Post presidency and legacy
By Nick Ragone | Related entries in NewsI have an 0p-ed in the Star-Ledger (the paper of record for New Jersey!) about how presidents go about rebuilding their legacy after leaving office.
My basic thrust is that a president’s post-career can do as much to shape their legacy as their time in office. In the case of John Q. Adams and William Howard Taft, it actually enhanced their standing. Adams’ term in office was mostly a bust, but his time in Congress afterwards reshaped his career. Same with Taft, who became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court after finishing third in 1912 — the only incumbent president to achieve such ignominy.
As for Bush, what will his post-presidency look like? I doubt he’ll become a global statesman like Carter, or an activist like Clinton. And I don’t see him publishing like Nixon, or taking on big issues like Vice President Gore. My guess is that he’ll follow in his dad’s foosteps: lay low, keep clear of politics, do a little fund raising here and there … not much more. I don’t see him reshaping his legacy in his twilight years. He’ll have to leave that up to the historians.
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February 17th, 2009 at 7:55 am
There is no way he can reshape his legacy–the man has no skills that are useful in such a task. All these years later I’m still baffled people voted for him for president the first time. Average student. Bungling guardsman. Alcoholic. Failed businessman. Mostly failed governor. Failed President. He’s going to quietly sit in his house and pretend it was all someone else’s fault. After being president for 8 years, he’s not even going to be able to get people to answer his phone calls now.
The only thing that he can hope for is the US is the victim of a terrorist attack sometime in the next four years so he can make the argument “See, I told you. I saved us from that on my watch.” Like many other Republican’s his best last hope is to hope for failure.
February 17th, 2009 at 11:40 am
gerryf,
“best last hope is to hope for failure.”
I’m wondering what you are referring to….
February 17th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
In this case, W. comes out ahead if the US is attacked by terrorists. Right now, he is claiming that all the extraordinary actions he took were essential to preventing a terrorist attack; and Cheney has been going around practically promising it if the Obama camp let’s up.
It is a frightening thing to consider, and I am not trying to say that W. hopes for a terrorist attack so he can be proven right (cheney is another matter). I’m saying that is one of the few things that could be used to put a positive spin on his tenure in the White House.