Yesterday, we held a coronation of our current president, granting him the powers of a king, to make war at his discretion against the enemy of his choosing.
The Seattle Times: Nation & World
The House and Senate voted overwhelmingly to grant President Bush the power to attack Iraq unilaterally, remove Saddam Hussein from power and abolish that country’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs.
At the same time, the Nobel Committee anointed former President Jimmy Carter as a secular saint for his tireless work since leaving office to improve the lives of millions in the developing world and averting war in the developed world.
ajc.com | News | Carter wins Nobel Peace Prize
Jimmy Carter, sometimes described as the greatest ex-president in American history, has won the Nobel Peace Prize.
They couldn’t be more different. One born of privilege, using his name and family connections to enrich himself and those around him, the other raised on a farm in an agricultural state, serving in the Navy, and then advancing his views and himself through local and state politics to achieve the presidency.
For his tireless efforts, Carter has been lauded by the international community and the UN, but vilified at home. I would submit he follows his heart and the example of another historical figure who endures lasting fame but in his time was also vilified and in the end, crucified.
It’s too early to tell how George W. Bush will be regarded by history, but if his father’s example is anything to go by, he’ll be seated with such luminaries as Polk, Pierce, and Fillmore.
The notion that the President is a latter-day JFK with Saddam’s Iraq as his Cuban Missile Crisis neglects to mention two important facts: a) JFK had proof that there were missiles and b) the proximity of Cuba represented a real threat. Bush fils has suspicion, supposition, and hope. There may be weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but finding them and neutralizing them is a task that requires more sophistication than your average Saturday afternoon western movie.