How we doin' so far?

Are we more loved around the world?
Are we more respected?
Are we more feared?

7/27/2011 9:17:51 PM

We're more of a joke because everyone expected to love and respect us but none of that has panned out and now we're more feared by ourselves.

7/27/2011 9:27:06 PM

We're still killing people in their homelands, after our president promised to pull out and stop both war fronts. So I'd say.. Um not so good.

7/27/2011 10:31:50 PM

percent with favorable view of america:



more:



[Edited on July 27, 2011 at 10:35 PM. Reason : .]

7/27/2011 10:34:27 PM

but Obama did win the Nobel Peace Prize

7/27/2011 10:39:09 PM

Predator drone strikes are the definition of peaceful.

7/27/2011 10:57:10 PM

^^ Kenya has a more positive opinion of the US than the US, thats not because...

7/27/2011 10:57:58 PM

...they think Barack Obama is from there, it's because they don't know enough about us to hate us.

7/28/2011 8:31:44 PM

What did Bush do to the world in 2006 is the real question? Whatever it was caused a global plummet from 06-07. For some reason Spain, Jordan, India, and Nigeria didn't mind whatever it was.

We've been through so much shit I can't even remember what happened in 06. I would also like to see pre 9/11 numbers.

7/29/2011 12:20:36 AM

Quote :

"What did Bush do to the world in 2006 is the real question?"

I recall that being the year, at least in America, that it kind of sunk in that these wars were total messes that wouldn't be resolved for a decade or so.

7/29/2011 9:01:09 AM

It was the height of sectarian violence and suicide bombings in Iraq.

7/29/2011 9:19:12 AM

so this thread is basically

1. douchey question intended to point out flaws
2. numbers that show completely different reality than OP had wanted to portray
...

...
3. LOL OMG OBAMA IS KENYAN LOLOL

am I missing anything?

[Edited on July 29, 2011 at 9:53 AM. Reason : .]

7/29/2011 9:52:17 AM

the middle east are a bunch of haters

and damn do the africans love us

7/30/2011 5:04:25 AM

Quote :

"am I missing anything?"

A lot, actually.

Let's look at that post in context, like everyone else in the world except you did:

Quote :

" ^^ Kenya has a more positive opinion of the US than the US, thats not because......they think Barack Obama is from there, it's because they don't know enough about us to hate us. "

7/30/2011 8:27:05 PM

after just reading this

Quote :

"there were more missile strikes inside Pakistan during Obama’s first year in office than in George W. Bush’s eight."

i wanted to just confirm that Pakistan has pretty much perma-hated us for the last decade

8/3/2011 7:47:31 PM

how we doin? on the world stage?

lets see

Osama's dead..

and despite chaos in one of the largest sources of light sweet crude, oil WILL NOT get to where it was in 2008, so the economy will not re-crash.

..and China's still buying our debt.


everything else is just a courtesy flush.

8/4/2011 12:23:51 AM

http://www.wral.com/former-president-calls-painting-his-life-s-passion/13539270/

4/4/2014 12:30:45 PM

Our drone strike policy and program is one of the worst things the US has ever done, and the biggest foreign policy disaster of the past decade.

^very, very odd...

[Edited on April 4, 2014 at 1:20 PM. Reason : ]

4/4/2014 1:19:08 PM

http://abcnews.go.com/US/t/photos/art-diplomacy-george-bush-23194428?ref=http%3A%2F%2Fnews.google.com%2F

These paintings are terrible. This seems like an elaborate joke. Either bush has had a mental breakdown, or he really is the joke the left made him out to be. I was almost starting to feel bad for how dumb he was portrayed...

4/4/2014 1:33:39 PM

or maybe he can do whatever he wants in retirement and you shouldnt care because he isnt president

4/4/2014 2:04:13 PM

You know who else was a terrible painter?

4/4/2014 2:19:46 PM

I assume I know the answer you're looking for, and Bush's work is far inferior.

"work"

4/4/2014 2:52:18 PM

^^ Van Gogh?

4/4/2014 4:55:25 PM

People in Benin love America because Obama. The weird thing is that they're also kind of suspicious because they love Ghadaffi more. I've heard it's because he was pro EU, it's because he helped with funding during some floods here a few years back, but when I ask people they always give some variation on, "Ghadaffi was strong. He was strong for Africa." Though not, it should be noted, strong enough to withstand a US/European air war or the rebels who killed the shit out of him.

4/4/2014 5:17:27 PM

Quote :

"who killed the shit out of him."

haha, that's funny. since they jammed a knife up his butt.

4/4/2014 5:18:42 PM

Quote :

"These paintings are terrible. This seems like an elaborate joke. Either bush has had a mental breakdown, or he really is the joke the left made him out to be. I was almost starting to feel bad for how dumb he was portrayed..."

really?

who is claiming that he's anything other than an amateur painter? they actually aren't awful considering he's an amateur who is obviously doing them as a hobby.

I wasn't a big fan of the guy, but killing him over some paintings is a bit ridiculous.

4/4/2014 5:37:25 PM

It wouldn't surprise me to hear that it is an elaborate joke. Bush knows everyone thinks he's an idiot, he's never going to run for anything again, why not have some fun with it? I don't think that's how it started -- it started when his paintings got leaked -- but at that point, shit, even a buffoon would see the humor value there.

Also, art has shit to do with brains. There are people on this site -- moron being one of them -- who have indicated to me that they think I might be reasonably intelligent. But I can barely color within the lines. Artistically it's like I've got some kind of palsy. I still enjoy dabbling, though, because why not? I don't think there are a lot of Hawking sculptures around, nor Newton haikus, and I'll be damned if I've seen Obama do the Mona Lisa.

[Edited on April 4, 2014 at 5:50 PM. Reason : ]

4/4/2014 5:46:52 PM

Quote :

"Also, art has shit to do with brains. There are people on this site -- moron being one of them -- who have indicated to me that they think I might be reasonably intelligent. But I can barely color within the lines. Artistically it's like I've got some kind of palsy. I still enjoy dabbling, though, because why not? I don't think there are a lot of Hawking sculptures around, nor Newton haikus, and I'll be damned if I've seen Obama do the Mona Lisa. "

It's not that he's bad at art that makes him look dumb. It's that as a former president, someone who has allegedly peeked behind the curtain of how our country functions, some who should have among the deepest understanding possible of what's going on in the world, views their life's passion as creating art. I would think a more intelligent person would be compelled to continue working on solving the problems that moved them during their time in the highest office in the land.

Carter to this day is passionately involved in promoting world peach, Bush Sr. is often seen with Bill Clinton on their many humanitarian missions, Reagan perhaps would have been working for some other greater good had he not become diseased, but here is George Bush Jr who seems to be mostly concerned with painting?

I guess it doesn't really matter at this point since he's not president and not in politics, but to me the fact he could go from being President, to not being concerned with much other than painting horrible paintings, speaks poorly on his outlook on the world, and how seriously he seems to take things. Even if the paintings were good, if that's all he chose to be involved in as a former president, that would be pretty sad.

With great power comes great responsibility, and as an ex president, Bush still has great power, but is neglecting this responsibility, it seems like.

And even if painting is just a side hobby, it seems really out of touch to display your terrible paintings in public, and take interviews about it. It's like the stay at home moms who compare their family budgeting to corporate accounting. You don't want to make them feel bad by laughing in their faces, but you just smile and nod.

I would think GrumpyGOP that after your time in the Peace Corps, would you ever feel content working a job where you weren't exposed to issues affecting peoples lives or societies? What would you think of someone who spent 2 years as a PCV in Benin, who then came back to the US, and was content to work at Target and not really build on their experience?

[Edited on April 4, 2014 at 7:04 PM. Reason : ]

4/4/2014 6:53:15 PM

The man knows he is reviled in most circles. He would be a liability rather than a benefit to most of the activities that ex-presidents engage in. Carter...everyone thought Carter was a buffoon, but not even Reagan thought he was Darth Vader. So Carter got to go on and do things after he was president (occasionally to the annoyance of the people that would succeed him, I'll add).

Dubya's whole political philosophy -- such as it exists -- also would seem to be opposed to meddling ex-presidents.

But you know what, instead of going deeper into the Dubya rabbit hole I'm going to point you to a very different president, Lyndon Johnson. He left the oval office and promptly lit his first cigarette in more than a decade. His daughter yelled at him. He said, in effect (I'm not getting it exactly right cause I can't google the quote), "I raised you kids, I was president, now I'm gonna do what I want to do." And so he smoked himself to death. Johnson had it right. Once you've been president, if you ain't in jail you can do whatever the fuck you want.

4/4/2014 7:02:35 PM

Quote :

"You know who else was a terrible painter?"

Hitler?

4/4/2014 7:31:11 PM

I don't think the paintings are that bad. I was fairly artistic in high school and dabbled in painting, and I'm not sure if I could paint a better portrait right now.

and what's to say he won't become more active in more meaningful causes after he is a little further removed from his presidency?

[Edited on April 4, 2014 at 7:47 PM. Reason : ]

4/4/2014 7:41:38 PM

I think the camera angles and distances give the paintings a lot of credit, but even considering this, i feel fairly confident I could learn to paint better pictures within a week of trying.

4/4/2014 7:47:21 PM

I couldn't do anything remotely close. But they still suck

4/4/2014 8:03:02 PM

Quote :

"I would think GrumpyGOP that after your time in the Peace Corps, would you ever feel content working a job where you weren't exposed to issues affecting peoples lives or societies? What would you think of someone who spent 2 years as a PCV in Benin, who then came back to the US, and was content to work at Target and not really build on their experience? "

RPCVs do it every day, but ignoring that...most of us aren't in our 60s. We haven't come close to peaking, career-wise. We've got shit to do.

I, for one, look forward to finishing my life's work, coming home, and dabbling in falconry. No shit, that's my goal, is to do well enough to be able to be a falconer later. I might be the worst fucking falconer that ever walked God's green earth. It won't benefit anybody. I expect to spend most of my working life trying (and probably, like W, failing) to benefit people. But once that part of my life is done? Fuck you and any expectations you have of what I should do, I'm taking my retirement money, building the legally mandated falcon housing, finding a mentor, and going out and hunting with my red tailed hawk, who I intend to name Norman Schwarzkopf.

4/4/2014 8:10:19 PM

Quote :

"I think the camera angles and distances give the paintings a lot of credit, but even considering this, i feel fairly confident I could learn to paint better pictures within a week of trying. "

Well fucking do it then you sanctimonious fuck. One week is fucking shit for you to step the fuck up and prove you're actually more than an opinionated bloviating dipshit on a message board.

4/4/2014 8:34:27 PM

Quote :

"I, for one, look forward to finishing my life's work, coming home, and dabbling in falconry. No shit, that's my goal, is to do well enough to be able to be a falconer later. I might be the worst fucking falconer that ever walked God's green earth. It won't benefit anybody. I expect to spend most of my working life trying (and probably, like W, failing) to benefit people. But once that part of my life is done? Fuck you and any expectations you have of what I should do, I'm taking my retirement money, building the legally mandated falcon housing, finding a mentor, and going out and hunting with my red tailed hawk, who I intend to name Norman Schwarzkopf. "

That's perfectly good, and is probably Bush's attitude. That doesn't make him look any less simplistic when compared to his peers though, and it still adds validity to the criticisms people had regarding Bush and seeming out of touch.

^ loolll.. who are you...

4/4/2014 8:51:24 PM

regardless of his painting ability...

bush was probably aware that baja california is part of mexico.

moron

4/4/2014 9:14:22 PM

Even the greatest among us make mistakes.

4/4/2014 10:27:22 PM

Quote :

"That doesn't make him look any less simplistic when compared to his peers though, and it still adds validity to the criticisms people had regarding Bush and seeming out of touch. "

Again, the man is nearly universally reviled. I'm not sure there is an issue he could publicly work on without damaging it. I'm not sure there is an activity he could participate in without the bulk of people saying that he's an idiot and doing it wrong.

And let's point out that post-presidential activism of the Carter style is relatively new, having begun with...well, Carter, whose efforts have been a real mixed bag. He wants to build houses, sure, whatever, but he loves meddling in foreign affairs. A large majority of Americans decided that Carter was terrible at foreign affairs, among other things, and that's why we fired him. We explicitly told him to butt out and he keeps butting in.

I don't believe for a second that Reagan would have gone for that sort of nonsense. Bush Sr. only kinda/sorta does, occasionally showing up on TV with Clinton. I'll give you Clinton. He's been active, and unlike Carter, I don't think anybody begrudges him -- possibly because he isn't so fond of going off on his own, away from US policy.

So the tally is this:

Active post-presidencies:
1 goober-farming moron (Carter)
1 very popular, competent president (Clinton)

Passive post presidencies:
1 baseball-loving moron (GW Bush)
1 very popular, competent president (Reagan)

Tie:
1 competent president that nobody gets real excited about (GHW Bush)

4/5/2014 10:22:47 AM

Quote :

"Again, the man is nearly universally reviled. I'm not sure there is an issue he could publicly work on without damaging it. I'm not sure there is an activity he could participate in without the bulk of people saying that he's an idiot and doing it wrong. "

I don't think this is really true either. Bushs post presidential approval is rising, and Americans are notoriously forgetful, and liberals are notoriously forgiving. He wouldn't need to do much except use his stature and access to bring the right people together.

After this whole painting thing though, I can see people not being able to take him seriously for a while. Being overly proud of his mediocre paintings, doing a gallery show in his own museum, just seems a little pathetic and audacious.

4/5/2014 1:42:49 PM

there is a reason nearly every Republican in office or running for office won't dare speak his name

4/5/2014 2:02:02 PM

Quote :

"This is another great achievement for our country. I guess this world has so many Presidents, Premiers and countless X - Presidents but having our own President (H.E Paul Kagame) portrait appearing in President Bush's Presidential Library is another win for our country and Rwandese at large! New Times thank you for sharing this story. "

The sole comment on a Rwandan news story about this.

I guess this can't be worse than our current foreign policy headed by drone strikes and appeasing Saudi Arabia.

4/5/2014 4:17:18 PM

Quote :

"1 goober-farming moron"

carter was a nuclear engineer for god's sakes.

4/6/2014 12:01:58 AM

I think grumpy was more referencing the publics perception on exit.

In many ways Carter's presidency should be a model. He had the backbone to not increase our war footing. This is destroying America, it's hurting our perception on the world sTage, it's allying us with scum, it's scavenging funds from research on consumer techs, it's hurting our ability to take care of our poor and elderly.

4/6/2014 12:59:06 AM

Quote :

"I don't think this is really true either. "

Well, you're dead fucking wrong.

Quote :

"Bushs post presidential approval is rising"

No shit, because the liberals that said he is the worst president that ever was and ever will be approve of him staying the hell out of the way gleefully painting his little artwork which you're going to best 4 days from now.

Quote :

"and liberals are notoriously forgiving"

Da fuk does this even mean? This can't even be measured.

4/7/2014 9:18:02 AM

Quote :

"carter was a nuclear engineer for god's sakes."

And Dubya has a bachelors from Yale and an MBA from Harvard. Who fucking cares? Neither of them could pronounce "nuclear."

The majority of Americans agreed with me that Carter was a moron when it came to the most important job he ever had. He was such a moron that they rushed in droves to for Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan up to that point had basically been Arnold Schwarzenneger without the muscles or Nazi parents, and he still did a better job than the rabbit-fleeing, "moral equivalent of war"-declaring, Olympic-boycotting bumpkin who only won in the first place because he was up against Gerry Ford.

4/7/2014 5:08:32 PM

Carter>>>>>>>>>Reagan

4/7/2014 5:51:36 PM

I'm on board with Carter being pretty "meh" on the foreign policy front, but are you really sure you want to crown Reagan? Reagan did some great things, but we are still dealing with his fuck ups, too.

Iran-Contra - enough said
Rebels in south and Central America - various human rights abuses
Propping up Sadaam during Iran-Iraq - we've returned twice and won't be surprised if it happens again
Funded Afghani rebel folk/Pakistani intelligence - culminated in the largest terrorist attack on US soil, and will also likely be a continuing problem.
Supported apartheid government in South Africa - enough said

Again, his record is good and bad, i just want to make sure he isn't being held up as something to aspire to.

4/7/2014 5:52:37 PM

don't forget Grenada

4/7/2014 5:53:40 PM

^are you counting that as good or bad foreign policy move?

4/7/2014 6:47:58 PM