Over at TCS Daily, Arnold Kling debunks 5 myths surrounding George W. Bush’s presidency:

1. Bush lost in 2000
2. Bush economic poliices were disastrous
3. Bush was too right-wing
4. Bush was too partisan
5. Iraq reflects Bush’s personality

Then he concludes:

I think that many people are tired of the bitterness and partisanship of the Bush era. My main point, however, is that people over-estimate the extent to which this bitterness and partisanship is due to George Bush himself. My prediction is that we will see further bitterness in the years ahead, as the sore losers of 2000 and 2004 become the sore winners of 2008. In 2012, there will still be Islamic terrorism, millions of Americans will lack health insurance and America’s health care bill will still be unusually high, the rich will still be getting richer (unless the economy tanks), and the trend will be for more people to join the Long Tail that identifies with neither political party. Which is why both parties are becoming more shrill every year.

What is noteworthy about Kling’s debunking is that he is a libertarian, not a neoconservative, and that he voted for Gore in 2000. Like Kling, I believe that history will judge Bush’s presidency better than the current media, especially if we finally see progress being made in Iraq. Also like Kling, I am very concerned about the level of "anger" and "outrage" that is present in our political discourse. I don’t think it’s healthy for the republic.