The day after
We lost, fair and square. And while that's small consolation, it's a much better feeling than four years ago. Now we need to prepare for the next election. We need a stronger Democratic candidate, with a clean background and an admirable record.
My main consolation is that George W. Bush will have to deal with the messes he's created. He will have to deal with the problems in Iraq, with the insurgency, with the elections to be held there in January and the possibility of a resulting theocracy. I don't believe John Kerry could have changed Iraq, should he have taken office in late January, so there's some justice in Bush having to rebuild Iraq, as well as having to deal with the results of his disasterous rush to war without adequate troops or protection for our troops and without emminent threat.
I believe it is up to each of us to make sure that the Bush Administration is held accountable for the rush to war, for the poor planning, and for their hubris in under-estimating the Iraqi resistance. Since Bush invaded Iraq, 100,000 Iraqiis are dead and about 10,000 Americans are wounded or dead. And hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives are missing and can be assumed to be in the hands of the insurgents and terrorists.
We have to overcome the misunderstandings that Bush has instilled in half of the people of this country who do not realize what he has done to our troops, to the Iraqi people, and to our standing in the eyes of the world.
It is also just for Bush to deal with the enormous budget deficit he has incurred. Again, Kerry couldn't have turned it around in just four years, and a failure to do so would have weakened his chances for a second term. So let Bush take the blame, as it becomes clear that his tax cuts for the wealthy have not spurred the economy or created new jobs. Let him figure out how to fix the economy and social security.
I am less worried about whether Bush will instigate another war--not because he wouldn't want to, but because he doesn't have enough troops for the two wars he is already fighting--and he will not find the support of the American people for another war. What I hope is that we are not forced to defend ourselves while we are spread so thin.
It is up to each of us, personally, to challenge the misleading claims and misinformation that were fed to people who have trusted Bush. If we were shy of speaking out before, we need to speak out now.
My main consolation is that George W. Bush will have to deal with the messes he's created. He will have to deal with the problems in Iraq, with the insurgency, with the elections to be held there in January and the possibility of a resulting theocracy. I don't believe John Kerry could have changed Iraq, should he have taken office in late January, so there's some justice in Bush having to rebuild Iraq, as well as having to deal with the results of his disasterous rush to war without adequate troops or protection for our troops and without emminent threat.
I believe it is up to each of us to make sure that the Bush Administration is held accountable for the rush to war, for the poor planning, and for their hubris in under-estimating the Iraqi resistance. Since Bush invaded Iraq, 100,000 Iraqiis are dead and about 10,000 Americans are wounded or dead. And hundreds of thousands of tons of explosives are missing and can be assumed to be in the hands of the insurgents and terrorists.
We have to overcome the misunderstandings that Bush has instilled in half of the people of this country who do not realize what he has done to our troops, to the Iraqi people, and to our standing in the eyes of the world.
It is also just for Bush to deal with the enormous budget deficit he has incurred. Again, Kerry couldn't have turned it around in just four years, and a failure to do so would have weakened his chances for a second term. So let Bush take the blame, as it becomes clear that his tax cuts for the wealthy have not spurred the economy or created new jobs. Let him figure out how to fix the economy and social security.
I am less worried about whether Bush will instigate another war--not because he wouldn't want to, but because he doesn't have enough troops for the two wars he is already fighting--and he will not find the support of the American people for another war. What I hope is that we are not forced to defend ourselves while we are spread so thin.
It is up to each of us, personally, to challenge the misleading claims and misinformation that were fed to people who have trusted Bush. If we were shy of speaking out before, we need to speak out now.
posted by Lynn Holleman Rudloff | 11:03 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home