When W. Ruled the World

(Reflections on George W. Bush occasioned by an article, "The View from the Top" by Michael Gerson in Newsweek 8/21/2006 News and History )

For me and George W. Bush, it was disdain at first sight. Then he opened his mouth, and it was worse. During his debate with Al Gore, he did a clumsy job of expressing points that Reagan had made so elegantly and persuasively. He did say one thing I liked: That our "nation building" of late had been "arrogant." I didn't vote for him in 2000, but for the Libertarian candidate.

After 2001, it didn't get any better. Even when the media were approving his impromptu speech on the rubble of the twin towers and his strong speech before Congress, I was shuddering at the huge mistake of declaring a "war" on an abstraction, "terrorism," and the threat to go after nations that harbor terrorists. He was opening up a new cold war before our eyes.

Then, all of a sudden, Bush ruled the world. Saddam fell in about three weeks. Then the statue was pulled down, as Iraqis celebrated and said "Thank you, America." Within two weeks of that, as I recall, Libya's Khaddafi gave up nuclear weapons and became our pussy cat; North Korea's flakey dictator reopened talks; Egypt's autocratic "President" announced democratic reforms and new elections; Saudi Arabia's king announced a baby step towards giving some of his citizens a say in the choices of local officials; Israel made progress in negotiations with the Palestinians; Afghanistan's newly elected President seemed strong.

For that brief time, I had to admit that Bush's vision was possible, and he had deftly managed to make it happen, withstanding pressures and advice from people like me.

All this was brought to mind by Michael Gerson's short reflection on those days in the White House.

President Bush drew a fixed conclusion: as long as the Middle East remains a bitter and backward mess, America will not be secure. Dictators in that region survive by finding scapegoats for their failures -- feeding conspiracy theories about Americans and Jews, -- and use religious groups to destroy reformers and democrats. Oil money strengthens elites, buys rockets, funds research into weapons of mass destruction, builds radical schools across Africa and Asia and finds its way to terrorist organizations [that] exploit the humiliated and hopeless. . .

That things have gone wrong since then tells us about the management skills of the White House. But let's give credit where it's due to a President who had something we've lacked since Reagan and Thatcher: boldness of vision how things can be different, not just "managed."

Gerson finishes his article reminding us that "peace is not a natural state; it is achieved by a struggle of uncertain duration." He adds, "In that struggle, the cynical, the world-weary, the risk-averse will not inherit the earth."