PLAN FOR IRAQ IS A PLAN FOR PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP
By Isaiah Z. Sterrett (12/02/05)
THE FIRST MAJOR act of this White House after being reelected was to sell President Bush’s Social Security plan. Needless to say, nothing much came of Bush’s interminable period of stump speeches and town hall meetings; on the contrary, Democrats were able to win the debate, at least superficially, and the President dropped the issue.
Next came Katrina, a natural disaster that became a political one because Democrats and Republicans, working independently of one another, made overwhelmingly poor decisions. The traditionally Democratic state of Louisiana, and especially the city of New Orleans, decided that preparing for a hurricane was not a wise use of local, state, or federal money, in spite of New Orleans’ clear vulnerability. This is by no means Bush’s fault, and to say otherwise is transparently partisan, unfair, and false. But Brownie didn’t help matters, nor did Bush’s lack of public hurricane preparedness.
Democrats who kvetch about Bush’s alleged “slow response” to Katrina are either hypocrites or dupes, but this certainly doesn’t mean that FEMA, an organization supposedly operating under the control of George W. Bush, acted as it should have. Brownie is a blight—minor though he may be—on Bush’s presidency.
Following Katrina, Hurricane Harriet came to town, this time tearing the White House—and its switchboards—from limb to limb. A very civil revolution came, conquered, and vanished, rescuing the Supreme Court from a lovely, if unqualified, nominee. Bush was humiliated once again.
Things were not going very well, though certainly the terrifically qualified Samuel Alito, in political concert with the flawless John Roberts, helped matters. Prospects for a sunny second term were looking up, at least until Democratic Rep. John Murtha issued his now-famous appeal for pullout in Iraq. Lugubriously echoing the Congressman’s plan, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi publicly joined Murtha—which, ironically, is something not even Murtha himself would do; perhaps in an effort to confuse his constituents, Murtha actually voted against his own proposal.
One would guess that the White House would have disagreed with Murtha, which they indeed did. Oddly, however, rather than voicing this dissent, a skill at which Murtha obviously excels, the White House apparently decided that the best course of action was to issue an immediate paean to Murtha. The Vice President of the United States told an international TV audience that Murtha is a “patriot.” While this is probably true, it’s completely irrelevant. Where, one wonders, was Mr. Cheney when Ohio Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, a woman arguably as patriotic as Rep. Murtha, opposed Murtha on the House Floor? Where does Cheney stand on Schmidt’s patriotism? Again, Bush failed at the all-important PR.
It was only this week that the President actually seemed to realize he was President. It’s been a long time coming. He has wasted nearly a year, especially when we consider that Judge Alito, set to replace Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, hasn’t done one second of Senate testimony. As the vigilant reader will recall, Justice O’Connor has been “retired” for several months now, and, at the moment, it appears she’ll stay on the Court for months to come. Perhaps if she’d retired the day she was nominated, back in 1981, she could have been off by last June.
We can, on one hand, blame this complacency on Sen. Arlen Specter, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, but we must also remember that he was loudly supported for reelection by none other than George W. Bush. Pat Toomey’s chance of winning the GOP nomination in Pennsylvania was very real, but Bush ruined it by supporting Specter, a Republican supported by only a handful of Republicans. Had Bush allowed Pennsylvanians to think for themselves, we might be celebrating the confirmation of Samuel Alito—as opposed to the patriotism of John Murtha.
Still, in spite of the seeming dysfunction of Bush’s second term, we probably shouldn’t fret anymore. President Bush’s Plan for Victory in Iraq, though riddled with assertions challenged by his critics, is absolutely a step in the right direction.
The Washington Post was somewhat smug in pointing out that the Plan may be overly optimistic or ambitious, and they are right. But pessimism is useless here, especially when there’s already so much of it surrounding Iraq. The President should be a leader, and this Plan, regardless of what the future may hold, shows true leadership. With it, Bush may have recaptured his presidency.
© Copyright 2005 by Isaiah Z. Sterrett
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