Bush TV

(2/18/04)

After Super Tuesday Volume One this past week, the Democratic nomination for the 2004 election is pretty much set. John Kerry, after winning five out of the seven states possible on Tuesday and sweeping the weekend caucuses, looks like a sure bet to get the nod for the Dems. A lot of people are talking about Kerry being ahead of Bush in this week's poll, but what does that really mean?
The Democrats have spent the last few months campaigning not only against each other, but also against Bush. Bush has been occupied by his duties as the sitting President of the United States, so he hasn't really had the time to fight back.
The President got his chance to fight back on Feb. 8 on "Meet the Press" with bloated liberal, Tim Russert. I was surprised at this move by the Bush camp; it isn't often an incumbent President would gamble and put himself out there for an entire hour on a Sunday morning.
The dominant topic for half of the interview was the Iraqi war and reconstruction. Concerning the much publicized intelligence problems, Bush was quick to defend his actions based on the intelligence that both he and Congress received. President Bush reminded Russert that Iraq was an imminent threat to the region as well as the world regardless if they had any physical weapons of mass destruction. Iraq had an interest in the proliferation of these WMDs and would be, according to Bush, more than ready to use them if threatened.
Regardless of party affiliation, we must all admit that a post-Saddam Iraq is a much better place than the former Iraq. There is no question that Hussein had a record of genocide and human atrocities that alone was reason enough to oust him from the country. It is in the best interest of the entire free world to have a free Iraq. This is why the United Nations has just pledged to help the United States in the rebuilding efforts that are ongoing in the region. Bush truly believes his message and conveyed this dedication in the interview on NBC.
While discussing his stance on the reconstruction of Iraq, Bush was asked if the US would allow for an Islamic extremist to be the leader of Iraq. Bush quickly replied, "It's not going to happen. They are writing a constitution which includes minority rights and freedom of religion."
President Bush stuck to his guns in this interview and pointed to the disarmament of Libya as positive reinforcement that the United States tough stance on WMDs is being taken seriously by the global community. He later said that America has a responsibility to the world to lead the fight against such things as terrorism, the spread of disease (specifically mentioning the AIDS epidemic in Africa), and proliferation of WMDs.
The second half of the interview had President Bush defending his time served in the Air National Guard and domestic affairs, most notably the state of the economy during his term and in the future.
There were claims of Bush being AWOL in the National Guard during his time served, but Bush refuted this well by citing his Honorable Discharge, which is something one doesn't receive when they make a habit of going AWOL.
Russert brought out a graphic depicting several economic statistics from when Bush took office compared to present statistics in the same categories, but this didn't phase Bush at all. The President made several points to rebut Russert's attempt at blaming the economy on his administration.
For example, the Stock Market had begun to decline in March of 2000. This was a clear indication that the Clinton administration, which was most likely busy trying to find Clinton some sort of legacy, had not addressed domestic problems late in their second term and left them for the Republican incumbent to fix or to take the blame for. After the events of September 11, 2001, the economy and job market took obvious turns for the worse, but are making their way back to pre-9/11 levels. Jobs are on the rise, unemployment is shrinking, and with tax cuts for individuals and small businesses, the economy is making a push. And not at the snail?s pace the Democrats would have the public believe.
A major factor in the upcoming presidential election will be Bush's budget deficit, and the Democrat's fallacy that they would be able to balance the budget. Bush stated the truth concerning the deficit, "there are certain expenditures because we're at war and when at war we have a responsibility to outfit our military with the best equipment possible." This seems obvious to some people, but whether or not one agrees with war, the fact that there must be extra expenditures to ensure the highest level of effectiveness should not even be a question.
With only a few moments left in the interview Russert quoted a slanderous and juvenile statement from John Kerry, Bush's likely opponent in November. This quote had Kerry comparing Bush to Ronald Reagan unfavorably by saying, "They parade him out in public once a day." Kerry also said, "They dress him up in a brown jacket and some jeans, have him picking up hay or driving a truck trying to make him look like the Marlboro man." Finally Kerry called Bush immature and unqualified by saying, "I knew him, he [Bush] was two years behind me at Yale, and he's the same now as he was then."
Now perhaps I'm just jealous, but Bush is no dummy. He isn't the greatest public speaker or even as good as Clinton was, but he's no fool. The man attended both Yale University and Harvard Business School. Kerry, who uses stupid campaign gimmicks - such as being seen playing hockey, riding his motorcycle, and swearing in Rolling Stone magazine - shouldn't be so quick to attack Bush on his image.
Bush had a good showing and took the questions well in this early election season television appearance. He stood his ground and showed a conviction that is often called in to question. Believe what you will about his motives and actions, but make sure to look at all of the facts, not just skewed, partisan statistics when you make your decision during the coming months. This was a victory for Dubya and a swift statement to the Democrats telling them to bring it on.
When asked by Russert, "What if you were to lose the election," Bush cut him off, smiled, and assured him, "I'm not gonna lose."