I was struck during the past several weeks by an interesting and instructive convergence of events–the tenth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq by U. S. forces, the terrorist bombing at the Boston Marathon, and the dedication of the George W. Bush Presidential Library. Remembrances of the Iraq invasion returned us to the commentary and debate on the wisdom of that decision and the relative success of the mission. This commentary segued into a retrospective on the Bush presidency in the context of the ceremonies surrounding the opening of the Bush library. And the Boston bombing drew attention to probably the most significant aspect of the Bush legacy to date–that whatever his deficiencies, this is the first terrorist attack on American soil since 9-11, a testimony to the efficacy of his much maligned homeland security policy.
These converging events involved a lot of conversation about Bush 43. Whatever else you might want to say about him, he was a President of character and conviction and, although the outcome of the Iraq invasion will not be fully conclusive for quite some time, it is conclusive that he kept us safe and that President Obama would do well to reinforce the homeland security policies he left in place.
