Regardless of who wins the election, I think two significant things have happened under the Bush Administration (among others) that historians will look back at key turning points: 1. The Bush Doctrine got flushed. I think it will be very, very difficult for the US to ever wage a pre-emptive war. At the very least, the media and congress will be much less likely to be spirited away by the winds of war. 2. Reduced power of the presidency. One of the things that Cheney has really pushed for has been for a strengthened presidency. He has been pretty clear about that. One of the areas where Cheney has really fought on this issue has been over the release of the minutes from the energy task force meetings. However, its become clear that the Bushies have been so wrong on so many fronts in Iraq that its almost impossible not to overestimate how much this will hurt the power of the presidency in the future. Some other issues are also noteworthy here: The lies about the cost of the latest medicare presciption drug benefits, the ballooning federal deficits. Obviously Bush is going to be primarily remembered for his responses to 9-11, but I think the above two items will be lasting legacies of the Bush Administration.