What Bush Got Right

I am no fan of George Bush. I think he leads with his gut more than his head, and his gut has gotten this country into a heap of trouble.

Still, this week's Newsweek cover story is interesting. Fareed Zakaria, a dispassionately effective critic of the Bushies, writes convincingly about what the current administration has actually done right. (Well, lately anyway.) I recommend the article highly--it is intelligent, honest, verifiable, and well written (all hallmarks of Zakaria's writing).

I do find it interesting that as the second term Bush administration has (almost covertly) shifted its policies and practices to correct the mistakes of the first term, it has converged on many of Barack Obama's stated policies and objectives. Iran is a perfect example. Obama has long called for talks with Iran about its nuclear program. McCain says he would never talk with Iran. After anointing Iran as a charter member of the "Axis of Evil" at the start of his first term, Bush now has Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns meeting with Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili.

If you enjoy Zakaria's substance and style, I recommend his book, The Post-American World for a preview of global social/political/economic developments during the next 50 years. You can watch Zakaria discuss his book here.