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Hate to say this, but I think a whole lot depends on Iraq and the people there, more than it depends on Bush's actions. I think it's very possible that Iraq eventually becomes like Turkey, and with lots of bases there, the US and the middle east as a whole are in a far better position, and Bush goes down in history as having great foresight. On the other hand, if things continue as they are, and we pull out of Iraq, history will probably not treat W. very kindly. Four more years may not be enough to tell though. Russia was "free" more than a decade ago, but is still struggling with democracy.
There are other foriegn policy issues too. (None of which were really addressed in the last debate.) We have great relations with Japan, and their economy is finally alive and kicking. China and India are kinda important too. No one remembers how Bush and his foriegn policy team got us out of the crash-landed listening plane while maintaining good relations with the Chinese. Mark my words, China will become more and more important in the next four years.
What effect Bush's actions in regard to America's economy have will be very difficult to tell, just as they are today. The nation prospered under Clinton, and hasn't under Bush 41 or 43. But was that because of their actions, or the economic cycle, or did it prosper under Clinton because of Bush 41's policies and decisions? There are so many variables to the economy and world affairs that it is impossible to tell what effect Bush's actions in the next four years will have on either.
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