In a world that tends to stagnate, change in people and circumstance is always refreshing no matter where that change leads. On this note, many must have noticed that President Bush is not what he was or seemed to be a year ago. The man’s body language is not as cocky as it once was, his diction and dicta are more measured and presidential in style, and he seems to rethink his mistakes.
I have written negatively about him before. I think he deserves a mention in this new person that seems to flower as his experience of the world grows. He no longer speaks in imperatives. He does not nod as often and wait for choreographed applause as much as he used to. Most importantly, we hear more from him and less from Rumsfeld. Looking at it from a political point of view, this is democracy at its best. Mistakes happen, ignorance is common, but neither is beyond repair. If God should bless America for anything, it is that.
Last week he delivered a speech that was more or less earth-shaking as far as this area is concerned. It was measured, politically astute, not totally true (as all good political speeches are), and stunning. He lumped the Middle East in one bag and asked for democracy. That is a brave and very realistic move. We have heard American rhetoric about Iraq being another Germany or Japan after WWII. Yet we needed to hear about a vision that encompassed Iraq within its milieu as Germany was within Europe. This caused confusion and a great amount of distrust. Now we know better since the President is on paper and on tape spelling out the terms.
On the face of it, the President has surely lost many friends he can invite to his ranch in Texas. But, and this is a big but, he has the potential of gaining the support, love, and admiration of 120 million Arabs. He would be the first American President since Eisenhower to do so. Remember, Ike stood by the side of right and ordered the armies of UK, France, and Israel to withdraw their attack on Egypt when it nationalized the Canal.
There is a proviso, a caveat, a condition, if you will. Will he be satisfied with words and do nothing on the ground to help bring his vision to fruition — as he brought his armies into the area? George W. Bush has tempted history with his declaration. He can act on it as only a superpower can, or he can use it as another form of opium to placate the people. For the sake of peace and the civilized triumphing over the barbaric, I hope he is planning to push forward with this vision.
I never doubted his sincerity, not even when he sounded completely out of it. I simply question his resolve in this area (literally and figuratively). This is a quagmire, to use a Rumsfeldian term, and a messy one at that. You sink either in oil or in blood. Deserts lack water so there is no absolution, and the River Jordan is basically a trickle for nine months of the year.
