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a remarkable egalitarian and sweeping manner, President George W.
Bush's speech Thursday (more a declaration of national purpose than
a formal declaration of war) signaled a beginning and an ending.
It was a beginning in that he clearly outlined the goals of the
coming struggle and rallied Americans to his cause. "Tonight,
we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom.
Our grief has turned to anger, and anger to resolution. Whether
we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies,
justice will be done."
As written
(most likely by chief speechwriter Michael Gerson), it was one of
the finest presidential addresses ever. The artifice of casting
it as a "State of the Union" was appropriate and effective.
Even better
this was a summoning that brought Americans together, rather than
driving them apart. As he campaigned, Bush was "uniter, not
a divider." Given that our foes use their allegiance to one
of the world's great religions as a motivating force, it is important
that the United States avoid falling into the trap of making war
on Islam. A Muslim cleric was appropriately positioned in the audience.
He referred to the religion's teachings as "peaceful."
Bush clearly
stated that America, seeking to defend its principles and its beliefs,
will not be the new Crusaders trying to make the world safe for
Christianity. No, but we will make the world safe from those who
would kill and maim civilians.
But in meeting
the gravity of the occasion, George W. Bush also signaled an ending.
This was the ending of banal rhetoric in the service of purely political
ends. In other words, this was the end of Clintonism and the deceptive
and angry words the era represented.
"We will
rally the world to this cause, by our efforts and by our courage.
We will not tire, we will not falter, we will not fail." In
those words, Bush speaks to the responsibilities of the entire nation.
He is confident that Americans can continue on even though our confidence
might be momentarily shaken.
He follows
that up with a personal promise of his own. Displaying the badge
of police officer George Howard, given to him by Howard's mother,
he declared, "I will not forget this wound to our country,
or those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest. I
will not relent in waging this struggle for the freedom and security
of the American people."
This is something
of a bargain. Bush puts forth what is expected of the ordinary citizen
— he asks for "patience." But he also declares that
he is going to work hard, perhaps harder than he ever has before
to achieve this goal.
How could the
man who asked what the meaning of "is" is, have ever delivered
those words? What meaning would they have had?
Would even
Clinton pal Tony Blair believe the former president if he declared
to the Taliban that there would be no room for negotiation on the
terms of surrendering Osama bin Laden? Of course not.
Ironically,
it's because words don't come so easily to Bush, that when they
do come forward, we are forced to listen to them that much more
closely. We know that he believes what he is saying as truth without
a dissembling thought behind them.
Bill Clinton
may have been the perfect president for the era of "reality
TV." But George W. Bush is the president the nation needs once
"reality" itself returns.
And apropos
of that, the culture itself is suddenly challenged by September's
nasty surprise. There may be very well be an ending — or at
the very least a truce — in the Culture Wars. Wednesday, the
Department of Defense announced that "Don't ask, don't tell"
was being suspended for the time being. That is to say, all military
discharges — for whatever reason — are in abeyance for
the duration. The time has come, it seems, to make war, not love.
And then there
is the new "Secretary of Homeland Security." As a Vietnam
vet, Gov. Tom Ridge is the perfect choice for the job. On the other
hand, depending on how he performs his job over the next three years,
he will be ideally suited to become an alternative for Bush should
Cheney prove — or appear — too unhealthy to run for a
second term. Even though we are in a war period, politics continues
(those who doubt should look up FDR and his three vice-presidents).
Pennsylvania will still be an electorally rich state three years
from now. Ridge's pro-choice views eliminated him as a V.P. candidate
in 2000.
But that was
then.
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