Bush's security policies deserve praise

By Caroline May     9/18/08 7:00pm

Observers to this election season have seen that an ever-increasing mass of campaign minions, career politicians and political pundits have been cultivating an exceedingly polarized atmosphere. For months now, each side has been readying their weapons and mapping out their strategies, attempting to secure votes via the skillful manipulation of rhetoric, divisive politics and hard-hitting inquiries. As different as the candidates are, one similarity is their common tendency to marginalize the successes of our current commander-in-chief. To be sure, the pair varies in terms of the degree to which they disregard the president's achievements. While Senator Barack Obama and Senator Joe Biden disparage President Bush's leadership (indeed Biden has hinted that, if elected, an Obama administration might possibly pursue criminal charges) Senator John McCain is doing his best to distance himself from the current administration.

Yet who can blame them? Bush's approval ratings are quite low (though they trump Congress's poll numbers) and "change" has become a contagious mantra, with both candidates embracing the theme. In this environment a rejection of the past eight years is predictable, yet to ignore and diminish Bush's most significant accomplishment does our country a disservice. I myself have problems with a number of the president's policies; despite this I am more than sensitive to the fact that his administration has succeeded in achieving the most important role of government. Bush and our unceasingly brave men and women in uniform have made this country safer.

Since Sept. 11 we have gone over 2,500 days without another terrorist attack on American soil. On Sept. 12, 2001 how many among us would have believed this to be possible? My guess is very few. We have reason to be proud of our country, its warriors and, yes, its leaders.

---

---

Since the collective recognition of America's domestic vulnerability, our government, under the leadership of Bush, has reinforced security at home and, with the War on Terrorism, has taken the fight to the enemy. Having gone on the offensive against Islamic extremism, our military has succeeded in taking down two of the globe's most notorious state sponsors of terrorism: the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

In an article published by the Heritage Foundation, Jack Spencer and Ha Nguyen elaborated on the dangers posed by these types of accomplice nations: "A deadly synergy is created when states like Iraq and Afghanistan choose to work with terrorist groups. States have resources . that non-state actors do not have. On the other hand, non-state actors are able to operate globally and can act largely undetected .. This symbiotic relationship can operate undercover, possibly without the knowledge of the American government. Thus, a state hostile to the United States may appear to be acting within the bounds of acceptable diplomatic behavior while at the same time covertly supporting aggressive endeavors of its non-state allies."

In taking the fight to the terrorists we have not only killed and/or detained thousands of terrorists, but we have also disrupted their organizations and financial resources, deprived them of training grounds and put them on the defensive. Further, the wars abroad have had the added bonus of acting as a magnet for terrorists previously gunning for the American homeland. Instead of fighting these violent extremists on U.S. soil, American heroes are able to kill them on external battlefields.

By treating the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 as acts of war rather than as isolated criminal acts, Bush made it clear that America was no "paper tiger" (as Osama Bin Laden characterized America in his 1999 interview with John Miller for Esquire magazine). Those actively hostile to the United States and her interests would pay a price. Americans are indebted to the work of our country's public servants who are fighting the terrorists abroad and securing the homeland from within. Indeed, America has flexed her muscles, come out victorious and forced those with evil intentions to take notice. With all that the president and America's valiant soldiers have done to keep us safe - comfortably focused on our own lives and insignificant plights - the least we can do as average citizens is recognize and thank them for their invaluable service to this great country. Thank you!

Caroline May is a Will Rice College senior

---