President Bush helpfully summed up nearly everything that has gone wrong with his presidency during his State of the Union address on Monday.
Perhaps he was attempting to subtly warn the current nominees by highlighting all the mistakes he’s made. Maybe, with his crushingly low approval rating, he feels as if there is simply nothing left to lose.
Whatever his reasoning, it’s important for voters to keep his speech in mind while choosing their candidates on Super Tuesday. Instead of emphasizing experience or charisma, maybe we should be examining which nominee can do the best job mopping up:
1. Foreign policy
Bush’s administration has famously over-simplified world events for years. He explained this best when he said, “The advance of liberty is opposed by terrorists and extremists ““ evil men who despise freedom.”
Apparently in Bush’s mind, the war in Iraq is a fight between the good guys and the freedom-hating bad guys. Obviously, Americans are the good guys. Which means that everything our government does ““ from bombing Iraq without provocation to overthrowing its government ““ is good.
Likewise, if some Iraqi doesn’t like the fact that his town has been reduced to rubble and occupied by foreign forces, it’s probably because he hates liberty.
It’s this tragically simplistic approach that has made America’s invasion of Iraq so unsuccessful.
As Republican Sen. John McCain so succinctly put it, the administration made the war sound like it would be a “day at the beach” before they invaded.
In 2003, the disillusioned president attempted to maintain the charade by standing upon an aircraft carrier and publicly declaring that “major combat operations in Iraq have ended.”
Bush’s inability to function in the realm of reality has misled the American people about the war and ensnared us in a conflict that seems to have no end.
2. The economy
Bush showed a newfound distaste for congressional earmarks ““ last minute additions to a bill that are not debated. “If you send me an appropriations bill that does not cut the number and cost of earmarks in half, I’ll send it back to you with my veto,” Bush said, expressing his desire to balance the federal budget.
Yet spending over a trillion dollars on operations in Iraq thus far ““ which comes out to about $12 billion per month ““ does not seem to bother the president.
Nor do his current tax cuts, which Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., described as “deficit-financed” and “(favoring) the wealthiest.”
Not to mention the millions Bush has offered states for abstinence-only education ““ a curriculum so ineffective and worthless that states have been turning down the money.
Though Bush may like to pretend he’s fiscally conservative, he has been hemorrhaging billions of dollars for several years. This might not seem so bad, however, if he would simply be honest about it.
3. The Constitution
Forget the terrorists. If I had to pick the one person who hates Americans’ liberty the most, it would be President Bush. He has, after all, done more to infringe upon our personal freedoms than anyone.
In his State of the Union address, he asked Congress to grant immunity to companies who have helped the government illegally spy on its citizens’ electronic communications (such as telephone calls and e-mails).
Bush’s warrant-less spying programs have targeted citizens who may never know the government has been eavesdropping on them because they are not required to notify their targets ““ a clear violation of the fourth amendment.
Bush has also claimed the right to detain Americans without due process ““ an issue the Supreme Court gently corrected him on in an 8-1 decision.
There’s also the Transportation Security Administration’s “No-Fly” lists, which can restrict Americans’ constitutional right to travel by preventing them from boarding airplanes. The TSA is not required to tell you why you are on the list or remove you.
It’s amazing to think how much can change ““ for the worse ““ in one or two presidential terms. Let’s remember this on Tuesday and make our choices carefully.
E-mail Strickland at kstrickland@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.