Bush Not That Bad - Media Needs Balance

That's right...I said Bush isn't doing that bad (certainly not as bad as the media would have you think). The negative publicity is really a media phenomenon, and it's done to sell you content. I want the media to have a little balance - in addition to lambasting him when he really does bad, they really need to also point out when he's done well. (no, I'm not a right wing xtian conservative. I'm a middle of the road athiest who looks at facts, not hype)

What's going well, compared to how Bill Clinton left things:
1) "It's the economy stupid"

• Gross Domestic Product, the measure of the US economy
  

• Bush economy is currently $12.4 trillion
• Clinton economy ended at $9.5 trillion, up from $6.2 trillion
• After 8 years, Clinton grew the US economy by $3.3 trillion, having to deal with the war in the Balkans (a UN action) no major disasters, wars, recessions, etc., and increasing taxes more than any time in US history with the exception of World War 2.
• After 6 years Bush grew the US economy by $2.9 trillion, which includes: surviving a recession brought on by Clinton's massive tax increase, cutting taxes for everyone, 9/11 terrorist attacks, kicking the Taliban out of Afganistan, the war in Iraq.
• At the current rate of growth of the Bush economy, in 2008 the US economy will easily reach $13 trillion.
• Government Income and Spending
• Government income is steadily increasing under Bush. It hasn't quite reached the income under Clinton, but at the current rate of increase it appears to be poised to do so by 2008.
• Government spending has steadily increased under Bush, at a higher rate than under Clinton.
  
• Government deficit spending has increased under Bush.
• When Clinton left office, there was no deficit spending, being in the black by $190B.
  
• Currently, Bush is $416B in the red on deficit spending. Yes, this is bad, but given the size of the economy, this is lower than normal relative to GDP.
  

Jobs:

• Currently the unemployment rate under Bush is around 5%, down from 10%, not bad at all, especially considering the recession he had to deal with. No European country can match this.
• When Clinton left, the unemployment rate was around 4%, certainly better than Bush, and of course, unmatched by any other country. I think that when Clinton came to office he had a high unemployment rate as well.

Afganistan: This country had it's second national election this year as a democracy.

Iraq:

• The Iraqi Parliament has adopted a constitution. A final version has been sent to the Iraqi people, who will vote to ratify it. The Sunni's have come to realize that their refusal to participate in the political process has reduced their influence, and are now working to rectify the damage of non-participation.
• The US is legally and morally justified in being in Iraq, and its cause there is just.
• On the downside, Bush hasn't shown sufficient leadership. He's keeping too quiet, allowing the media to have its way with the spin machine in Iraq. The only news we receive is from the mass media, who are decidedly spewing anything anti-Bush, true or not, in the name of the almighty dollar.

Hurricane Katrina - The mistake Bush made here was in giving in to the Left and assuming responsibility. States are responsible for what happens inside of them. By "giving in", Bush caters to the Left Wing agenda, and sets a dangerous precedent for increased federal government control, taking away control from the States.

Bush isn't doing a bad job at all...hardly stellar, but not bad. The media needs more balance, as they tend to cover negatives, even unfair/untrue negatives, and ignore positives.