Why I'm Voting For Bush

Or, Why the Bush Administration is Utterly Incompetent with Regards to Public Relations

Foreign Policy

George W. Bush has been harping on this notion that the "world is a safer place" and the "world is better off" now that Saddam Hussein has been taken out of power. This line is basically a catchall argument to any refutation of his administration's foreign policy. Why isn't Bush utilizing the tools he has? Declarations of war are simple for many reasons.

Bush and his administration actually outlined a few plausible reasons, however, it seems that the American public have construed these reasons (with the help of the Kerry campaign) to the point that they almost make Bush appear to be dishonest. Instead of emphasizing certain issues, Bush continues to poorly defend himself for his administration's preemptive strike in Iraq. The argument that Saddam Hussein was encouraging and funding terrorism, and furthermore harboring terrorists has been an ambiguous one. I was sold after doing quite a bit of research on the issue, especially after looking at the Duelfer Report. However, I will not address that issue at this time. What I will suggest is a different approach for the Bush campaign to better serve the American people and present them with the facts--even though it might be too little too late.

Two core issues, I believe, are clear declarations of war:

The M.I.A. status of an American soldier in Iraq.¹

The violations of the No-Fly Zone over Iraq.²

The first issue, in my opinion, is the most important one. More than several sightings of P.O.W. Lt. Cmdr. Michael Scott Speicher were reported between the end of the first Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. As The Associated Press reported in March of 2003, "the Iraqi government has concealed information about his fate" and has continued to do so, yet, the media has not covered the updates of this situation for some time. In order to keep military morale up, and in an effort to remain an all-volunteer army, America largely has, and rightly so, maintained that detaining American soldiers, and furthermore, concealing information about detained American soldiers is a declaration of war. The Vietnam War is one of the defining negative moments in American foreign policy and should be looked at in terms of what not to do with regards to our American troops. For example, Senator John McCain was a P.O.W. for eight years--this is a clear disservice to our military and should be looked upon as a detriment. Instead of focusing on why the world is better off, Bush might try to consider the fact that the Iraqi regime has continually suppressed information, including intelligence concerning an American military officer.

The second issue, while it has remained a controversial issue, should be analyzed as well. The fact of the matter is the humanitarian effort to reduce Iraqi casualties after the first Gulf War was clearly ignored by the Iraqi regime. U.S. planes were fired upon and some even brought down in the No-Fly Zone and, though not an official U.N. resolution, clearly shows the disdain the Iraqis have for any U.N. sanctions. America, Britain and France (France later pulled out) continued to patrol this No-Fly Zone and the Iraqis continually ignored the regulation. This sort of activity shows the utter disdain for authority and clearly shows the motivation of the Iraqis with respect to an effort to police the Middle East. If fighter jets suddenly flew over Houston and fired upon commercial airlines, what would be the American sentiment then?

I think these issues should at least be addressed by both the Bush and Kerry campaigns, but instead, they seem to be narrowly focused on this issue of Weapons of Mass Destruction. I will reiterate the fact that I do agree with the current administration's decision to (finally) take action against Saddam's antagonistic attitude toward U.N. regulations, the fact that he was attempting to make allies with terrorists (Cf. the Duelfer Report), and that he was killing tens of thousands of his own people. However, I would like to see the above issues addressed. Instead, Bush ignores these issues and because of this, has lost the hearts of many Americans. His continual defiant position has proverbially bit him in the ass and he might lose the election because of it.

The American people deserve an honest, frank discussion on what has gone on in Iraq, but instead, Bush and the current administration effectively ignore what, in my mind, are some of the most important issues. Kerry also ignores these issues, insofar is its much easier to persuade the American people to join what has been called the "Anybody But Bush" (ABB) alliance. I do not think this is an intelligible argument to vote for Kerry, and frankly, I think the American people are being deceived by this smokescreen. Continuing to propagate this mentality, in my mind, takes away any credibility Kerry might have. It is an underhanded way to garner votes and clearly does not address the most important issues.

If I decide to, I might write a brief essay on domestic policy which might be titled:

Why I Vote Republican

Or, Why Democrats Are Far More Clever Than Republicans

Endnotes:

¹Cf. CNN, AP, Reuters. "Iraq denies U.S. claims missing Gulf War pilot might still be alive: Aviator's status changed from 'killed in action' to 'missing in action.'" CNN.com, 13 January 2001. http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/01/13/gulf.war.pilot/. Accessed 23 October, 2004.

Also Cf. AP. "Senator Says Missing Gulf War POW May Have Been Seen in Baghdad." FoxNews.com, 28 March, 2003. http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,82535,00.html. Accessed 23 October, 2004.

²Cf. Karon, Tony. "Why 'No-Fly' Zone Clashes Won't Trigger an Iraq War." Time.com, 19 November, 2002. http://www.time.com/time/world/printout/0,8816,391985,00.html. Accessed 23 October, 2004 [note: this article presents both my opinion and the dissenting opinion].