As an American, what does the second term of Mr. George W. Bush as president of your United States mean to you?
As a non-American, what does the second term of Mr. George W. Bush as president of the United States of America mean to you and why are you so interested in another country's politics?
Attempting to reduce terrorism by utilizing a standard military force is counter-productive and a waste of resources. Thus we have Bush madly stirring the pot for questionable gains (whatever they may be), at considerable risk. The outcome is likely to be an increased amount of fanaticism.
Economically, Bush is driving the US into the ground. While it may be entertaining to spend other countries' money, the long-term prospects for the US are increasingly dim. The US has already dumped most of its productive capacity to other countries, and now is racking up exorbitant debt. Once the US tanks, the rest of the world will suffer due to the highly-connected nature of current world economics.
The current attitude regarding Jobs before Environment is foolish. It’s unfortunate that so many people buy this doctrine. While it may be possible to argue that environmental warming is not necessarily happening by human action, the general scientific consensus is that it is. When everyone is dead or gasping, jobs will no longer be an issue. It’s not a risk any bookie would be willing to take – low payoff v. huge irreversible detriment.
The current cracks appearing in US society worry me. There are quite a few liberals and leftists who now entertain the idea of leaving the US. If an exodus starts, and continues, eventually there will be a radical-right government catering solely to fundamentalist religious nuts, with no counterweight. They may have a warped world-view, low intelligence, and generally be out to lunch, but they’ll be out to lunch with an arsenal of nukes. Fortunately, this is unlikely to happen.
Finally, while I detest the current behavior of the US, I'd rather have them in power instead of certain other contenders for the world crown. It seems to me that the US is entering a period of decline, with the golden age having occurred during Clinton’s reign. Whether Clinton was, or was not, sowing seeds of destruction is irrelevant: life was generally better when he was around. Since then there has been a general decline, and it will probably accelerate if the current behaviors continue. Bush is not doing anything effective to reverse it.
I think Bush is a disaster for the US and the world. While I can understand some of the material coming out of neo-con think-tanks, I’m wondering if the long-term payoff will really be what they hope.