|
 t's
compassionate conservatism goes to war.
President George
W. Bush combined two of his favorite themes last night: 1) running
down al Qaeda like dogs; 2) emphasizing the compassion of the American
people. And so, he mixed the sugary sweet and the steely tough in
a performance that was convincing, and even commanding.
Watching Bush
over the last two years, it was always clear when he wasn't comfortable
discussing a topic — he would just barely hang on by saying
as little as possible — and when he really had mastered something,
education being the foremost example. When he knew an issue, he'd
be expansive and passionate.
Now, he appears
to have utterly mastered what will be the dominant issue of his
presidency, grasping the war on terrorism intellectually and believing
it deeply in his heart. The old stumbling W. seems simply to have
disappeared, replaced a new, confident President Bush, who is comfortable
in traditional presidential settings — like a formal, prime-time
press conference — in a way he wouldn't have been before.
This is not
say he has been cured of malapropisms — they still pop up with
great frequency. But they seem a trifle compared to his seriousness
and resolve.
One sign of
Bush's comfort last night was the length of his answers. What he
kept coming back to almost every time was the purpose of the attacks
against us — namely, to frighten us into submission —
and how we would resist being cowed, hunt down the perpetrators,
and settle in for a long, drawn-out war.
Indeed, Bush
seemed to relish saying this, as if nothing will make him happier
than to say it over and over again, until Osama bin Laden and his
various state supporters are brought to justice or annihilated.
On the policy
front, he said he understands that forging a viable post-Taliban
government is crucial to our operation, although he said he prefers
to think of it not as "nation building," but as "stabilization
of a future government." Whatever it's called, it will involve
difficult political spadework (as
I wrote the other day).
On Iraq, Bush
is still leaving his options open, but emphasizes that the Taliban
is our target only for "right now" and floated
the idea of renewed inspections in Iraq, which may be a sign that
the administration is working its way toward an ultimatum for Saddam.
If so, let's hope that it is one that he can't possibly comply with.
On missile
defense, Bush was simply fantastic, making the point that the terrorist
attacks prove that the security environment of the Cold War is gone
forever, and so the ABM treaty is "outdated, antiquated, and
useless."
Bush also talked
often of compassionate themes, mentioning twice that neighbors had
gone out of their way to help "women of the cloth" who
felt scared to leave their homes and generally celebrating the unity
and generosity of the country.
In this vein,
he concluded with his proposal that every child in America send
a dollar to a fund to aid Afghani children, a gimmicky proposal
but a wonderfully American one that will stand as a demonstration
of the goodness of American power.
Bush wants
to wage war fiercely and morally, in the best tradition of
American arms. Last night was just another indication of how suited
he is to this role, that of the compassionate warrior.
|
