How bad has Bush's actions hurt this country since he has been in office?

1. Major American city still in shambles (New Orleans)

2. Largest income disparity since the 1920's

3. American citizens polarized and deeply divided

4. Citizens struggling to pay for health care

5. Has not caught the perpetrator of 9/11

6. Lead this nation into a war based on fiction

7. Permits detention & torture of human beings

8. Permits wiretapping of American citizens

President Bush has made mistakes, but he has mostly helped our country in the following ways:

As Commander in Chief of our military, he has aggressively fought the war against the terrorists who destroyed the World Trade Center (and who tried to destroy our Pentagon and other sites).Because of President Bush, the Al-Queda terror group (which grew unchecked under Clinton) is now nearly destroyed.

Afghanistan and Iraq now have the possibilty of being free countries. Recall your history, and know that even the freedom of the US was a longshot, at best, in 1775.

Even with all of their continuing problems, and great loss of life, President Bush has done an enormous service to these distant countries. There is now hope that they can live free, rather than suffer and die under terror and tyranny, which is what those against our efforts seem to seek. Far more people died under these FORMER regimes than have died in their liberation. Why are those stats not important in other answers? Good question.

Where were those types who claim that we torture prisoners while Stalin murdered 30 Million people? Supporting his policies here at home. Where are those who protested the invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War? Hiding from the shame of Pol-Pot, who took over in our absence, and murdered 2 million people.

Don't trust people who offer peace without the means to enforce it, especially when the non-Western world is mostly run by morons and megalomaniacs. Research!

People who were against these so-called "Bush" wars claim that these were wars of aggression. They are right: but they are wars of aggression started not by Bush, but rather by terrorists and madmen against their own people, and against us. We responded by force of arms, and we're now providing hope by rebuilding these countries into new democracies. With zero help from the left in the US, by the way. They're more concerned about things like "free" health care (no such thing), etc. Things that sound good, and never, ever work in practice, but get votes from the ill-informed.

Most important: those Americans who have given life or limb in the cause of the liberation of Afghanistan and Irag have done so as volunteers (a dirty word to the left, who demand compulsory everything, save service to the nation). [Thank you for your service, those of you who risked all abroad for us here at home!]

Everyone should think about that before they disgrace our valiant soldiers' mission with jacked, arm-chair notions about "right and wrong."

Research people like Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Castro (who "liberated" "his" country with murder, presidency for life, and has moral support from Carter). It is the modern versions of these sorts of people that Bush has tried to stop in our time. And they are just - if not more - dangerous than the old thugs who the left seem to adore so much.

Don't simply listen to people who hate Bush, anymore than you would listen to anyone about anything without doing your own research. Bush is not a genius, nor is he a villain. He is simply a man, in a place and at a time, who did his best to do his job: lead us while under attack from evil forces. In that, he's been exceptionally successful, all negatives and horrors of war noted.

Research: war profiteering. It's an age-old problem, and people need to go to jail, but that's another issue.

Also beware of foolish people who would like to blame a hurricane on a single person in Washington (Bush). That's not the way nature works, and makes no sense if you think about it. What does work and makes sense are well-rehearsed evacuation plans in hurricane zones. If those plans are not in place at the local level, and local people fail to obey warnings, then local people are to blame for the consequences, irrespective of their level of indefensible idiocy, or support from other idiots seeking to gain the constituency of victims. Think about that.

Finally, and for future reference: anyone who "hates" has another agenda. Find out what that agenda is first, and you'll then be on a course toward the truth.

How bad? 4,000 American soldiers dead. 100,000 + innocent Iraqis dead. Bad enough?

so bad he has to go over there and beg for oil....

Not at all.