Trump in a class by himself
Published:Sunday | January 13, 2019 | 12:00 AM
THE EDITOR, Sir:
I must contradict Bernie Smith's Letter of the Day, 'Bush 43 far worse than Trump', on January 12, 2019.
To draw a comparison between building Trump's prospective wall by fanning the flames of racial hatred, and the launching of the Iraqi War by George W. Bush, and to use that comparison to gauge either president's fitness for the office, is a false comparison.
Here are the reasons:
1. By the standard of making war, most US presidents would have conducted a war based on false premises or lies, e.g., Nixon's war in Vietnam.
2. We know that Bush's Iraqi War was a total disaster - prosecuted against the backdrop of 9/11 - when America was really angry because of the attacks on the Twin Towers, and other US targets. However, Trump is still in power, and no one is certain of what he will do if, for example, North Korea doesn't give up its nuclear weapons. The unpredictable Trump may take unilateral action, thus causing a greater catastrophe than ever Bush did.
3. But very importantly, Bush is not the racist and demagogue that Trump is. Bush might be naive, but he was not as delusional as Trump.
So to date, Trump is the worst of all US presidents to hold that office.
GEORGE GARWOOD