Oops, W. did it again.
He made you believe, that he was compassionate.
Practicing a double-speak that he lampooned former vice president Al Gore for, President George W. Bush issued an order Monday to block the funding of international family planning groups that offer abortion services or abortion counseling. What a bold stroke of compassion.... Did I forget to mention that he did this on Jan. 22, the 28th anniversary of Roe v. Wade?
Where did last Saturday's "uniter, not a divider" go?
Granted, it is not a surprise that Bush ordered the change in policy. Former president Bill Clinton overturned an order by President Ronald Reagan in 1993 to make the family planning funds available in the first place. This action was expected. But did it have to be Jan. 22?
I miss the old W., who told the American people during his campaign that America's hearts needed to be changed before laws about abortion were changed. The only heart that has changed seems to be W.'s.
But, as troubling as the abortion decision is, it is the way the W. went about it that is most offensive.
The order was executive-a mandate handed down by the president, a member of the executive branch. Yet, who delivered the announcement of the new stance on abortion? Not W. Not even the Veep. Not even a member of the executive branch.
It was a Congressman. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., brought W.'s message to the people Monday morning. The statement read by the conservative Congressman was "written" by W., but apparently his highness did not feel that announcing his own executive order was his duty. Much like the rest of his decisions, this unpopular action was fettered to a surrogate.
W. told us just two weeks ago that we could take him at his word, and just one week ago he announced that there would not be any action on the issue of abortion until America's heart was in the right place. Then came Monday's pure political doublespeak-but then again, given the way that Bush sounds in his own words, what do we really expect?
A televised W. press conference leaves you less clued-in than before you tuned in. Maybe he isn't doublespeaking; when the emperor addresses the people, he announces vague intentions, name-drops a few members of his "team" and reminds the audience that he is a compassionate conservative. It sounds something like this:
Reporter: Mr. President, what is your position on abortion?
W.: I think the clearness of my position on that issue has been clear. I've got a good heart, and I hope you will judge me by that!
Reporter: Mr. President, do you feel your executive order banning overseas abortion funding might be viewed as double-talk, given your statements in the campaign?
W.: I'm a plain-spoken guy; I say what I mean and I mean what I say. If our nation is going to be successful, we need to build with success, not failure in our hearts and souls. My decision on that executive order was one of review and decision making. I've got Gov. Tommy Thompson as my secretary of Health and Human Developmental. He's a good man; he has a good heart, a lot of integrity. I trust him to make decisions on, well, on, health and humans and developments.
Reporter: Mr. President, what about foreign policy, your secretaries of defense and state were confirmed Saturday. What will be the first actions they take? Will they outlaw abortions at military facilities?
W.: I plan on consulting my secretaries of state and defense and asking them. I've got Colin Powell. He's a good man; he has a good heart, a lot of integrity. I've got him in charge of developing the thematics of our diplomacy programming.
Reporter: What are those themes?
W.: Well, you should ask Colin Powell about that. Colin Powell was a general, a great leader. He has a good heart. So does Donald Rumsfeld, my secretary of defense. He also has a good heart. And when I am faced with a problem, I have told them to look into their hearts for the solutions.
Reporter: What role does Rumsfeld have in the development of our foreign policy?
W.: I told you, he has experience. He is a member of my team-which includes Colin Powell and Condi Rice. I think with a good team like Colin Powell and the other two-three fine Americans with good hearts-then our chances of having success in foreign policy will be measured by our not having failures.
Reporter: What will be the first step your administration takes in dealing with the bloodshed in Israel?
W.: Well, I am going to get together my team of foreign policy experts-headed by Colin Powell and Dick Cheney, but mostly by Colin Powell. I think that if I set Mr. Arafat and Mr. Israel down with Colin Powell, we will be able to have a good discussion. An honest, open debate, with questions asked by Colin Powell. And I will look into their hearts, 'cause I think they have good hearts, and Colin Powell will....
Here's the four-year forecast: 100 percent chance of vagueness with strong gusts of Colin Powell. Cloudy skies, dense fog, no rays of light.
Martin Barna is a Trinity junior and editorial page editor of The Chronicle.
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