Jonathan Rauch writes in the National Journal Magazine about perverse potential outcomes of the voting decisions we all get to make in the near future (if we have not made them already).
His most interesting point, among several, is the idea that an Obama victory would likely save Bush's legacy, just as Eisenhower saved Truman, by emphasizing his good policies and smothering the bad ones.
I'm captivated by that one. On the surface, it seems to have real merit. I can't wait to toss that one out for wider consideration tomorrow morning around the coffeepot.
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2 comments:
The only thing that sticks out to me right now is Bush's decent work in Africa on AIDs, although it would have been a whole lot more effective had it not been hampered by the insane anti-condom aspect of evangelical theology.
What are you thinking? NCLB, Iraq, Katrina, torture, the various voter supression/DOJ scandals. It's a pretty damning list when you go down it.
Let's see...Iraq ends up a reasonably stable country covered with US military bases, from which we derive enormous if hard to imagine diplomatic benefits over the next four decades. In a surprise to all concerned, the millions spent on anti-missile defense save London from a rogue launch. The Bush decision to reorient NASA's launch priorities leads to the discovery of intelligent alien life on Mars. Global warming turns out to be a myth. Undreamed of quantities of oil are discovered off the continental shelves, ending our dependence on foreign oil and generating sufficient wealth that the government can stop collecting income tax. The collapse of the economy produces runaway inflation, and makes the national debt irrelevant. New Orleans is finally rebuilt as Eden. The American people actually prove happier without civil rights...Um...I think I left something in my car...(Simpson's Exit)
Seriously though, the whole point would be if policies that seem useless at present can be turned to unexpected advantage, making Bush et al seem visionary rather than incompetent.
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