Fierce and Moral
Last night was just another indication of how suited President Bush is to the role of compassionate warrior.

October 12, 2001 8:25 a.m.

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.