In Hawaii, as in many other parts of the country, it is by now a consensus that the reign of President George W. Bush as the forty-third leader of our nation has been a dismal failure. Indeed, it is because this view is so widely held that Republican officials in general have found themselves and their party in dire straits as of late (or at least presumably). One wonders, however, whether it is possible to cast his past eight years in a somewhat more positive light. Is it at all possible that the president has perhaps received too much of the blame for what has gone wrong, and not enough credit for what has gone right?
In order to make such a case, it is first necessary to isolate the main issues for which he has suffered a tarnished reputation. By far, the most common of the grievances leveled at his feet concern various aspects of the war in Iraq. The most serious of the charges, arguably, is that which claims the very start of the conflict to have been illegal and in violation of international law. Support for this accusation is allegedly gained from the Charter of the United Nations, which specifies that no member may violate the territorial integrity of another nation without prior approval of the UN Security Council.
However, it seems that a plausible argument can be given to show that our current dealings in Iraq are no more than a justified (and legal) continuation of the first Gulf War, approved by the UN Security Council in 1990. As part of the ceasefire agreement reached at the end of the war, the Iraqi government agreed to halt development of its chemical and biological weapons programs. The refusal to comply with the agreement would thus constitute a “material breach” of the ceasefire, and would allow the United States to once again resume the use of force in Iraq. In the years that followed it is clear that this is precisely what occurred, as President Clinton and others repeatedly condemned Saddam Hussein for his utter disregard for and violation of previous agreements. Therefore the decision by President Bush to commence with military action in Iraq already possessed the United Nations’ stamp of approval, whether they realized it or not.
Though one may well be prepared to acknowledge the legality of the war, it remains that its principle reason had to do with Iraq’s possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction. As the years passed, it became gradually apparent that such weapons were nowhere to be found. Eventually, the conventional wisdom became that the Bush Administration either was positively deceptive to the American public, or grossly negligent in its assessment of the evidence. Somehow, these two opinions seemed to become fused together, and lead to skepticism over both the President’s honesty and competence.
In response, it may be pointed out first of all that the original resolution authorizing war in Iraq passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 296 to 133, and the Senate by a vote of 77 to 23. It should be noted as well that among those approving the war were Senators Clinton, Edwards, Biden. Public support for the war at its beginning reflected the judgment of those in Washington, at 72% according to the Pew Research Center. In light of this, it seems quite likely that the media (and the public soon thereafter) would not have turned against the war had our forces not eventually run into considerable difficulty.
When one adds to all the above a story from the Associated Press detailing the removal of 550 tons of “yellowcake” (the seed material for higher-grade nuclear enrichment) out of Iraq by U. S. forces, the knee-jerk judgment of President Bush as an inept bumbler seem hasty at best.
Of course, a balanced view of the President’s tenure must also take note of his many accomplishments, of which the following can be listed:
Signing a ban on partial birth abortion, a barbaric practice described as “infanticide” by former U. S. Senator Democrat Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
Masterfully guiding the country through its darkest days after 9/11, as seen by his 95% approval rating in the month that followed (the highest for any president in history)
Freeing Afghanistan and Iraq, overseeing the establishment of democratic elections in which women were permitted to vote (unheard of in Islamic countries).
Improving Prescription Drug Coverage for senior citizens (Medicare Act of 2003)
Capturing Saddam Hussein and turning him over to the Iraqis, along with killing his two sons as well as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Signing into law the No Child Left Behind Act, after which the nation’s students performed significantly better on state math and science exams (according to The Washington Post, June 6, 2007)
Keeping the country safe from attack since September 11, 2001.
Though there can be no doubt that President Bush has made many missteps, it seems history will remember him much more warmly than one might at first suppose (or at least let's hope so).
The title <3
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