Looking Back, Looking Forward
By Cathryn Crawford (05/02/03)
Last night, President Bush made a highly publicized speech from aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier 30 miles of the coast of California. The speech itself had been spoken of as a victory speech, a declaration of the end of major combat in Iraq, and, indeed, it was. It was also much more than that. He said several things worth noting, and what he didn’t say was worth noting as well.
He went out of his way in the very beginning to thank Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and General Tommy Franks, including them specifically along with a general salutation to the entirety of America’s armed forces, for a “job well done”. He also rather noticeably left out any references to Colin Powell, the UN, or anyone else even remotely associated with the diplomacy factor of the war in Iraq. Last night was most certainly a night for basking in the glow of a military goal accomplished well, not a diplomatic goal. He also made no mention of Spain, which was supportive in the U.N. but did not contribute armed forces to the effort.
He did make mention of the weapons used in Iraq by the coalition forces – new, precision-guided weapons meant to take out the senior leadership of Hussein’s regime, instead of targeting masses of civilians in order to get one or two of the top leadership. He was quick to point out, however, that “No device of man can remove the tragedy from war,” – a point well made.
He discussed the appeal of freedom to the masses; saying that it was as “food, and water, and air,” to all people everywhere. A common theme for President Bush, one that he touches on in nearly every speech that he gives, but one that bore repeating in the time, place, and context of his address. It was a reminder to the armed forces in front of him that they had fought for the freedom of Iraq, and it was a message of motivation for their commitment to the duty of their chosen profession. Also, it was a reminder to those watching that he believes that what we have done in Iraq is nothing less than granting freedom to an oppressed people.
He made mention of the reconstruction efforts in Iraq and America’s commitment to it, but he didn’t spend a lot of time on it – not nearly as much as the talking heads on the cable networks had speculated in the moments leading up to his speech. Also, noticeably absent were any references to the future discovery of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. A lot of people expected him to address the lack of discovery (so far), but apparently he is saving that for a different time and a different venue.
He spent time on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, sounding remarkably like he did when he stood before Congress 9 days afterwards to declare war on terror. He reminded the American people, the American troops, and most importantly, the world, that his administration would seek out those who harbor, support, and aid terrorists for justice to be served. On the same topic, he also pointed out that half of the Al - Qaeda leadership had been either caught or killed in the last nineteen months. He sounded quite proud of the fact, and rightly so.
He ended his speech with a quote from the prophet Isaiah - "To the captives, 'Come out,' and to those in darkness, 'Be free.'" Free, indeed.
If a conclusion was to be reached after hearing the President’s speech, it was not that he stated anything that we didn’t already know. He didn’t make any startling revelations or controversial announcements. He simply was reiterating the very same principle that he has stood by since September 11 – that our national security is directly bound up in the fate of the world’s dictatorships. He was not only looking back, but looking forward as well, to the next step in the war on terror.
The question now on everyone’s lips is – what is his planned next step?
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