But it was certainly a political speech in the broader sense, laying out the
president's grand strategy in this contentious conflict. In particular, his
address to the nation emphasized his faith in freedom as the best defense
against a fanatical enemy, one as devoted to violence and tyranny over
others as the fascist movements of the last century.
Reasonable men may agree or disagree with the president's policy, but
fair-minded Americans will recognize his sincerity. For there is no reason
other than honest belief for this president to pursue a course that has
imperiled his popularity and divided the country.
George W. Bush could have laid back, temporized just as his immediate
predecessors did, and allowed Saddam Hussein to remain in power in Iraq and
the Taliban in Afghanistan. He could have treated terrorism, even on a 9/11
scale, as a matter of law enforcement rather than war. Instead, he has moved
boldly against a great and growing threat.
The presidency of George W. Bush could turn out as tragically as Lyndon
Johnson's or Woodrow Wilson's, other presidential idealists. Much depends on
the patience and perseverance of the American people. Or he may yet prove as
far-sighted as Franklin Roosevelt or Ronald Reagan in understanding the
threat to the free world in their time.
But this president's continuing to plead his case, and his refusal to swerve
from its basic justification, even in difficult times and as the leader of
an increasingly divided nation, testifies to his honest convictions. One
need not share those convictions to recognize that the man has some. And
will fight for them.