Still Time for Bush to Alter History s View

It s not too late for President George W. Bush to start thinking legacy.

The critics, cynics and partisans will gasp and say, Are you kidding? We are in a conflict in Iraq that has descended into civil war. Bush s cabinet is departing in sullen disgrace. His poll numbers are so bad that even loyal Republicans can t make excuses anymore. So where does George Bush go as the countdown continues on his presidency?

Some insight comes from prior administrations. Lyndon Johnson s Vietnam nightmare shares space with his personal convictions on civil rights and racial equality. Richard Nixon spent his retirement years defining life beyond Watergate. Opening up China, pulling out of Vietnam and saving Israel during the 1973 Yom Kippur War were immense, historic foreign policy actions undertaken by a man tormented by personal demons. Totally overwhelmed by the White House, Jimmy Carter now spends his retirement attempting to portray a sense of personal moral purpose.

So where can George Bush take his presidency in the next 18 months that will alter history s view of his legacy?

He can start by adopting a sweeping but pragmatic view of the geopolitical realities facing us, and acting accordingly. Before the start of combat in Iraq, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger told us we would easily win on the battlefield, but the peace will be unforgiving. Let s start listening.

The president should acknowledge that the Iraq conflict is so muddled that, short of a million soldiers on the ground, the best we can hope for is a series of sectarian states within the borders of the old Iraq. The president should acknowledge that generations of inbred religious warfare are not going to be defused by our soldiers, and oversee a referendum on how best to officially divide a nation that no longer exists. Doing so will at least create a relatively stable political environment that will make Sunnis and Shiites resistant to an Iranian neighbor despised by both, but currently able to operate inside Iraq because it benefits the insurgents.

He should also reconsider how we are presenting the War on Terror to the American public. Six years after the attacks, the enormous threat still posed against the United States has been reduced to a civil liberties debate. It s as if the 9/11 attacks were some tragic sideshow perpetrated by madmen, rather than mass murder committed by those sworn to bring down our democracy. Recognizing that there is much anti-terrorism work taking place clandestinely, Bush should review with a new eye what can be said publicly to demonstrate that the War on Terror is a continuing mortal threat, and that we will continue to confront it aggressively.

What is this president s vision of our Sino-American diplomacy in the decade to come, and how can we broaden what is currently a relationship based solely on economics? Over the next 18 months, how can Bush set the stage to ensure that an emerging Asian superpower has a strong and vibrant United States as an ally far into the 21st century?

Finally, this president has consistently alluded to the issue of energy independence, but there remains no national commitment to finding an effective fossil fuel alternative. Why wouldn t this gas-guzzling, energy-consuming nation " which hands over billions to the Middle East every month " support a president who put the nation s total and complete resources to bear on genuine energy alternatives?

Think of the legacy, Mr. President.


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