Hail to the Chief?

Readers expounded on the lackluster legacy of the Bush years, despite our positive cover story. One asked, why the "last-minute spit shine"? Another added, "America will take years to recover," while a third compared Bush to Harry Truman, who "is now recognized as one of the best presidents America ever had."

Assessing the Bush Presidency
I read with great curiosity Fareed Zakaria's Aug. 18/Aug. 25 cover story "What Bush Got Right." When you are the president of the United States, you simply do not have the luxury of learning on the job. George W. Bush made too many mistakes over the past seven years. He is responsible for the loss of so many lives, American and other nationalities, which could have been avoided had he been more of a visionary. He even lost the moral authority to condemn nations like Russia when it attacked Georgia. A measure of the failure of the Bush presidency is when a weekly like yours runs a cover story enumerating what he did that was right. In the case of any other president, you would have expounded on the legacy that president leaves.
Kumar Saurabh
Sahibabad Ghaziabad, India

I appreciate your guts in publishing the cover headline "What Bush Got Right." This comes at a time when the world hates America just because Bush is president. Although widely derided for his actions, approach and activities as commander in chief, he did a few strategically important things to benefit America in the long term. Bush brought Libya back into the fold of responsible nations and rewarded Muammar Kaddafi for abandoning the pursuit of WMDs and handing over terrorists for justice. This achievement was underplayed by the press. And let's not forget the No Child Left Behind legislation that offers parents greater educational options for their children and helps close the achievement gap between minority and white students. Bush rightly assembled an exceedingly loyal team in his vice president, cabinet and advisers who did not have an agenda of their own. In short, Bush's presidency bears similarity to that of Harry Truman. Truman was also derided in his day specifically for sacking the hugely popular Gen. Douglas MacArthur. But today we recognize Truman as one of the best presidents America ever had.
C. P. Anandasubramanian
Chennai, India

Throughout Fareed Zakaria's article, he lists the president's disastrous failures and then suggests that America's next president must carefully consider the few grudging changes Bush made during the last two years of his presidency. Are these reparative measures what Zakaria means by "What Bush Got Right"? Now is no time to grant Bush credit for intelligent moves. The world knows that his record remains one of ignorance, obstinacy, failure and missed opportunities. Our country will take years to recover.
David Hendrickson
Fresno, California

Fareed Zakaria asks, rhetorically: "If the U.N. Security Council were to be set up today, would 40 percent of the vetoes be given to European powers?" He does have a point. But then, he fails to mention that another 40 percent in the body's current structure is made up of countries with hardly any democratic credentials to their names. The way in which Russia and China were allowed to use their veto power, recently in tandem against sanctions to be imposed on the regime in Zimbabwe, has been disconcerting, to say the least. I, for one, have heard no sensible proposals from either of the two U.S. presidential candidates concerning badly needed reforms of the Security Council. The composition of the five permanent members is an anachronism dating back to the early days of the cold war. I strongly advocate abolishing the power to veto clear majority decisions. A case in point: the aggression Russia increasingly wreaks on its neighbors will never meet with official condemnation, simply because its ambassador knows when to raise his hand or which button to push. The institution founded to prevent unnecessary wars and to further peace among peoples is in danger of turning itself into a laughingstock.
Werner Radtke
Paderborn, Germany

There is no doubt that the hopes and dreams for a prosperous and peaceful world inspired by the leadership of Bill Clinton were dashed by Bush as he dismantled the legacy of one of the great leaders of the 20th century. Partisan proclivities prevented Bush from building on the achievements of Clinton. Indeed, this is the tragedy of political relations in many countries.
Tony Nwaka
Asaba, Nigeria