Former President George W. Bush, who has until now avoided commentary on his successor, last night criticized the plan of President Obama to close the Guantanomo prison in Cuba, and to end the torture method that Bush contends, like his Vice President Dick Cheney, actually helped protect America.
He also was critical of Obama’s decision to intervene heavily in the economy, and to promote extensive government regulation and intervention, with Bush declaring that leaving capitalism unimpeded is best for America.
It is quite amazing that Bush is now following the lead of Cheney, considering that he and Cheney left America in the worst condition economically and diplomatically of any President in American History. The card that Barack Obama was dealt, in many ways, is the worst inheritance EVER, as even Franklin D. Roosevelt did not have the diplomatic problems that Obama now has.
While it is true that FDR had to, over time, deal with Fascist Italy, Imperial Japan, and Nazi Germany, the future crisis in international affairs was not evident when he took the oath of office in 1933, so he could focus his attention on the domestic economic crisis. Barack Obama does not have the luxury of doing that, as we are involved in two wars and have other nations, such as North Korea and Iran, which are extremely antagonistic toward this country.
The world is more complex now than ever, and Obama, therefore, has a greater burden than ANY President of the United States upon taking office, and a lot of it is due to the incompetence and mistakes of George W. Bush, who now is making money by giving speeches critical of his successor.