Bush Legacy Tour

ODESSA, TX-As we pulled into Odessa’s main drag for our event we had some help from an anonymous stranger who came out of nowhere to help direct the bus into its parking spot and help us set up cones. The stranger got out of his truck to talk to us and came on board the bus.  He had seen us a few traffic lights prior to pulling up and the bus piqued his curiosity.  He was amendable to the idea of the tour and we began talking. We were on the hunt for a quick breakfast and the stranger, who we later came to know as Manni, offered to take us a few miles up the road.  We all went to breakfast and Manni was kind enough to treat us as his way of supporting the cause.After enjoying some great food and conversation with Manni  we opened up the bus to the public. Odessa was a special stop because it is only several miles away from Midland where the President spent a substantial amount of his life. Tourists can tour the house that GWB lived in when the Bush family first moved to Texas for GHWB’s first job in the oil business.  Another Odessa tourist attraction is the Presidential Museum and Library which is dedicated to the office of the Presidency. Looking at the museum brochure it is not difficult to draw a sharp contrast between the leadership the museum celebrates and the leadership that the Bush Legacy Tour displays in its exhibits.  The Presidential Museum was created after the death of JFK as a means of the celebrating the integrity of the institution and prominently features this quote from the late president: 

"The final measure of your Administration will, in large measure, rest on how well you respond to [the American people's] inward hopes while leading them toward new horizons of ambition and achievement."
"John F. Kennedy Tells Youth How to Prepare for the Presidency"
—Parade Magazine, September 23, 1962, Leadership Library   

From the comments I receive on the bus every single day, George W. Bush has not responded well to the people’s inward hopes and has certainly not led the nation towards new horizons of ambition and achievement.  Based on informal polling on the bus, people are not feeling hopeful for the future at all and are scared that the next administration will continue the same policies motivated by fear, greed, and dishonesty.  Some of the perceptions of the Bush Presidency from the Odessa citizens who came by on Friday reflect a less than honorable presidential legacy.

Felipe summed it up in eight words,“George Bush has been the worst President ever.”

Carl focused on the President’s crowning “achievement” the War in Iraq. “We’ve wasted trillions in a pointless war in Iraq and the blood of many brave soldiers that did not need to be shed.”

Bobby from Odessa brought up the social security issue and commented on Bush’s failed privatization schemes and McCain’s promises to resuscitate them. “The Bush Presidency has been all for the rich and the Republican Party. Remember if they get their way and privatize social security, your mother-in-law will have to move in with you after the stock market crashes!!!”