No He Wasn't. He Just Gave All of Our Money to His Rich Buddies

That's what my dad told me when my 8 to 10 year old self thought about the Reagan administration, didn't remember any major wars, and decided to declare that Reagan was a "pretty good president". This was information that I did not know, so I said "oh" and moved on with my day. I didn't care that much back then anyway - I don't even remember exactly how old I was, I just remember my dad balking at my statement. But the early 90's saw the introduction of right-wing radio in Central Wisconsin, and just 4 years later, he was voting Republican.

I'm listening to NPR tonight with Terri Gross interviewing a guy talking about war robotics. She mentioned the massive outsourcing of military activities during the Bush Administration and wondered if we can go back, which got me thinking. The no-bid, bloated contracts for mercenaries didn't seem to save the Pentagon any money. So, was Bush the kind of president that history will judge kindly? See post title.

Now if only I can get my father to realize the depths of the crap he's been hearing for the last 16 years.