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Presidents appraised by historians in future years

Five O'Clock Shadow

By Charles Deal | Special to the Record

Published: November 10, 2008

If women, as a group, are the most complex creatures known to civilization, politics is a close second.
A lesser headline in USA Today announced what settled the presidential election and why the Democrat Party won everything from the firehouse to the White House: the winner simply "tapped into the public's anger over the economy and war."

While the war in Iraq against terrorism is on the GOP doorstep, the economic plunge was on the Democratic watch, that had a majority on both sides of the aisle in Congress, beginning in 2006.

Moreover that's the party of president-elect Barack Obama, a U.S. senator, as is his contender, Republican Sen. John McCain.

During the campaign, neither candidate nor Congress came up with a plan to deal with problems when it appeared "the sky is falling ... the sky is falling." And while President Bush was often skewered by critics during the presidential campaign, his public approval rating is about twice as favorable as that of Congress. Yet, he boldly catches all the fallout.

In a two-year period, consumer confidence plunged, gasoline topped $4 a gallon, food prices spiked and $3.5 trillion evaporated on the stock market, including a record one-day free fall of 777 points. In the first two days after the presidential election, the market dived over 900 points.

American home equity dropped by $12 trillion and decreases continue. One percent of all homes are in foreclosure. Banks making bad loans, fearing bankruptcy, are being bailed out by sharing in a $700 billion federal loan.

How will President Bush be regarded in the future by historians? The Bush administration is reminiscent of President Harry Truman's. Perceived to be easy on communism, the fiery Truman sent troops into South Korea on June 25, 1950. The quest was to save South Korea from a well-equipped invading North Korean army.

U.S. losses in Korea were horrendous. More than 54,000 Americans were killed in three years. In one month in Korea, American dead was greater than the number lost in Iraq over five-plus years.

Truman was still catching some flack for dropping atomic bombs on Japan to end World War II. Had the shores of Japan been invaded by American troops, it's estimated that a million lives — civilian and military — would have been lost.

Few critics are aware that fire storms in Tokyo, ignited by incendiary bombs dropped from heavy bombers, probably killed as many Japanese as the nuclear bombs.

Americans at home were incensed. Truman's approval rating was for many years the lowest of any president. President Bush's public approval a year or so ago dropped lower than Truman's and President Jimmy Carter, the latter beset by 20 percent interest rates and futile efforts in seeking to win release of American prisoners in the Middle East.

South Korea, saved by U.S. and United Nations military units, is now a vibrant country with large auto manufacturing plants and high rise buildings, the good life. North Korea, in contrast, has a large army but its people are victims of starvation under communism.

American troops continue a vigil to protect the southern portion of the boot-shaped nation, the 38th parallel separating North and South.

Nowadays, almost any ranking of all-time great presidents, Truman is in the top 10. Carter was victim of a landslide loss to Ronald Reagan in his reelection bid, his political career over. Carter won respect for his efforts in building homes for the needy through the Habitat for Humanity program.

And in 2002 the former Georgia governor-peanut farmer was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his commitment to social justice.

Resigning in disgrace during the Watergate Scandal, President Richard Nixon may get high marks for opening up China, possibly side-stepping World War III and helping end the Vietnam War.

Will the second President Bush someday be vindicated for fighting terrorism and thwarting Middle East powers from threatening the western world?

The jury is still out, likely for another 20 years.

Charles Deal is a former newspaper editor and publisher. Reach him at chazdeal@aol.com.