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Two years before President
George Bush’s term as U.S. president is slated to end, the President may
already be sealing his historical fate.
The President emerged after
the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, as a champion of
national security and the defender of freedom both in the U.S. and
throughout the world. True, there have been no terror attacks on U.S. soil
since 9/11, but regardless, we are hardly safer.
Our borders with Mexico and
Canada are still as unregulated as they were five years ago, demonstrated
in large part by the fact that hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens
sneak across them every year. The border security force is still roughly
the same size as it was post-9/11, and just as ineffective. Now, it seems
that the efforts of the Border Patrol are more focused on shipping illegal
immigrants back across the border, rather than stopping them there in the
first place.
The security at our nuclear
power plants has still not been federalized, and remains the
responsibility of a barely regulated private security force. The
Department of Energy still lacks the authority it needs to require nuclear
power plants to beef up their security forces, it only has the right to
“recommend” changes to what is already in place.
As demonstrated in the
tragic events following the Gulf Coast Hurricanes, we do not have the
capability to respond effectively to disasters. Despite the President’s
pledge to increase the size and effectiveness of “first responders” at
home, his failure has been demonstrated in the fact that these fine men
and women were in no position to respond appropriately after Hurricane
Katrina struck. The President, in true George Bush fashion, decided to do
what he has always done, send in the military. Though the military
response to the hurricanes was indeed commendable, it should not have been
required. Local, state, and even federal civilian authorities
should have been able to handle the situation, as this is what they are
tasked to do.
Rumors abound every day
about nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea. Though the President
had no problem invading Iraq without proof of its weapons program, he does
seem to have a problem standing up to these nations who have acknowledged
a similar nuclear program. Similarly, he has failed to stem the
anti-Semitic and racist remarks coming from Iran, a nation that has been a
proven supporter of international terror.
Perhaps most of all, the
President has failed to bring peace and stability to Iraq, a nation he
invaded preemptively without proper justification or support. Years after
the invasion, Iraqis are still dying every day in terrible and violent
acts of terrorism. The streets are not safe, the lives of everyday Iraqis
have been interrupted, and it is clearly time to find a long-term,
peaceful solution to the conflict.
At home, tax cuts that
undoubtedly favor the wealthy, a string of ultra-conservative Supreme
Court nominees, and the President’s illegal NSA surveillance program have
all seriously damaged his public image, not to mention his approval
rating.
The list goes on.
And yet, the White House
continues to play the public relations game instead of creating long-term
solutions to the problems it has created. Looks like George Bush’s
Britannica entry has already been written.
Sources:
CNN, The Associated Press, Reuters, The New York Times |
