George W. Bush: A Controversial Presidency

[@thequaker-oatsguy1363]

He forgot Jeb when he was listing his siblings xD

[@felipesoares5900]

Please clap.

[@luisraulraudales2468]

The Quaker-Oats Guy who doesn’t

[@stargazer7184]

Everyone forgets Jeb...please clap.

[@madden8021]

Florida Sucked thanks to Governor Jeb.

[@DrDirkruggz]

Florida always sucked

[@mikeanderson3762]

Fool me once shame on you . Fool me twice and um .... uh I'll never get fooled again .

[@DamienBlade]

I forgot about all the Bushisms.

[@AxMac88]

Here I am thinking "Meh this will probably be boring" and once again Simon holds my attention for 20 minutes. A stunning feat on youtube for me.

[@mikebordewick9003]

I was twelve years old when the 9/11 attacks happened and I can remember the teachers panicking which made it difficult to understand what was actually going on. What he did in that class room was probably the only thing he could do to not cause a panic.

[@REDPARADOXX]

Same here. No idea what was really happening

[@MrSniperfox29]

I remember that day well, they cut off the end of Neighbours

[@GLASSB182]

I remember that morning too. I was 6 years and our principal made an announcement of the plane flying to the towers, though the thing I took from it was that it was somehow an accident. "There was a terrible, terrible fight..." is what I swore I heard him say. Now I think he might've been referring to the plane that crashed into that field.

[@terryallen6005]

Im from that area they are hated by ever one but local polititions and news media dont believe the lies move there to find work youl starve to death all the people I know left their my dad work for old man bush as a driller he quit him dad told me he would work you but you never could get your pay check.

[@lastthursdayism]

This channel reminds me that no matter how reprehensible or wonderful our actions, we’re all still only human. Thank you.

[@MilanPavlovic540]

No problemo

[@mrscary3105]

Did not like Bush, but his 7 minutes reading to children was no reason to attack him. He is a father, I stand by his choice to read to the children. (And nothing else he ever did, but I am fair)

[@abdourjawara022]

He should have been taken out of their, no question ask

[@Laurell_Silentshade]

Agreed. I think it's pretty nit picky. The outcome of abruptly leaving would have rose questions and possibly panic in the room. Bush didn't yet have answers to anything. By finishing the reading he could discreetly be briefed, then prepare answers based on the information. Somehow I doubt the current president would have exerted this kind of restraint or tact... Though from what I understand there's a population of voters who actually like it that way.

[@davidpietarila699]

I strongly recommend you do a little research before you say "and nothing else he ever did". He has been one of our most humanitarian presidents. His PEPFAR initiative is directly responsible for saving literally MILLIONS of lives and stemming the AIDS epidemic in Africa from flaring out of control. You'll notice that since he left office he has been a pretty modest, quiet and unassuming man. I hasn't tried to continue to grasp the spotlight once his time in the spotlight was over. There is something to respect about that too.

[@khall187]

Some people seem to forget that the president is the COMMANDER IN CHIEF of this country. The moment you tell the General that his people are under attack you have every right to expect the General to do take action. When seconds mattered, Bush sat there stone faced. A metaphor for who he is as a man: a coward.

[@davidpietarila699]

Had Pres. Bush left that very minute would have not made a bit of difference in the outcome of the day. There was no order that could be given that would have changed anything. There is nothing he could have said at that time that could comfort our fears. The ONLY think he had control over during those minutes was the mood in that classroom.

[@w41duvernay]

GW Bush a Controversial Presidency? That is an understatement by his own hand.

[@AndrewSmith-gn1nq]

I got to meet president Bush once. It was on a plane, we were delayed for about 20 minutes at 2 in the morning. Everyone was anxious and sitting there was making it worse. With no fan fare, cameras or anyone else except a lone secret service agent Bush came on our plane to say farewell to us. We were heading to Iraq and he walked down one isle and back up the other hugging and shaking hands with us, thanking us for our service and courage. I got to hug him and I will never forget that rainy night, leaving to go to war and seeing the human side of our president. Say what you want about him, I certainly don’t agree with all his decisions. But, we should all agree that he is a good man who was unlucky to be at the helm during some of the worst times of our nation.

[@richardd6016]

Thanks for your service and sharing this story.

[@Mr00Chief00]

I have no difficulty believing that, at the personal level, he is the kind of guy you could have a laugh and a beer with. Journalists who met Bush during the White House barbeque all agreed he was a very good host, making relaxing chitchat with everyone present. Be that as it may, he WAS the president who sanctioned torture to become part of CIA practises (the now infamous waterboarding), not to mention abducting people from countries such as the UK and then locking them up in secret CIA prisons in eastern Europe without any form of proper trial. And don't even get me started on the creation of Guantanamo Bay as a way to detain people who, some still until this day, are held captive without proper formal charges. So a nice guy he may be, but for me he is the worst US president we've ever had directly after Nixon. Though with all the stuff that's happening as is, Trump may very well topple Bush from that 2nd worst spot and put him in 3rd.

[@keeranimal8]

@@Mr00Chief00 I was never a fan of Bush, didn't vote for him, but served in the Army under him...he did the best he could under the circumstances...and remember, Guantanamo was how we eventually locked on to the courier that led us to Bin Laden...

[@MrEmperorApples]

Mr00Chief00 Obama was the one who committed the worst sin in starting the precedent of killing American citizens abroad without trial with Anwar Al-Awaki AND his 8 year old Colorado-born daughter being killed by drone in Yemen. At least Bush didn’t pretend we weren’t at war when he invaded a country, Obama always spoke wonderfully about peace, but then would take lives at the stroke of a pen just hours later when he bombed both foreigners and his own people in random countries with drones flown by ‘pilots’ back here in North America. At the end of the day, Bush’s biggest error was being naively trusting of the likes of Rove, Cheney and Rumsfeld. It’s a close one between GW and Obama though, both really screwed up the country in their own unique ways. I’ll wait til Trump’s term ends before trying to rank him.

[@Will-xf3qe]

@@MrEmperorApples agreed. Except that actually Obama killed Anwar Al Awlaki and two weeks later killed his 16 year old son. Trump killed his 8 year old daughter in that Jan 29 2017 raid early in his presidency.

[@ignitionfrn2223]

0:55 - Chapter 1 - Early life 3:50 - Chapter 2 - School days 6:15 - Chapter 3 - Military & early career 9:05 - Chapter 4 - Personal life 10:30 - Chapter 5 - Governor of texas 12:50 - Chapter 6 - America's 43th president 17:55 - Chapter 7 - After the white house

[@float2197]

Some hero's don't wear capes

[@paulchristiancanoza]

the narrator forgot to mention, he's a war criminal also, with a million of Iraqi and more 200k afghan got killed during war on terror, that's really unfair for the part of Iraq and afghan people, and no one have a balls to persecute him, even the international court, and after the war on Iraq, the US jeopardize the government of Iraq but still many westerns called it patriotic 😢😢😢😢

[@ladysammymm]

Thank you ❤❤❤❤❤

[@GoFartherPodcast]

Bless you

[@Thin_Whyt_Duke]

2020 here. To answer the question of “is George W Bush the worst president ever?”, I can promise you he is not.

[@fangalistpoland1326]

I believe Harry Truman or Millard Fillmore hold that title

[@tiretalks]

Hell no HE WAS DEFINITELY THE WORST PRESIDENT

[@alecsanders5689]

@@fangalistpoland1326 Harry Truman was a great president lol

[@Sabbathfaax]

If you're referring to Trump, Reagan and Bush are still worse.

[@Rickyriderr]

ORANGE MAN BAD!!

[@richardshiggins704]

I think he is basically a good person though badly advised by hawkish sidekicks , Cheney and Rumsfeld . Colin Powell was the wisest man of the 2 term team .

[@Boofyre]

@@simsj2763 I was going to say the same thing!

[@marthadelcastillo2551]

JFK and King's assassinations were NOT in the same year. Robert Kennedy was the one killed in 1968.

[@Boofyre]

@@marthadelcastillo2551 we know this. Simon made a mistake.

[@dkupke]

Well intended but in way over his head because he lacked the experience and intellect for the job, and surrounded by sharks who had their own agenda that he was too naive to see u til it was too late. Throw in a major Oedipus complex toward his father and it was a disaster waiting to happen. Remains the worst president of my life thus far.

[@lizzybethnj617]

Sims J I call Cheney, Dark Sith Lord

[@GraybeardWithUncommonSense]

You were far too kind to “George of the Bungle.” His legacy includes the invasion of Iraq based on a prayer and a lie, the sadly misnamed PATRIOT Act that violated the Bill of Rights, invading Afghanistan when the Taliban threat was actually coming from Pakistan, the abysmal fiasco of No Child Left Behind, and defunding of stem cell research.

[@stuartberesford3585]

You have a fitting name.

[@ersturdevant2831]

As an art major, I find his paintings to be quite good.

[@irenedezwaan4592]

There's something so heartfelt in them.

[@themadlad8540]

Art major well I'm not paying for your student debt

[@maverick2678]

Stolen comment

[@faultyvize6169]

True, I like his artstyle.

[@ersturdevant2831]

@@themadlad8540 Spent years paying my loans off in the service. Sigh.

[@ilikecheese4518]

my dad met him once. you may not like him as a president, but hes a really cool guy

[@jamellfoster6029]

He is a very nice person. He actually cares about people.

[@theespottedgiraffe_5368]

so i've heard from many

[@jimarcher5255]

Always liked George but have lost a lot of respect in the last 4 years.

[@thraitor7819]

@@jamellfoster6029 yeah sure that's why he went into Iraq lol

[@Burtifly]

@shocknot blah blah, don't care, didn't ask.

[@npshive]

Great video! One fairly significant error -- 6:02 JFK was assassinated in 1963, NOT 1968. His brother, RFK, was tragically assassinated in 1968 two months after MLK. Also, at 5:40, I think the word is "inducted," not "indicted," but maybe that's a Bonesman expression with which I am not familiar. Love these videos. Keep up the good work!

[@debralittle1341]

I remember it this way. When JFK was assassinated I was 8 yrs old

[@Seinsmelled]

rfk was defeated in a fight

[@katiebee8699]

Thanks for being fair ⭐️

[@josepho3583]

He ruined a budget surplus and introduced a trillion dollars debt system thats still increasing to date

[@8800081]

And then Obama tripled it with nothing to show for it.

[@8800081]

@james mack yeah, because they were forced to. And now their health care is worthless because the medical system is worthless, it's now run by the government.

[@briansindorf9121]

@james mack at the expense of people like me. My insurance premiums went through the roof. Lost my plan AND my pcp.

[@jacobcarter1947]

Bite Me I know dumbass conservatives like yourself don’t really like math, but the last fiscal year that Bush left had a 1.1 trillion dollar deficit, but like I said... math.

[@notchjohnson4713]

@@jacobcarter1947 show your numbers by an nonpartisan source.

[@bobbrown8661]

He'll always be known to me as 'dubbyah 😀

[@faultyvize6169]

@Darkclaw Gonz His father was a good man who helped a lot of people.

[@BilalBilal-fw3ph]

@@faultyvize6169 may his father rest in piss

[@james3440]

What’s dubbyah?

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

@@james3440 W

[@kabosumamadoge1818]

I love your channel, you really are a good story teller. Sometimes I just put on my wireless and listen to your biographics while doing something else. I could consider it an entertaining podcast even without the video component. Keep it up!

[@shugadaddy4841]

As a parent I can understand the 7 minute hesitation. You have to be calm and rational so as not to scare the kids. Also you really need to think these kinds of things through and not just react. Big decisions had to be made

[@ehrldawg]

I'm no expert. But it seems to me that there was little for Bush to do for those 7 minutes. If a decision had to made or action had to be taken,Im sure Card or someone would have interrupted him and insist he attend to business. There was little specific info about the attack at the time. His underlings were doing their jobs and doing stuff that had to be done at that particular 7 minutes.

[@JanjayTrollface]

To be fair, for all the shit I thought he did wrong (sometimes terribly, unforgivably wrong) that isn't one of them.

[@jonpilledsingledad]

He should've told the kids that the world was ending. I'm pissed that he didn't immediately pick up a shovel and dig a bunker in the classroom for those children.

[@StaticImage]

You'd think that that's actually what some people thought he should have done after the way they talked about it, wouldn't you? It was ridiculous. Did people also want him to stop by every movie theater along the way, run into each room and yell "OH GOD WE'RE UNDER ATTACK WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE FEND FOR YOURSELVES" and then tear the screen down? Jesus Christ. What was he supposed to do? Like you said- Scare the children?

[@hockeyking30]

ehrldawg also it would’ve caused a panic if he rushed out of the school

[@wordforger]

Yep. They had seen the news about the first plane, and it took a while for people to realize it was a jumbo jet and they thought it was an accident. Then the second hit. Bush was in the classroom reading with children. Still little info, but he was informed it was a deliberate attack. You see how his face changes. His mind is elsewhere. He knows that he must act soon, but his people are still gathering information about the situation and it will cause a panic in the room if he immediately runs out of the room. So he finishes the story and then heads to the other room to deal with the biggest crisis our nation has faced since WWII. Bush didn't run on a platform of mucking around in the middle east. He ran on social and economic policy. Allow the man a couple of minutes to deal with the likely blind panic of being asked to act decisively and have all the answers for a horrified and grieving nation. I'm sure Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy, and Washington were all allowed a few minutes to think when they got really bad news. Why criticize Bush for taking his?

[@BrendenParker]

That's RFK in '68, old mate. RFK.

[@rickkrecl8183]

You continue to impress, with background information!! Thank you!!!

[@evanthesquirrel]

Why would anybody think panicking in front of kindergartners is the right course of action.

[@middleeastern5796]

He didn't need to panic but what about getting his ass up and doing his job?

[@michaelf.2449]

@@middleeastern5796 he did his job when you appoint people you trust to handle things you let them handle things he couldn't do anything to fix the situation so why not keep the kids calm and then go handle it

[@markie1990123]

cause it fits there storyline, Dubya wasn't the best president ever but i strongly believe he tried his best and had always come across as a nice guy

[@markie1990123]

@@middleeastern5796 he was doing his job, he calmly took in the information, finished the current task in hand and then motivated a nation that hell no we don't stand for this

[@janeallgood9833]

@@michaelf.2449 im just glad he was smart enough to hand the reins to cheney. handled.

[@PoeticProphetic]

I remember when a president failing to respond for 7 minutes was a huge deal. In 2021, it took a president nearly 3 hours

[@loki768]

Our decreased standards as a nation

[@TomH112]

Well after watching this I can say I can respect him more as a person but I will never agree with his politics at all. He led an invasion of a country under false pretences and essentially created a surveillance state.

[@Erik-dc7bo]

I respect your opinion Mr. Hanley-- However, George W. Bush was following the advice of the director of the CIA at the time, George J. Tenet, when he ordered the invasion of Iraq (WMDs). Both Hillary Clinton and John Kerry voted for the invasion based upon the same "intelligence". To his credit, I've never heard Bush throw Tenet under the bus. Bush has endured so much negative press without lashing out-- and why would he, knowing that doing so would further injure those that served in Iraq. I believe Bush is an honorable man. Conversely, George Tenet should be haunted by sleepless nights.

[@TomH112]

Erik Look, there’s evidence Bush and Tony Blair knew there were no wmd in Iraq. They flat out lied, nothing was found in the aftermath. Hussein was a maniac, but let’s not pretend a few colonial powers did this for the good of the world. War is good for business. That’s all I’ll say.

[@zeedeejay242]

Ladies and gentlemen... I would like to remind you that chemical weapons are WMDs.... S.H. killed many USING chemical weapons.... Thus, based on facts there WAS WMDs....

[@jlj5487]

CheeZyZee Hell, the Boston Bombers were charged with discharging a WMD. WMD stands for weapons of mass destruction. It doesn’t stand for nuke. It simply means a device that does widespread damage as opposed to the targeted damage of a gun, rifle, tank, etc.

[@nicksttrs]

If he didnt invade that country. He might have been killed if he didnt do what they asked him to do.. or our suvallience guys sucks at their jobs and gave wrong info

[@christopherfelan3879]

At the 6:00 mark you said that JFK was assassinated in 1968. That was Bobby Kennedy who was shot in 68. Jack was shot in Dallas on November 10, 1963.

[@helicopter160]

I love all of these videos, you do an amazing job covering controversial and difficult topics without being inflammatory. I wish you had acknowledged/referenced the heroes on the 4th plane who sacrificed their lives saving countless others, but aside from that this video was excellent

[@Anthonycoup]

I don’t think a man has had a or more challenging presidency, I mean 9/11, hurricane Katrina, pressure to attack in Iraq, the biggest crash since the Great Depression

[@cpegg5840]

Hurricane Rita too

[@dkupke]

There was no pressure to attack Iraq. That was entirely his own whim.

[@jamellfoster6029]

True...

[@SamA-cw3be]

Wilson saw the world at war and kept America out of it. Lincoln saw the country ripped apart. Fdr rise of fascism, Munich, We armament of Germany, watching our closest allies and neighbors going to war and Congress being unwilling to act, Oh yeah and the great depression. I think Roosevelt had the most challenging presidency with Lincoln a close second.

[@SamA-cw3be]

@Battlefront Gaming and his policies led us to the crash...

[@cesara.alvarado2110]

I’m a fan of your biographies...awesome job! Keep up the great work.

[@kimmolaine8069]

I've grown to like your work more and more. Subbed.

[@sock2828]

The best thing that ever happened to George W. Bush's public image was Donald Trump

[@tellyintokyo]

But Barrack H. Obama is the reason Trump is now president. So, full circle, except Trump repeated Obama's lies about Pres. Bush during election.

[@mcgreatness8133]

Trump easily buy thousand percent worst president and human ever smh

[@wellthen.......9384]

@@tellyintokyo no the Electoral college and Russia ( inadvertently) got him elected

[@jimmy2k4o]

Telly Jonas but Obama was only able to bamboozal the country because W was a pretty bad president. If W was better McCain would have walked 2008 If it wasn’t for Sarah palin and the housing market crash.

[@531ff]

Mcgreatness really ? How so

[@lovechild6988]

Robert Kennedy was shot in 68. JFK in 63! C'mon Simon👽

[@jumangi2322]

I never was mad at him for sitting in there with them kids. You need a minute when something that heavy hits you man.

[@shawnmack11]

He got the news from the SS while he was reading in a elementary school in Sarasota county. The biggest irony is the hijackers were trained as pilots in sarasota county as well.

[@bryanmelo66]

What was he supposed to do, rip his shirt off ask for an AR-15 from the secret service and start shooting it in the fucken air?

[@dande9238]

Reminded me of Michael Corleogne from The Godfather

[@nwebster84]

Agreed. Unfortunately, he learned a lesson that day that would shape the remainder of his presidency: It's more important to make an immediate decision than the correct one.

[@SolidAvenger1290]

@@nwebster84 Michael Moore is an utter bastard comparable to Harvey Weinstein. Bush had other compatible members of the WH & the Vice President to hold down the fort until Bush was ready. I recall watching those images on the TV in high school, and the entire building had TVs in every room with the World Towers burning. Everyone thought that they were facing a broader war, and Bush, in my opinion, made the most human decision with those kids, even if in the political realm, it might be slightly controversial. Any good parent would have made the same decision, and Moore is NOT a parent with children. His wife divorced him. It's so easy to judge Bush when people who were either not born or not in school yet are typing these comments behind technology to condemn him for his decisions on 9/11. Ask others who were in middle & high school at the time. Ask them if they feared or were scared that their loved ones almost came across the victims of 9/11 in their travels. Did their parents or other family members work near the towers or the Pentagon? Ultimately, Bush made the right call when he had others of his staff who could micromanage the crisis for only 7 minutes without him while acting like a decent human being.

[@dylancyr1253]

"Excelled with his studies...he was a c student "😂👍

[@Rayzersword]

"Excelled socially like he always had but struggled with his studies. He was a c student." Maybe listen more closely. XD

[@lumpydark6173]

@@Rayzersword Dylan is a D student lol

[@Karla_Marie]

You mean Bobby Kennedy. JFK was 1963.

[@CrackaPackify]

This. Was about to.comment that JFK died in 1963 ha ha

[@Name2site]

I wish you had spent more time on his motivations during his presidency. You know, perhaps shedding light on why he purposefully lied about Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq (an independent official investigation later proved this was intentionally lied about) and why he approved of torturing prisoners. Its a stark change from any "compassion" he promoted during his campaign.

[@anghuyphamnguyen3096]

His motivation is oil And maybe just simply shows US's power

[@mysticalarchives7821]

Incorrect. There was no intentional lie, and I don't know where you got that. The intelligence agencies of nearly EVERY MAJOR COUNTRY agreed that the actions of Saddam Hussein suggested he had WMDs in violation of several UN Sanctions and the UN passed 3 Resolutions to that effect over the course of the year. In addition, it's still inconclusive whether or not WMDs were in Iraq up to 2002 before being transferred to Syria due to Syria suddenly producing Chemical Weapons soon after (note: the specific WMDs that Iraq was suspected of having were the same type of chemical weapons), there being several mortar shells and bunkers discovered over the decade following the invasion that contained radiation too strong to have been from the Gulf War, and the Iraq Survey Group concluding that, while there was not evidence of an official transfer of weapons between Syria and Iraq, they could not dismiss or refute the possibility that an unofficial transfer occured. This last point is as of yet unproven, but is also fairly likely and cannot be dismissed due to our inability to dismiss the charges. Two Iraqi Generals that defected, one around the time of the Gulf War and the other before the invasion of Iraq, have suggested that this is exactly what Saddam Hussein did due to an agreement made between Syria and Iraq to transfer WMDs if their capitals were ever attacked and the fact that Saddam Hussein wanted to humiliate America by making them look foolish. In addition, there are those connected to Syrian intelligence who have claimed to have received intel from the Syrian Defense Ministry saying that Iraq WMDs were transferred prior to the invasion as a way of tricking weapons inspectors and were stored in three underground facilities. Now, understanding that this is still fairly debatable and uncertain due to our inability to prove or disprove the suspicions, we must also look at the other points. EVERYONE agreed that there were WMDs and they got it from their own intelligence services; it wasn't just the US making claims and everyone taking our word for it. The British intelligence services said so. Every American Intelligence Agency said so. Israeli Intelligence said so. Some reports suggest Chinese Intelligence and Russian Intelligence said so. Even French and German Intelligence suggested this face. As it stands, we can argue and debate that they had bad intelligence, and there is a true criticism in pointing out that global intelligence services across the world had very poor informants within the regime that left us with very little hard evidence (though it should be noted that there were surveillance photos of trucks reportedly carrying WMDs, though this was a minor piece of evidence and was partially inconclusive). Yet the intelligence was reported with solid confidence and affirmation that WMDs indeed existed in Syria. Everyone country in the UN agreed with the idea that Iraq had WMDs in violation of the UN Resolutions that they voted three times to pass resolutions to that affect in justification of the Iraq War. Bush and his administration were fully convinced by the intelligence that WMDs were there and so were every member of Congress (btw, the Gang of Eight, members of Congress that receive briefings on every piece of intelligence in the Nation and comprises the leadership of both parties, received the exact same intelligence that the President received and came to the same conclusion). Everyone came to this conclusion on their own and they were no coerced or manipulated or lied to in order to get that result. And let me nip lies about War in Iraq being about OIl in the bud. If we wanted their oil, we could have bought it like we did everywhere else, but we didn't need their oil because we had our own and we already had sufficient deals with other countries. In addition, we never took control of their oil fields nor took any oil for ourselves out of Iraq. We went in, deposed Saddam Hussein, and established a new government as we trained their soldiers. That's it. So why did we go in? 1) Reports of WMDs which, as outlined above, may still be true due to suspicions of transfer to Syria, but also could have been due simply to faulty intelligence, but was not based on lies. Being wrong is not the same as telling a lie. 2) Iraq had ties with Al Qaeda which risked the potential of Al Qaeda establishing a new safe haven where they could plan further terrorist attacks after we pushed them out of Afghanistan. In addition, intelligence suggested Osama Bin Laden was attempting to set up a base to flee to in Iraq and Saddam Hussein was a state sponsor of terror who would prevent us from getting Bin Laden. There are other smaller reasons, of course, but these were the two big ones. You may agree or disagree, but don't use your disagreement as an excuse to say that he lied. Just be honest and say that you disagree. Also don't use information we have today as an excuse to say they lied. People can only be judged based on the information they had at the time. NONE OF US ARE OMNISCIENT. As a quick note on approving torture: yes, Bush approved Advanced Interrogation Techniques that he believed were necessary to get information to guarantee national security, but he did not approve outright torture and instead only approved specific interrogation methods for common use and limited waterboarding (which has been classified as torture after the fact, though for good reason) to executive approval, which led to it being used only twice. The other methods were simple things such as sleep deprivation, which while often considered as light torture, was debatable at the time in terms of whether or not it was torture. He also did not consider nor take these methods lightly and worked hard to try and ensure that what he approved of was not torture. You may disagree with his decision, and that's perfectly acceptable, but to say he approved torture is a dubious claim since the classification of these actions as torture was contested and he did take his time and only authorize them under the view that they were not torture. Again, feel free to disagree with him, but you have to understand what his position is so that you can understand WHY you disagree with him, WHAT you disagree about, and HOW you can apply this disagreement in other ways. You don't like Bush, I get it. But instead of repeating the cliche lines about "Bush Lied, People Died" that was invented by Democrats who saw the same intelligence and made the same decision, look deeper and understand the full picture.

[@Lodrik18]

I agree with you but the problem in both cases is that he was lied to. He simply believed it when people under his White President presented him "facts" and they didnt tell him about the torture for YEARS because they knew that he wouldnt approve. I dont like him, its HIS job to hire people to tell him the truth...

[@Name2site]

@@Lodrik18 From what I've read since posting this 4 years ago, Bush knew what hiss people were doing. They wanted to have an alternative oil supplier to Saudi Arabia because Saudi Arabia was producing radical terrorists. To do this they would invade Iraq and install a government favorable to the US interests. By using the fear instilled by 9/11 they could get the public on board with another war to tackle non-existent terrorist weapons.

[@Lodrik18]

@@Name2site my understanding is that Dick Cheney had a "intelligence group" that feed Bush crap and nobody had the guts to tell Bush what was going one (like the leader of the CIA)

[@akidmyself4053]

Sometimes being a leader means making a call nobody is going to like.

[@cubersanonymous5180]

But his calls were objectively wrong

[@kirkjohnson9353]

Stalin loved people like you.

[@doaftheloaf]

he probably had OBL on speed dial.

[@georgerevell7199]

Fantastic presentation again. keep it up. I'm a software engineer and your channel really helps me stay sane, lol.

[@chasemcm]

One of my uncles (Navy) was there for his Inauguration. And another Uncle (Army) was arriving at the pentagon for work when the plane struck, he rushed in to help others.

[@captainclipy6236]

YES a Biographics upload!!

[@BatCaveOz]

5:30-542(ish) I think you mean inducted... not "indicted". Being indicted means being formally accused of a crime. Freudian slip...?

[@gustavomedrano3628]

The war against terrorism but to this day still supporting Saudi Arabia? Hmmm....

[@rdhudon7469]

Remember that time Obama bowed before a Saudi Prince ? I remember when the Canadian PM at the time made it a point not to . He was one of those ingrate conservatives Lol .

[@middleeastern5796]

War on terror? It was a conquest for heroin and lithium.

[@KironManuelCards]

A very good presentation 😊

[@timchauvin2576]

I am surprised that there was no mention of the horrible manner of how he mishandled the Hurricane Katrina disaster. New Orleans has still not fully recovered from it. 9/11 was his first term debacle and Katrina was his second term one.

[@CARSON441]

Thank you Simon,one of your best.

[@erikk77]

"I know that human being and fish can coexist peacefully."

[@redcrabsc1149]

"Put food on your family. Make the pie higher!" "I'm the master of low expectations."~ G.W. Bush

[@tykemorris]

Very good bio on GW Bush. His disapproval ratings were partly due to the unjustified war but also the recession. An argument could be made that he was the worst president ever, but there is stiff competition for that dishonor. James Buchanan literally watched the country crumble around him while defending slavery. Bush ranks below William Harrison because at least old Tippecanoe did no harm.

[@RB-tp8hv]

Any serious Presidential ranking excludes William Henry Harrison for very good reason. He served only 30 days and was ill for most of that time. He likely would have been a good President however. Same with James Garfield, who was a man of the utmost integrity who, sadly, only served 6 months.

[@Echo_heat]

Midland tx resident here!

[@tokyosmash]

The best GWB speech is still the “I can hear you!” Speech

[@PopeSixtusVI]

It I’ll take decades for Bush to get a fair shake by academic historians. Thank you for doing your part.

[@JCaylor2099]

Bush will get the Truman treatment in the decades to come. Truman was seen as a bad president in the 50s and 60s but now is considered to be a great president and I see Bush getting the same treatment.

[@captainjakemerica4579]

Nah Bush is a mixed bag

[@bacharbaridi]

@@JCaylor2099 this is one of the stupidiest takes I've seen

[@lumpydark6173]

@@JCaylor2099 As a historian I sharply disagree. I think Bush will be regarded as one of the worst presidents in 50 years time.. Bush's blunders in foreign and domestic policy were so damaging they will be felt for decades.

[@bennewton7036]

Would love to see a Jimi Hendrix Biographic!

[@jbird976]

he got kicked out of the army because of laziness and constant masturbation, so I've heard...

[@bigheadj.r.628]

Don't worry, your request has come true.

[@dyinginfashion2558]

Is this British vsauce? G’day, Michael here!

[@MercerVerse]

Aussies say G'day, not Brits.

[@disturbia1378]

Great video! Did I miss something about NCLBA? That was a big part of his presidency, don't recall hearing anything about that in this

[@prussianjaeger13]

Just got here a little late to leave a comment. Now watch this drive

[@jackcassidy7317]

Is it just me or did they forget Jeb... it's fine if they gloss over some facts but why 4/5

[@byronhotchkiss7023]

everyone forgets Jeb

[@cyruscheng499]

@@byronhotchkiss7023 too low energy

[@lumpydark6173]

JEB!

[@jamesengland7461]

Bush continues a lifestyle of quietly caring for our military personnel, demonstrating that he always believed in the sacrifice he called on them to make.

[@whatinthe4500]

mass murder who lied about the weapons in iraq that never existed. should stand trial for his war crimes.

[@theflash6539]

I love that I can go from not liking an individual, to adoring them all from this bio videos

[@SL4US]

I don't understand why this was so controversial? The damage was already done and I'm sure he didn't want to cause panic to the kids or staff by just abruptly ending everything like that

[@ianlivingston9379]

I enjoy these videos but there seems to be inaccuracies sometimes

[@johnclifford1537]

A man who fully admits to a drink driving indiscretion 25 years previously when confronted by it and then follows through by being completely sober is a man you can trust and would have my vote. Contrast today's politicians ( all stripes and all States) constantly blame shifting, obfuscating and just outright lying about COVID and other issues.

[@sophroniel]

Yeah, if he'd continued drinking I wouldn't say it but, from doing so, he shows he wanted to be better than his past. I think he would've been remembered as a good man and president had 9/11 not happened; I think that was just too heavy a burden for him to carry as president and he failed. Doesn't mean he's a bad man, however.

[@javigar133]

U Kidding me right lol

[@mysterygaming8364]

I don’t know, when he invaded Iraq because of 9/11, he turned into a terrible president in many people’s eyes

[@reweweiss4806]

Oh, he never lied about a reason to attack the Iraq. Such a good person

[@JohnSmith-wr7lg]

@@reweweiss4806 He never lied??? Wtf! He got approval from the UN by selling the case that Iraq had WMDs and that the US goal was eliminating said WMDs. Not to be “peacekeepers”. Not regime change. Yes, he lied and if he didn’t lie then he is the most incompetent individual to ever hold public office. You can look at declassified documents. The “proof” he and Cheney claimed to have was not the “undeniable fact” that he sold the war on. If there is a just God in the next life…. He deserves to burn for all eternity.

[@frankalbe8996]

As an American, I am always shocked about our choices for the President. For God's sake put up a muppet. We can at least know who has the controlling hand.

[@monolyth421]

Yeah why would we ever want a successful governor and good Christian man to be president?

[@maxmurphy8374]

We did in 2020!

[@jamesengland7461]

Every father, and probably every teacher, understands why Bush continued reading for those seven minutes. Authority, power, a steady hand at the helm, a confidence his country was secure no matter what, and the peace of those children were on the forefront of his mind.

[@jamellfoster6029]

EXACTLY. Any rational parent understands that.

[@hyperchord]

Yeah and that delay probably cost lives. Time and place

[@jamesengland7461]

@hyperchord what a stupid and ignorant thing to say. He wasn't personally going to fly to NYC and rescue survivors. He was the commander in chief, and had given the necessary orders for that moment.

[@hyperchord]

@@jamesengland7461 Nah, what you say is stupid and ignorant. He's gotta make the calls and give out orders

[@julia2k8]

Well, the peace of Iraqi children definitely wasn't on his mind

[@Arkstromater]

George W bush is basically the reason I will never vote Republican in my life as an American

[@MichaelMyers66793]

What about labour in Britain

[@savag1478]

@@MichaelMyers66793 thats left wing

[@clemandax9242]

You should do a biography of Jimmy Savile, now that would be an interesting video.

[@barrybritcher]

Now then , now then

[@annescholey6546]

From sinister tv god to downright monster

[@AnyaChuri]

Have you done a video on Julian Assange ?

[@charlieellis8296]

Do JD Salinger. I would love to know about his mysterious life

[@rickjonson5616]

Do Collin Powell, Dick Cheney, or Donald Rumsfeld next.

[@flaviusfake271]

This biography is very kind.

[@vikingdk6866]

Why doesnt Bin Laden drink can-sodas? Because it says “BUSSSH!” when opened😂😂😂

[@keithgunn-glanville7829]

Thanks again Simon. Top marks my son. I used to hate Bush but this gives me a look at his softer side. Thnx

[@jkxelor1295]

I’m a conservative leaning republican that has grown to despise the Bush family so much I can’t even watch this.

[@cowboysparsons1150]

Neofascists and neoliberals have ruined both parties. Don’t blame you, a lot of the left has the same regret with Obama

[@MasudaOfKorriban]

Betas

[@Joseph-i2l5x]

Young people gotta learn a lot from the elders. I'm learning everyday.

[@unc54]

I wished you talked about his Presidency more. It seems you covered 2001-2003 and then skated over the rest.

[@michaelbatts5655]

Simon, you should become a college history professor. You deliver excellent presentations

[@ladysammymm]

I'm sure YT pays a lot more it's an unfortunate truth

[@Jedonai]

Just so you are aware. They were not "Sr." and "Jr." . For a father and son to be "Sr." and "Jr." they must share the exact same name. That is all components of their name (First, Middle, Last). The father is George Herbert Walker Bush, the son is George Walker Bush. Because the older has two middle names and the younger does not they cannot be "Sr." and "Jr.".

[@Psittac20]

Good information, I wasn't clear on that myself. Though I'm pretty sure people use them interchangeably as I have heard both Bush Sr. and Jr. and GW and HW

[@TJDious]

It's true that they're not technically Sr and Jr, but as far as usage goes it's okay to call them that in conversation just to distinguish between the two.

[@tw8245]

Definitely not true...

[@barrybritcher]

Yes but if you excluded the middle name it's the same. So for everyday convo you need the jr tag.

[@andyd2342]

Thank you for not leaning on one side of an aisle!

[@samkaufman1889]

Re: the Skull & Bones section - the word is INDUCTED not indicted. HUGE difference.

[@Shrimpgaming117]

My government teacher made the joke that he wanted to see how the book ended.

[@dhawthorne1634]

I have no clue what problem anyone is having with the subscribe button. All videos still show up in my subscriptions feed.

[@dajosh42069]

D Hawthorne - there's no problem with the subscription button, it's that people don't get direct, or audio notification upon the upload of a video now. Personally, I far prefer it this way. I don't need a device bothering me to tell me a video is uploaded. When I sit down to watch KZbin, I will look at my sub feed and find it. But, for a channel, I get why they want people notified when a video goes up.

[@alexandras7905]

I like watching your videos and usually don't have much to say but I have one thing to add for this biography. In 2005 hurricane katrina hit the south, it was a big hurricane that destroyed cities in alabama, mississippi, louisiana and parts of georgia. What bush did was disgraceful, he simply flew over the cities to see the destruction and left, he never landed to speak to the people or comfort them. Then when the devastation areas were declared a state of emergency it took a long time for FEMA to help. All around it was a bad look for the president and his administration, so I do not like him that much but the video was interesting to watch.

[@mysticalarchives7821]

I recommend that you do further research and read Decision Points, particularly that chapter. He did land and visit, and the picture of him "flying over" was a picture taken by passing photographers as the plane was passing over the city to land. The picture made him seem detached, but it was solely because it was a bad angle and it didn't show how he felt. In addition, Aid for Katrina was approved quickly and the issues with the management of FEMA were not due to him. In fact, when made aware of the issue with FEMA, he was the one that resolved the issue. Mostly, however, the issues with Katrine relate to the Mayor and the Governor because they constantly bickered over who had the responsibility to do what. The Mayor received a call from Bush before Katrina hit, urging an evacuation, but the Mayor insisted the waterways would hold up. The Mayor's failure to follow that advice cost the City more harm than necessary. Afterward, the Governor and Mayor constantly gave conflicting orders, and every time Bush called either of them before or after the hurricane, they kept saying they had everything under control. So no, this was not Bush's fault and people shouldn't blame him for it. Lest we forget, it is the responsibility of the State to take the lead and handle these issues. The Federal Government has little to no power in these situations outside of providing financial relief and manpower. It's up to the State to figure out how to spend that money and it's up to the State to direct FEMA and other personnel on what to do. Bush did everything he was supposed to do and everything that he could do in that crisis, but he had bad PR.

[@spacecowboy5995]

"GEORGE BUSH DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE." Y'all remember that? 😂

[@namorw54]

I am a Canadian and I think that George W. Bush was one of the greatest U.S. presidents ever. Even though I didn't like it when he made us get passports just to enter the U.S. which we never needed before: He is still one of the greatest U.S. presidents ever.

[@mikej8382]

I recomend Biograpics to all my friends, family and coworkers.

[@dakotacook4407]

I was raised in a house of democrats, who definitely thought poorly of the 7 minutes thing. I think calmly finishing the story up was an incredibly impressive feat.

[@Silkendrum]

I believe he was inducted into Skull and Bones, not "indicted".

[@JSL-ym6nv]

Trump be like: Ima SAVE this mans whole career xD

[@petersonofleo11]

The thing that I do like about Trump was that he was the first president since Carter that didnt start a war.

[@thewanderer2997]

Im sure you know this already this, but you forgot to name off Jeb Bush when naming the family members. Jeb is the only other politician in the family and former Governor of Florida.he actually ran against Trump in the republican primary.

[@brendonstrek9650]

For a video titled a controversial president you really glossed over the controversy.

[@Expatsunleashed]

He was thought to be the worst president, Trump said hold my beer.

[@_Mr.Tuvok_]

Great video but Katrina The final presidential years turmoil The Putin relationships, There should be a W part 2 video!

[@MrVictormatured]

Besides the JFK/RFK gaffe, it was Bush that was declared the winner in Florida early and Gore was about to concede when he saw how close it was and decided to challenge the vote count. Plus he was "inducted" into Skull & Bones, not "indicted". Otherwise, I love your videos!

[@William-the-Guy]

Gore did give a concession speech then he took it back a few hours later.

[@2023snow]

Gore was announced as the winner of Florida by the networks before retracting. then they declared Bush the winner, then they retracted again

[@npshive]

Florida was called for Gore at 7:30 PM, before the polls had closed in the western part of the state. A few hours later, Florida was pulled back into the undecided column. Then, around 11:00 PM, or perhaps later, it was called for Bush. At that point, Gore called Bush to concede (he did NOT give a public speech), but then, as Gore saw the results coming in, called Bush back to retract the concession. Whatever ones loyalties were in that election, the one thing that is indisputable is that the networks (through the VNS, which handled the projections) completely screwed it up. Obviously the 7:30 PM call was too early, both because the polls were still open and it was way too close to call, and the later call for Bush was also too early, given how close it turned out to be in the end.

[@izzojoseph2]

I heard Bush, and it was apparent, he acted pretty ignorant in public but one journalist stated his IQ went up 60 points in private. Many who spoke with him in private referred to him as a genius.

[@jiiig8667]

Controversial?.. Sorry, u can't go "two sides to every story" on this guy. He lied about torture. He lied about Iraq. He exploited 9-11 victims. He is NOT redeemable.

[@simonhalkyard4427]

Love your videos / informative storytelling! I believe you meant RFK was assassinated in 68 not JFK…

[@SiVlog1989]

I think that while George W Bush made some poor decisions towards the end of his presidency, contributing to his very low approval rating, but he was someone who had his heart in the right place. His decision making was far from perfect though, making decisions based on fear, rather than reason. There are two, three or four episodes that define his presidency. His controversial election, 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the response to Hurricane Katrina

[@balabanasireti]

Haha, no

[@dalemccorkel7946]

how about doing something. on milton Friedman and Ayn rand ...👍

[@decent-namehere5611]

2018: will george bush be seen as the worst president ever 2020: orange manbaby wont concede

[@WarCrimeGaming]

George W. Bush was never seen as the absolute worst president . James Buchanan was and still is seen by historians as the worst president of the United States, though Franklin Pierce and Andrew Johnson are quite close.

[@lumpydark6173]

Hey, future here! 2024: Orange oldbaby won't drop out. (Biden's aides spraytanned him orange last week). These truly are the most time of times.

[@mssalazar34]

Being from Louisiana, I feel like something should have been said about Hurricane Katrina.

[@fredmunro4179]

Gave up alcohol. Loved his colombian marching powder though😂