Much as George Bush might hope otherwise, a major component of his so-called legacy is going to be his unenviable record of consistently being dishonest with the American people.

He’s lied to us about all sorts of stuff, from how Saddam’s non-existent WMDs were an imminent threat to the U.S., to Mission Accomplished, to “we do not torture people”. It’s essentially become a habit by now, a deeply ingrained part of his presidential personality. He can’t help lying, no matter how easily the lies can be proved to be lies.

The Bush administration fought vehemently against the Hagel-Webb expansion of G.I. Bill college benefits (even threatening to veto it at one point). Remember the scathing editorial in the NYT at the end of May?

President Bush opposes a new G.I. Bill of Rights. …

… Having saddled the military with a botched, unwinnable war, having squandered soldiers’ lives and failed them in so many ways, the commander in chief now resists giving the troops a chance at better futures out of uniform. He does this on the ground that the bill is too generous and may discourage re-enlistment, further weakening the military he has done so much to break.
[...]
Mr. Bush — and, to his great discredit, Senator John McCain — have argued against a better G.I. Bill, for the worst reasons. They would prefer that college benefits for service members remain just mediocre enough that people in uniform are more likely to stay put.

McCain was no less clear and forthright about his opposition to the expanded G.I. Bill, and the basis of his opposition:

… McCain said he opposed Webb’s measure because it would give the same benefit to everyone regardless of how many times he or she has enlisted. He said he feared that would depress reenlistments by those wanting to attend college after only a few years in uniform. Rather, McCain said the bill he favored would have increased scholarships based on length of service.

So now that the bill has passed, and Bush is signing it, what statement did George “I Cannot Tell A Truth” Bush put out?

The bill is a result of close collaboration between my administration and members of both parties on Capitol Hill. … I want to thank members who worked hard for the GI Bill expansion, especially Senators Webb and Warner, Graham, Burr, McCain. This bill shows that even in an election year, Democrats and Republicans can come together to stand behind our troops.

That’s as bald-faced a reversal of reality as we have seen from George Bush in the last seven years.

But maybe every Bushian lie has a silver lining? For example, by Bush’s own definition, he will go down in history for his close collaboration with Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.