Is George W. Bush a better president than Bill Clinton?

Question

I believe that under the circumstances, Bill Clinton did a lot to disgrace the office he held and that he was not the most effective president. I saw Al Gore as a "YES MAN" who shadowed Clinton.

Bush, on the other hand, I respect and admire personally. I think he surrounds himself with capable people and makes difficult if unpopular decisions daily. If you're fair, almost every decision he's made are what you would have done at the time given the information he had to work with.

Let me know what you think and try to be honest and open minded.

Answer 1

I think Bush is an idiot. I think Bill Clinton is brilliant --he just got caught doing what guys do.

Answer 2

Actually, my opinion could not be more opposite.

While Clinton's foibles were certainly shameful, at least most of the things that happened while he was in office made the country a better place.

On the other hand, Bush's "capable people" had been waiting to make war against Iraq (C-PAC), handed US energy and environmental policy to the very industries that would profit from their decisions.

Agree with the war or not, it was handled so poorly that it has lasted now three times longer than even their longest estimates because all the people that Bush surrounds himself with are the true "Yes Men" who refuse to criticize any decision made and if they do they either resign or are let go.

So, honestly and with an open mind, I think you're sadly mistaken in your assertion. You don't have to like Clinton, but honestly, if you think Bush is better, you're simply clouded by partisan folly and aren't taking the time to read about and understand the issues.

Answer 3

How can Bush surround himself with capable people when almost everyone around him quits.

And you know Clinton was good when the only bad thing people can bring up is the fact he got a hummer in the whitehouse.

The clinton economy was twice as good as Bush's. And when Clinton was president I was paying a dollar a gallon for gas. Oil guy Bush gets in there now I'm paying three. Crime is higher under Bush, Hurricane Katrina was a disaster for Bush. Only 30% of people agree with invading Iraq, he set records for the lowest approval rating of any president.

As for the decisions he's made we would have done givin the information we had to work with. That sound like you admit Bush has screwed up alot and are using the old "it's the information he gots fault" routine. I have this feeling most people in this country would have done almost everything different than Bush.

Here's some info Bush got but ignored, the presidential daily brief which in big bold letters said "BIN LADEN DETERMINED TO STRIKE U.S". And for his capable people (the one's who havn't quit on him) they can't even remember the daily brief which is supposed to be read by the president and his staff everyday, (condaleeza rice).

And how about going after Saddam after Bin Laden attacked us. Thats like your friend slapping your mom so you go after your neighbor. What a moron.

The fact is Bush has been considered by time magazine, the B.B.C and other media outlets as the WORST president in American history. And lets face it, you don't really think Bush was better than Clinton. Hell even republicans will admit Clinton is better. You just want people to think Bush is a good president. Anyone with the brain capacity of a flea will tell you Clinton was much much better.

Answer 4

What , I refuse to even read the rest of your ridiculous paragraph. I started to gag after I read the al gore part. George W. Bush has not only disgraced his office but the whole damn country. Bill Clinton was one of the most genius political minds that ever graced that office and there is no man that could have beaten him in a race. George w. Bush on the other hand was appointed the position, and to this day people overwhelmingly cant stand him because he has stood for some of the worst policies fiscally , socially , foreign , and domestic. It has just been disastrous.

Answer 5

The first poster wrote: "Bill Clinton was one of the most genius political minds that ever graced that office and there is no man that could have beaten him in a race. George w. Bush on the other hand was appointed the position."

The fact is Clinton only won in 1992 because Ross Perot took votes away from Bush Sr.

The fact is President Bush is the first President to win over 50 percent of the vote since Ronald Reagan did it in 1980. Clinton certainly NEVER won 50 percent.

Answer 6

Clinton may have tarnished to symbolism of the presidency but he was a far better executive than Bush could ever hope to be and Bush has tarnished the symbolism of the presidency in many more ways than just getting caught with his pants down.
Lets face facts.
Clinton: Budget surplus
Bush: record budget deficits
Clinton: Very limited peace keeping operations, Stable Israel
and more humanitarian aid.
Bush: 911, Afghan war, Iraq war, Africa nations at War, North Korea, terrorist and the war on terror, Iran's nukes and Israel on the brink.
Clinton: Rhodes scholar
Bush: Got MBA because Daddy was an alumni
Clinton: No criminal record
Bush: Convicted of DUI and was AWOL from the Air Guard( covered up.
Should I go on?
Oh let's not forget. No WM D's,ousted a CIA op, wire tapping, fixed two elections and was a coke head.

I think we need to give Clinton his due as a B+ executive and a D at the symbolism.
Bush may go down as the worst executive since Harding and the worst symbolism since Nixon.

Answer 7

Well when Clinton lied he only hurt is wife. When Bush's lies get people killed. Clinton used diplomacy when dealing with Iraq and North Korea. Bush wanted to go to war with Iraq before he even took office, and he is ignoring the problems in North Korea by not even talking to the Koreans. Clinton balanced the budget and lowered the national debt, Bush is spending money like a 17 year old girl at the mall. During Clinton was the most prosperous time in our nations history. Bush is send American jobs overseas and weaken our economy with outsourcing. Clinton paved the way for scientic advances such as stem cell research and decoding the human genome. Clinton applied restrictions on corperations to be environmently friendly.Bush worried about gay people and porn instead of real issues like emergency response and less corperation restrictions.

Answer 8

This country is in bad need of some good leadership. It's been a while since we had a good leader in the oval office.

Personally, I don't necessarily disagree with any of his decisions, except for a few. Here's my big gripes with how he has performed his duties as President:

1. He needs a clearly stated foreign policy. Swaggering around like an unpredictable cowboy is not much of a foreign policy. Other nations have no idea how to react to the USA these days, and that aggravates the situations in Iran, North Korea, and even with some of our more friendly neighbors like Germany, Russia, and France.

2. He supports lop-sided trade agreements that sell out the American work force. I don't see this as a Republican or Democrat issue since voting in this area does not seem to be along party lines. It is a BUSH issue, though, so it makes the list. Our politicians are selling us out to line their own pockets. This has to stop!

3. He needs a better policy on immigration. He has been very very slow to deal with this and while everyone around is getting all ticked off about it, he has done little to respond to it until it becomes a raging election-year fire. He has not enforced the existing laws on immigration. We should have laws and those laws should be enforced. No one cuts me a break. If there's a big problem with immigration law, then change the law. That's how this government is supposed to work. It keeps the peace.

4. Points #2 and #3 have been repeatedly defended as being good for the country because it will make everything cheaper for every body. Yet gas is at $3 a gallon, real estate is out of sight, and everyone I know (at several different economic levels) is complaining about how the price of everything has gone up, except their salaries. A good leader needs to recognize when his policies are failing and address that.

5. Don't tell me a 4th of July election year stunt over flag burning is really the most important thing going on in this country these days, or the congressional investigation of baseball during a tough economy, or looking the other way while oil companies are gouging big time on their gas prices. Bush needs to whip Congress and get them back on task, especially when it's his own party in there.

Finally, Bush supporters often argue that he's just had a run of bad luck, that Clinton is actually responsible for things like Enron, etc. My response is to check your history books. We seem to forget that lots of bad things have happened during other presidential terms, and many a president has come to office with a big mess to clean up. It is a fundamental requirement of the job that the President be able to handle such things, and we've had several good presidents who have shown this can be done. For the world's most powerful man, doing one of the most important jobs, we should not just expect it every day, we should demand it. The Clinton years are over. He's had 6 years to do whatever he wants, with a Congress of his own party. No excuses at this point.

My $0.02, and probably worth only that. But it is the honest and open-minded answer I think you were looking for.

Answer 9

I believe that Bush is a better president then Clinton. People must remember that America is the "Light on top of the hill". Most things revolve around america's involvment in foriegn affairs. Think about WWII! Until Japan messed with the USA, the war was a continuing effort to which people thought there would be no end. Then America stepped in, reluctantly, and the war ended PDQ. I believe that America still holds that poosition in the world. We must do our best to defend, and if needed, protect our allies. Bush is just living out american traditions.

Clinton on the other hand, just had an afair and lied about it to america. I am not saying that America did not blow the whole situation out of porportion, but there was clearly a crime commited.

Answer 10

Clinton. Bush has been the WORST president ever. Lie about oral sex? Lie about a conflict? Hmm. what percentage individuals are lifeless and injured over OIL? Haliburton's rolling contained in the money on the instantaneous. And so are the Bush's. He likes to kill. look on the shortcoming of life penalty in Texas even as he became governor. he's an fool too, won't be able to ascertain, receives a C in college, even as he had to safeguard no longer something else. Do you imagine he washed his own clothing in college? made his own nutrients? drove his own automobile round? Clinton is a street student, pulled up by utilizing his own attempt. There should be absolute self assurance who's the better guy.

Answer 11

I think Bush is an idiot... bad for enviornment (a puppet for big business and large oil companies). Ohh and all that ant-liberal initative anti -gay rights and abortion... I think that his position on many of those issues corrodes the individal rights (but then again thats because im a liberal).... Ohhh not even to mention the NRA stuff (now allowing assult firearms to be sold and 30 round clips to be sold as well)

I am not a fan of obsessivly large guns, religion in the government, and a whole bunch of other things he agrees with.

Not that Clinton was a great guy either... he certaintly did a fair share to disgrace the office he held.. but hey at least with him we werent billions of dollars in debt and in a war that was started on false pretenses.

So the answer is... I cant wait until Bush leaves office!!!!