If I had to pick one trivial* stat that summed up the Bush administration more than any other, it would be the rise of 600% in the cost of paper-shredding for the government. Whether that’s because of heightened secrecy in the operations of public servants, or because handing out fat contracts is very nearly this administration’s raison d’être is for you to decide.
(*non-trivial stats would include amount of fear generated per head of population, and ratio of denials of torture issued to people tortured)