President Bush's Legacy

This Friday is the last official work day of the Bush years. One week from tomorrow, George W. Bush will watch Barack Obama take the oath of office, then be done. Out. Gone.

Historians are already hard on this George Bush. Nine out of ten say he’s been the worst, or one of the worst, presidents in American history. The wreckage looks wide and deep — on the economy, deficits, America’s global standing. Are they right?

This hour, On Point: With one week of his presidency to go, we take a last look at the man, and lessons, of George W. Bush.

You can join the conversation. How do you think President Bush will go down in history? National defender? National disaster? And what lessons can the country learn from his presidency?Guests:

From Bethesda, Maryland, we're joined by E.J. Dionne Jr., columnist for The Washington Post and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His latest book is “Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics after the Religious Right.”

Joining us from Annapolis, Maryland, is Mickey Edwards, Republican Congressman from Oklahoma from 1977 to 1993 and a member of the House Republican Leadership in those years. He's now a lecturer in public and international affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. His new book is "Reclaiming Conservatism How a Great American Political Movement Got Lost--And How It Can Find Its Way Back."

And from Falls Church, Virginia, we're joined by Lawrence Wilkerson. A retired U.S. Army colonel and former Director of the U.S. Marine Corps War College at Quantico, Virginia, he was chief of staff for Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2002 to 2005. He now teaches national security at The College of William and Mary.