Why Bush's Character Is Becoming an Issue

Bush seems to be under the delusion that he's the only president who's ever been criticized. He ought to talk to Clinton or his father; both are easy to reach and only a phone call away.

CNN has an article on the latest antics of thin-skinned president:

President Bush asserted Friday that critics who claim the Iraq war has made America less safe embrace "the enemy's propaganda." He acknowledged setbacks in Afghanistan against a Taliban resurgence but predicted eventual victory.

"You do not create terrorism by fighting terrorism," he told a receptive military audience. "If that ever becomes the mind-set of the policymakers in Washington, it means we'll go back to the old days of waiting to be attacked -- and then respond."

It was the latest in Bush's series of speeches defending his Iraq and anti-terrorism policies against heightened attacks from Democrats, who now are citing a government intelligence assessment to bolster their criticism. The classified National Intelligence Estimate, parts of which Bush declassified earlier this week, suggests the Iraq war has helped recruit more terrorists.

Let's set aside for a moment that Bush was the last one to admit there's an insurgency in Iraq and that he's likely to be the last one to admit that there's a civil war in Iraq as well.

I can't speak for other critics of Bush but as a critic myself I'll speak to the blarney he raises about critics being taken in by the terrorists. First, the only thing I care about when it comes to terrorists is where are they and how quickly can Bush pick them up (though it would be useful to pick up real terrorists and not just any taxi driver who happens to show up). After five years, Osama bin Laden is still on the loose. If anyone pays too much attention to the words of terrorists, it's Bush who has made sure to quote the terrorists whenever it's politically convenient. I'm not particularly interested in what the terrorists have to say. But if a president engages in policies that create terrorists, the critic is obligated to speak up.

But I am interested in an effective foreign policy, a policy that actually gets us somewhere, that doesn't damage our reputation and ability to get things done as Bush's incompetence and recklessness have managed to do over the last five years. The patriotic thing for Bush to do would be to start upholding the U.S. Constitution instead of trying to shred it for his political purposes. The patriotic thing to do would be to stop using fear to hide his own blunders and mistakes so he can win elections. The patriotic thing to do would be to admit that he doesn't have all the answers and start finding people who do and fire the people like Rumsfeld who don't. The patriotic thing to do would be to start solving some of our nation's problems, including the need to tighten security in our ports and to stop talking about a third war before cleaning up Iraq and finishing the job in Afghanistan.