Is President Bush the most decisive president in the last 30 some odd years?

Question

Please no I hate Bush or I love Bush comments. Right or Wrong, has Bush been the most decisive, thats all.

Answer 1

no, of course not. every president makes decisions. this president has made no more than anyone.

and he's a waffler. look at this list of dubya flip-flopping:


Bush opposed the McCain-Feingold bill in the 2000 GOP primary, tried to kill it in Congress, and then signed it when it passed.
http://www.nationalreview.com/lowry/lowry022102.shtml

Bush is against a Homeland Security Department; then he's for it.

Bush is against a 9/11 commission; then he's for it.

Bush is against an Iraq WMD investigation; then he's for it.

Bush is against nation building; then he's for it.

Bush is against deficits; then he's for them.

Bush is for free trade; then he's for tariffs on steel; then he's against them again.

Bush is against the U.S. taking a role in the Israeli Palestinian conflict; then he pushes for a "road map" and a Palestinian State.

Bush is for states right to decide on gay marriage, then he is for changing the constitution.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/02/25/elec04.prez.bush.marriage/

Bush first says he'll provide money for first responders (fire, police, emergency), then he doesn't.
http://www.hillnews.com/news/032603/funds.aspx

Bush first says that 'help is on the way' to the military ... then he cuts benefits.}
http://www.democrats.org/specialreports/veterans/health.html

Bush-"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. Bush-"I don't know where he is. I have no idea and I really don't care.

Bush claims to be in favor of the environment and then secretly starts drilling on Padre Island.

Bush talks about helping education and increases mandates while cutting funding.

Bush claims to be for women's rights and then nominates judges who have tried to overturn Roe v. Wade.
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20000703&s=corn

Bush first says the U.S. won't negotiate with North Korea. Now he will.

Bush goes to Bob Jones University. Then say's he shouldn't have.

Bush said he would demand a U.N. Security Council vote on whether to sanction military action against Iraq. Later Bush announced he would not call for a vote

Bush said the "mission accomplished" banner was put up by the sailors. Bush later admits it was his advance team.

Bush was for fingerprinting and photographing Mexicans who enter the US. Bush after meeting with Pres. Fox, he's against it.

Bush says he's in favor of adding carbon dioxide as a regulated greenhouse gas. Then Bush said it would not be included.

Bush was against Nation Building. ooops Iraq.

Bush-"I'm a uniter, not a divider." Then divides.

Bush was against amnesty for illegal aliens. Now he's for it.

Bush was against Presidents doing an end run around Congress to pack the courts. Then he did it.

Bush said the war would cost $3 billion. Then he asked for 87 billion.

Bush We need to go to war with Iraq because their WMDs pose a direct threat to the
United States. Bush- We needed to go to war with Iraq to free the Iraqi people.

Bush implemented No Child Left Behind, then underfunded it by $9 Billion"?

As governor of Texas, Bush opposed a strong patients' bill of rights that nevertheless passed over his veto. On the 2000 campaign trail, he tried to take credit for the law and implied he would support comparable legislation on the national level.

Answer 2

That would include Carter, Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton as well.

While Carter appears indecisive in the light of the embassy hostages situation, that may be because taking no action was the best course. His greatest accomplishments were more negotiated, such as the peace between Israel and Egypt that has lasted to this day, and the return of the Panama canal.

Reagan was certainly more decisive than George W. From the air traffic controllers through a half dozen miltiary interventions he made tough calls and followed them through. The difference is the quality of the decisions he made.

The same can be said for George I, with the First Gulf War. That was a very tough call, especially when Saddam started firing missiles at noninvolved Israel in an attempt to ignite the entire region. The decision to leave Saddam in power so the Iranians would have a powerful enemy was a tough one as well; snart, but it might have cost him the next election. Many Americans did not understand the logic.

Bill Clinton also made tough calls, some right and some wrong. Because he is a negotiator many of his decisions, like Carter's, seemed less radical than the sort George II makes.

Which brings me to my point: the apparent decisiveness of a leader, especially George Walker Bush, may be a result of bad planning and information. The sudden crisis that burst upon a nation is often a result of poor leadership, and the poor leader might look decisive while he is actually just reacting in desperation.

Which worked best: Jimmy Carter's avoidance of war by brokering the peace talks, or sending the posse into Iraq with guns blazing? Ronald Reagan and George Bush I went to war with an exit plan in place. Is decisiveness enough to be a virtue, or should that be measured by results?

If some positive result is required, then I am afraid George W. Bush falls last in that group. In fact, we have to go much futher back the chain to Warren G. Harding.

Hoover made many good decisions, but was crushed by the depression. FD Roosevelt was a giant whose equal may not be seen for a century. Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford all made tough calls well. For a record of bad decisions to compare we need to go bad eighty years.

This is why the next President will be a Democrat.

Answer 3

He is up there with Reagan, and his father, JFK, and Eisenhower. If you look at the polls today, you might think President Bush is a failure. The media is relentlessly hostile to him. The Republican party lost both houses of congress in the 2006 election.
But still President Bush's presidency could be one of the most important in today's' world.
He is the first president in history who faced an unprecedented attack on America, and he responded with enormous courage, dignity, grace, determination and leadership in the aftermath of 9/11 on both the hijackings and the anthrax attacks.
President Bush almost single-handedly held this country together during those searing days.

This is but one example of what a decisive president George Bush is.

.

Answer 4

Being decisive is not a bad thing, but spending billions and wasting the lives of our soldiers, is. One should get all the facts and do some Recon 1st.

So yes Bush is the most decisive on making poor decisions. You, and all the citizens of the USA LOSE!

Answer 5

Oh God no. He's been the weakest President in the last 30 years, and totally ineffective at home or abroad.

I'm surprised you'd even ask this question, unless you are confusing "decisive" with pig-headed stupidity for some reason.

To be decisive, you need a PLAN or a vision or a purpose.

Bush has none of the above, and never did.

Answer 6

Obama Bush Jr. Reagan Carter Clinton and Bush the elder wiped sparkling up the Carter/Reagan mess. Bush Jr. and Obama are bringing all of it decrease back, and on a larger scale. the two worst POTUS's in my existence time are Bush Jr. and Obama. they're exceedingly lots one and an identical too. each and every now and then I heavily query the sanity of our voters, and sweetness whether they're in some sort of substitute Matrix international that exists of their very own concept spectrum.

Answer 7

1. Ronald Reagan

2. George W. Bush

Answer 8

He is The Decider. I'd have to say he has made the highest number of important decisions of any president in my lifetime. I don't agree with all of them but, he does seem to roadrunner the papers off of his desk.

Answer 9

To answer your question;

Given the 30 year timeframe I would still have to say no. I would have to lay that honor on Ronald Regan and the cold war policy against the USSR.

Answer 10

Yup, for better or worse. Can't say I've always agreed with him, but he's not afraid to actually take a stance on something. That's a definite change from anyone pretty much since the 60s.