As he heads into the political sunset none too soon, Bush and his minions are busily trying to repair his image so that he can move into that new house in Texas with a nice little legacy as a "misunderestimated" preznit.
Lotsa luck with that.
Apparently the meme that will resurrect his legacy will be the notion that somehow he kept us safe. First it was the Magic Dolphin lady; then the other day on MSNBC with David Shuster, Cheri Jacobus (identified by the universal "Republican strategist" moniker) did her game best:
I think history is going to look upon the George W. Bush presidency quite favorably. He has kept this country safe -- ah, since 9/11, we have not been attacked on our own soil. That is first and foremost the most important thing that Barack Obama can do as president, and I hope and pray that the Obama presidency is at least as successful as the Bush presidency in that regard.
If that sounds like a classic Republican setup, it is: First change the actual record, and then hold the incoming Democrat to a wholly higher standard that you've done your damnedest to ensure won't be reachable. After all, Bush did not keep us safe on 9/11 very well, did he? And moreover, he definitively made us more vulnerable to terrorist attack.
Brad Woodhouse responded just right:
Rewriting President Bush's legacy is going to be one heck of a task. I mean, just look at the state that America is in today. Like I say, the cupboard is bare. There's no product here to sell.
