PLAYING IT STRAIGHT
W ON IRAQ & ANSWERING 9/11
John Podhoretz
NEW YORK POST
Opinion
September 12, 2006
EVEN if you hate George W. Bush, you have to hand it to him: He doesn't run away from controversy. He doesn't do what other politicians do when tied to unpopular policies - avoid the topic and go on to another one that's easier for voters to digest.
Bush had just that opportunity - the chance to change the subject - last night. He could have used the anniversary of 9/11 to offer America a combination of a heartfelt eulogy and feel-good tribute that would have gone down like honey and would have been his way of saying, "Hey, remember me, I'm that nice guy you used to like."
There was some of that in the speech, to be sure.
But what mattered, what viewers will take away from last night, was his unambiguous claim that the war in Iraq - the most controversial and politically divisive policy of his presidency - is now the central front in the War on Terror and that we can't afford to lose there because the consequences of our failure would be more dire than we could possibly imagine.
Close students of American politics and war policy know that this is Bush's argument. But last night's speech was the first and probably the last time before the midterm elections in November that the president will have a national audience - made up of Americans who don't pay very close attention to such matters - to make his case.
You can be sure that Republican pollsters who are trying to advise GOP politicians how to win their midterm elections in November were pulling their hair out. They believe that Iraq's unpopularity will cost their clients, and they were surely hoping for more high-minded uplift to soothe kvetchy voters.
But that's not how Bush does it. He clearly believes, as he did two years ago, that the war in Iraq should be at the forefront when Americans go to the polls. He doesn't shy away from the choices he has made or the policies he has instituted. He places them before voters in a straightforward way.
Every person who will actually cast a vote in November has good reason to be grateful for Bush's directness.
If you're someone who despises Bush's policy choices and believes the American people stand with you, then Bush has given you a great gift: He has handed you the election and the means to stop him.
If you're someone who is skeptical of Bush's reasoning but isn't firmly in the hater camp, then Bush has given you something valuable to chew on with these words in particular:
"Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone. They will not leave us alone. They will follow us. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad. Osama bin Laden calls this fight 'the Third World War' - and he says that victory for the terrorists in Iraq will mean America's 'defeat and disgrace forever.' If we yield Iraq to men like bin Laden, our enemies will be emboldened. They will gain a new safe haven. And they will use Iraq's resources to fuel their extremist movement."
And if you're someone who generally supports Bush's policies but has found the last year rough going, then his forthright explication of them may stiffen your spine and give you some sustenance as we head into this unprecedented election season.
jpodhoretz@gmail.com
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