Bush's last speech puts record in best light

In his final speech to the nation, President George W. Bush took pride in his record at home and abroad, describing hopeful events and accomplishments. But what he left unsaid was significant, too.

Afghanistan:

Bush said: "Afghanistan has gone from a nation where the Taliban harbored Al-Qaida and stoned women in the streets to a young democracy that is fighting terror and encouraging girls to go to school."

He did not say that the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan has forced the US to rush as many as 30,000 more troops there, seeking to turn the tide in fighting that has seen Al-Qaida-linked militants and the Taliban make a comeback after initial defeats in the US-led invasion in 2001.

Iraq:

Bush said: "Iraq has gone from a brutal dictatorship and a sworn enemy of America to an Arab democracy at the heart of the Middle East and a friend of the United States."

He did not mention that violence in Iraq still persists despite improved security, that Iraq remains gripped by hostility between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims, that most Americans think the war was a mistake, and that weapons of mass destruction, the original rationale for the war were, never found.

Economy:

Bush said: "When challenges to our prosperity emerged, we rose to meet them. Facing the prospect of a financial collapse, we took decisive measures to safeguard our economy. These are very tough times for hardworking families, but the toll would be far worse if we had not acted."

He did not say that the largest of those decisive measures - an unpopular $700 billion bailout of the US financial sector - has come under harsh criticism because of a lack of transparency and accountability about how the first $350 billion batch of money was spent.

Katrina:

Bush mentioned Hurricane Katrina only once in this speech, praising Tony Recasner, "a principal who opened a new charter school from the ruins" of the storm.

He did not say that his government's response to the worst natural disaster in US history included key failures, as even a White House report later found.

Agencies

(China Daily 01/17/2009 page11)