The Bush Legacy

If you're interested in the Bush administration's current attempt to broker peace in the Middle East, check out Maureen Dowd's editorial in the New York Times. Clearly this latest endeavour is simply an effort by Bush and the sycophantic Condoleeza Rice to craft a presidential legacy in stark contrast to the one borne of seven years of bellicosity and ignorance on the state of affairs in that part of the world. As one Middle East analyst pointed out this week, even with all the smiles and shaking of hands on display at Annapolis, diplomats will still be trying to bring peace to the region whether one looks five, ten, or fifteen years into the future. This outlook isn't a product of partisan pessimism; it's the reasoned conclusion of dispassionate Middle East observers who recognize the tragedy of the Bush years. In the end, one suspects that history will remember Bush (and Rice) not for this week's convocation, but more for their inability to understand fully the consequences of their destructive actions.