Mr. President:
Love the war effort. Since Sept. 11, you have articulated a surprisingly clear message about our mission, announced to terrorists everywhere that there will be punishment for those who commit acts of terrorism and those who support terrorists and waged a successful campaign that has been very mindful of the human rights of foreign citizens.
Your actions abroad have earned you an 80 percent approval rating, a number that was wishful thinking at best Sept. 10.
But let's make one thing patently clear: You have not done anything that Al Gore, John McCain or Bill Bradley would not have done. Despite the efforts of many conservatives to depict you as an unconventional leader who has seized the charge with unmatched ability, when it comes to waging war, your actions have been textbook--straight out of War 101. It is a four-step process that every television war commentator has been predicting since noon Sept. 11.
Step One: Build an international coalition with a broad theme (terrorists threaten all of us).
Step Two: Utilize support already on the ground (the Northern Alliance and other Afghan tribal factions) in order to minimize the use of American personnel.
Step Three: Strategically and surgically bomb the country (when Bill Clinton did this in Bosnia, he was roundly criticized by the GOP, but at this point, who's counting?), disabling the Stone Age defense mechanisms of the enemy.
Step Four: Nation building (Even though you chastised Gore for doing just that).
Any president would have done the same--especially a president working with the awesome American military and its wise generals (a majority of whom were promoted during the time of Clinton--the man you accused in 2000 of demoralizing our military). When it comes to what is happening in the war, you're great.
At home, however, you are not so great. You're kind of lousy. You need to find that George W. Bush who was so wildly popular as governor of Texas. No, Mr. President, do not initiate additional executions. What happened to the George W. Bush who delivered his victory speech in the Texas House of Representatives, because of the symbolism of bipartisanship it presented? Where is that W. who touted bipartisan successes in Texas during the 2000 campaign? Who misplaced the W. that was a compassionate conservative in 1999? I'd like to take you at your word and believe that you are the same man you campaigned to be, Mr. President, but your domestic agenda (especially since Sept. 11) includes the worst the right wing has to offer--corporate bailouts, indifference to the economic plight of working class Americans and a general disdain for protecting civil rights.
Currently, our country is in debt (no thanks to the 2001 tax cut, which decimated a surplus that would have been useful in a time of crisis--something you didn't plan for and we now confront) and expenses are mounting. It may not be the best time to spend a few hundred billion on an economic stimulus package aimed at cutting taxes for the rich.
Spend those billions elsewhere and our country will reap the rewards. Begin with New York City. In September, you promised New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton $20 billion in federal aid to help the city recover after the attacks. Since then, you have reneged. New York is the financial capital of the country and the world--financial assistance to individuals and businesses in New York will bring about an end to recession more rapidly than throwing a few hundred million more to your buddies at Enron. Besides, New Yorkers deserve this money--what happened to them was not their fault (unlike Enron).
Also, Mr. President, do something else for this country that will help us both economically and environmentally--use some of that stimulus money to encourage automakers to investigate and design fuel-efficient autos that do not require billions of barrels of blood-tainted Middle Eastern oil. Weaning America off its oil addiction will do more for this country's long-term security and economy than any additional tax cut. Oil is, after all, the chief reason for our Middle East machinations, and it is what gives some an excuse to falsely call us the "Great Satan." OPEC is no friend of ours as they reduced production two weeks ago, and kissing off the greedy oil barons who run the autocracies of the Middle East would give us a tremendous upper hand in the future. It also would eliminate opportunities for future terrorists to cripple our nation.
You've successfully waged the war abroad, Mr. President. It is now time to engage the homeland. Stick to the promises you have made and advance the moderate agenda you claim to support. Win the war and win the peace.
Trinity senior Martin Barna is projects editor of The Chronicle and film editor of Recess. His column appears every other Wednesday.
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