Op-Ed Columnist: Taking Bush at His Word
NY Times
October 30, 2004
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
I often criticize statements by President Bush, so today
let me praise some of his real wisdom:
• Oct. 11, 2000: "If we're an arrogant nation, [foreigners]
will resent us. If we're a humble nation but strong,
they'll welcome us. ... We've got to be humble."
It's a good thing Mr. Bush tried to be humble, or the U.S.
would have an approval rating even lower than 5 percent in
Jordan, and Osama bin Laden's approval rating in Pakistan
would be higher than 65 percent.
• Feb. 27, 2001: "I hope you will join me to pay down $2
trillion in debt during the next 10 years. ... We should
approach our nation's budget as any prudent family would."
But Mr. Bush, with the help of a weak economy, has
transformed the Clinton budget surpluses into huge
deficits. Since Mr. Bush took office, the federal debt has
increased by $2.1 trillion, or 40 percent.
• Sept. 25, 2000: "It is clear our nation is reliant upon
big foreign oil. More and more of our imports come from
overseas."
Hmm. And many of our exports go abroad. Meanwhile, despite
the lackluster economy, oil imports are 1.3 million barrels
per day higher than in Mr. Clinton's last year in office.
• June 11, 2001: "My administration is committed to a
leadership role on the issue of climate change."
Great! Because America's carbon dioxide emissions,
associated with global warming, have risen 1.7 percent
since then.
• June 26, 2003: "Notorious human rights abusers,
including, among others, Burma, Cuba, North Korea, Iran and
Zimbabwe, have long sought to shield their abuses from the
eyes of the world by staging elaborate deceptions and
denying access to international human rights monitors."
It takes a big man to admit mistakes, like his
administration's practice of hiding certain Arab prisoners
from Red Cross and other inspectors.
• Nov. 5, 2003: "In the debate about the rights of the
unborn, we are asked to broaden the circle of our moral
concern. ... We're asked by our convictions and tradition
and compassion to build a culture of life, and make this a
more just and welcoming society."
Abortions declined in the U.S. in the Clinton years; the
abortion rate dropped by 22 percent in the 1990's. But
while data are incomplete, abortions appear to have
increased sharply since Mr. Bush took office. Glen H.
Stassen, a Christian pro-life theologian, estimates that
52,000 more abortions occurred in 2002 than would have been
expected based on the previous trend. Professor Stassen
attributes the rise in abortions in part to the troubled
economy and concerns among pregnant women that they cannot
afford to have babies.
• May 25, 2004: "One of the challenges we face is to make
sure the health care system responds to the needs of the
citizens."
But five million more Americans don't have health
insurance, compared with when Mr. Bush took office.
• Sept. 9, 2003: "We must focus early to make sure every
child can read and write and add and subtract."
But Mr. Bush's budget guidelines translate into
inflation-adjusted reductions in 2006 alone of more than
$900 million for Head Start and childhood education.
• May 24, 2003: "We will not tolerate nuclear weapons in
North Korea."
On Mr. Bush's watch, North Korea is generally believed to
have gone from two nuclear weapons to about eight.
• 2001: "Not on my watch."
Scrawled note by Mr. Bush on a
report to him about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda that had
occurred under President Clinton.
That's reassuring to the 100,000 or more people in Darfur
who have died in a spasm of murder and rape that Mr. Bush
acknowledges as genocide.
• Sept. 30, 2004: "The biggest threat facing this country
is weapons of mass destruction in the hands of a terrorist
network."
But the single most important step to reducing the risk
that a nuclear weapon will destroy New York is to secure
loose nukes abroad, and Mr. Bush has been lackadaisical
about that. Only 135 out of 600 metric tons of Russian
nuclear materials have been given comprehensive upgrades,
and Mr. Bush initially proposed cutting funds for that
program.
• Sept. 2, 1999: "Effective reform requires accountability.
... It is a sad story. High hopes, low achievement. Grand
plans, unmet goals. My administration will do things
differently."
Oh?
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