infinitely worse.
I have said this before, and will say it again: President George W. Bush was, to me, the very worst president this country has ever had. He led the country when it was the leading superpower of the world, so the impact that his policies had around the world weighed more heavily than many of the policies of earlier presidents, for one. The fact that his policies proved detrimental to this country, and to the world in general, is telling. The United States had a relatively good name before he took office. Now, many countries are still claiming that the U.S. has to find a way to show that the Bush years and policies are a thing of the past. He started two wars, while giving tax cuts to the rich and powerful, particularly corporations. There were numerous scandals involving corporate corruption that his White House had ties to. So much for bringing integrity back to the White House, huh? The economy almost collapsed during his tenure. He failed to respond to Hurricane Katrina. Freedom eroded for most American citizens as a result of his policies. He promised that he would be strong on the environment and cut down on polluting carbon emission, but within months of his taking office, he cited new evidence that his administration had cherry picked in order to increase pollution, and make environmental regulations more lax and ineffective. And, of course, the biggest security failure in American history took place on his watch.
Let us also not forget that he was not even really elected into office to begin with.
He was seen as the laughing stock of not jus the nation, but the world, and his bumbling approach imposed countless blunders and awkward moments during his tenure. It was hard to take the guy seriously.
Yet, he was no joke, and his years in office were closer to a tragedy. He held the highest office in the land, and he was actually very shrewd, going about his job in the way that he saw fit.
Corporations flourished, although the living standards of most Americans went the opposite way. Hope began to diminish, as it was during his two terms that younger Americans were not expected to enjoy the living standards of their parents, for the first time in American history.
Was his presidency the worst that the nation has ever seen?
I know a lot of conservative who will quickly point to Obama, or Carter, or whoever else they like to suggest was the worst.
But when you take all of those things into consideration, it is hard to ignore the elephant in the room. That is his record, and there is no running away from it. To me, there's no question about it. Just look at the record.
Was he a war criminal, on top of all else?
He aggressively pined for war for false reasons, and the treasures in one of those countries were plundered and without protection. Over one hundred thousand Iraqis died as a result, over 4,000 Americans were killed in action either in Iraq or Afghanistan, and countless thousands other injured and struggled to find some semblance of normality in their lives again.
Yes, that makes him a war criminal in my book.
Of course, most Americans would not accept that, and would stand strongly opposed any American official standing trial for war crimes, because we always have to be the exception. Yet, Americans wonder why many hate them around the world?
On top of it all, with so much to suggest that it would simply be a terrible idea, there is still a good chance that yet another Bush will be in the White House before too long?
What is that expression about those who do not know history being condemned to repeat it?
Here are some articles that expand about this subject:
Democracy And Corruption: Germany Files War Crimes Charges Against Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld And Other CIA Officials
http://www.liberalamerica.org/2014/12/21/democracy-and-corruption-germany-files-war-crimes/
Bush Convicted of War Crimes in Absentia by Yvonne Ridley, May 12, 2012:
http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2012/05/12/bush-convicted-of-war-crimes-in-absentia/
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