Laura Bush, Condi Rice Defend Bush Presidency

George W. Bush has at least two staunch defenders of his legacy as president, and they are the two most influential women in the White House, First Lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The two women are defending the Bush presidency against charges that it has been a failure. Speaking on the Sunday news shows, Bush and Rice both said that the judgment of history will be kind to President Bush, and sooner than anyone thinks.

Both women focused their remarks on the president's record in foreign affairs, noting that the United States has helped liberate millions of people under Bush's watch. Mrs. Bush said that the recent shoe throwing incident in Baghdad was actually an indication of the Bush Administration's success. "As bad as the incident is, in my view, it is a sign that Iraqis feel a lot freer to express themselves," she said. Still, Mrs. Bush did characterize the incident as an "assault," and said that Americans should view it that way, instead of seeing it as some kind of embarrassment or joke. She also noted the Administration's highly successful AIDS program in sub-Saharan Africa, which has helped millions battle the disease and won praise from international AIDS activists.

Secretary Rice said that the Bush Administration had changed the way foreign assistance is given, focusing on anti-corruption and good governance efforts.

"I think generations pretty soon are going to start to thank this president for what he's done. This generation will. Because I think that we have really made foreign assistance not just an issue of giving humanitarian aid or giving money to poor people, but really insisting on good governance and fighting corruption."

Rice also said that the president's call for the establishment of a Palestinian state, Bush was the first president to do so, will eventually be viewed as a groundbreaking event.

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While it would be expected that both the president's wife and perhaps his closest friend would defend him against critics, the defenses themselves raise a point for consideration. Oftentimes, a president's legacy comes from a place where it is least expected. Certainly critics of the Iraq War would not choose to focus on international efforts as a highlight of the Bush Administration's tenure. But Bush and Rice are right to point out that there is much more to the Bush foreign policy than the headlines would indicate. In addition, any president's legacy is impacted by the actions of his successor. Once the Obama administration has had a chance to make some decisions of it's own, some Americans may not look back on the Bush Administration with such contempt. The historical judgement of the Bush presidency is likely to be better than the reviews it is receiving today. But it may take a while. Rice may have foreshadowed the time frame in her remarks. "For goodness sakes, good historians are still writing books about George Washington," she said.


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