Dear Mr. President Bush,

8 years ago, I was 13 years old. I was 13, white, and lived in a VERY red state in southern America. But even as a young teenage girl, I recognized that you were not the best choice for President. That's right, I rooted for Al Gore. 8 years later, I am 21 and could finally vote in my first Presidential election. It's no mystery whom I voted for.

I lived my teen years through your administration. I watched as 9/11/01 happened, and watched as the country rallied around your choice to invade Iraq to get revenge. I watched as your excuse for the Iraq war changed from a preeminent "they have WMDs" to a normative "it's what we SHOULD do, its the RIGHT thing". It was only later, as a Political Science major in a 4 year university that I realized how the reasoning for Iraq changed so quickly before our eyes. It happened seamlessly. I must give you credit for sneaking that right by us - only you could pull that off.

I watched as Hurricane Katrina destroyed a part of our homeland, an entire culture. I waited, like the rest of the country, for you to do something. We all know what happened then.

Some are saying you will be arrested when you are no longer President. Some say you should be tried for war crimes, for violating the Geneva Convention, for blatantly ignoring the Constitution of the United States, for allowing your Vice President to ignore it as well. I say that is all a little extreme - but I do think the American people should know. They should KNOW you broke hundreds of laws. Laws that us regular Americans have to abide by. They should know what really happened.

Now I sit here watching the next President be sworn into the Office of the President, wondering what he thinks of having to clean up your mistakes. Not only does President Obama have to clean up the economy, and the national debt, but he also has to restore faith. He has to convince the American people that we can trust the President again. If he is successful, it will mark a change in tide for our country. However, if he fails, it will be a long time before Americans can trust their leaders again.

So I say goodbye to you, Mr. Bush. Please leave hastily. We do not want anymore of your mistakes or distrust.

Sincerely,

Ashley