It’s easy to criticize George W. Bush these days—from the right, I’ve done my fair share of finger wagging.

But ... if a black man is elected president this fall, Bush will have done more than his fair share to bolster the image of black people in high office.

Even Bill Clinton—who feigned the gilded facade of a politician who supposedly loves black people—did not appoint a black person to one of the nation’s top four cabinet-level positions (State, Defense, Justice, and Treasury). Not only did Bush break that barrier, he appointed only black people to head the nation’s top cabinet-level department, State. Even better, he appointed them not because they are black (creating embarrassing diversity picks), but because they were the best people for the position. No one can argue with the bona fides of Condoleezza Rice and Colin Powell.

By allowing the American public to see two black people in the highest of positions—based on merit—and helping voters come to understand that it’s not scary to have black people running major U.S. policy, I would argue Bush made it easier for a black man to win the top job. Yep ... George W. Bush did.

So Clio—the Greek goddess of history—will need time to judge Bush’s presidency, but perhaps she will add the unlikely badge of “racial healer” in her final determination.

Barack Obama should thank George W. Bush for breaking down racial barriers ...