Bush and Truman

I want to make a prediction. Thirty years from now George W Bush will be treated kindly by historians and may even be viewed as one of our greatest presidents. This will be because of his single minded pursuit of the war on terror and - yes - the Iraq war. I make this prediction with the full knowledge of George W's current 28% approval rating.

In 1952 Harry Truman's approval rating was 22%. The country was tired and stressed out over the Korean war and major economic issues at home particularly with the steel industry and its labor difficulties. Today Truman's legacy is 180 out from the popular view of his administration at the end of his second term. This is so because through the lens of history and time, most historians now see that Truman's recognition of the Communist threat and his steadfast approach to its containment set the stage for the subsequent cold war that we finally won during Reagan's administration. During his presidency Truman was viewed as opinionated, a little arrogant, decisive and not the brightest bulb in the closet. He was respected, however, for his consistency on the issues and unwillingness to compromise his principles just to garner favorable public opinion.

Who does that sound like? You could make the same statement about George W today.

Only time and world events will tell, but I do believe that in the end George W Bush's policies and his decision take out of Saddam Hussein will be vindicated and those who today decry his presidency as the worst ever will be proven dead wrong just as Truman's critics in 1952 have been discredited.