Ripon College Days

Well, the Christmas season is officially here. Around the country Christmas music blared as soon as the Thanksgiving dishes were washed, Advent candles everywhere were lit last Sunday, sales will be such that nobody will pay full price for anything until sometime after New Years, we've had snow on the ground for several days now, and of course the pressure of finals is matched only by the pressure to get that perfect gift for those special people in your life. Shortly after the Christ child was laid in a manger some 2000 years ago, he was visited by three wisemen, each with a precious gift. Thus, in the spirit of that first Christmas I also offer three gifts-hopefully precious and valuable-to President Bush: (be) bold, (use) intelligence (properly), and ensure (trustworthiness in his life and administration).

The first might seem somewhat obvious; the President needs to continue to be bold in his policy goals and approaches to problems. His re-election was largely driven by the fact that a majority of Americans felt he was a clear, decisive leader-those qualities cannot be abandoned now. While acknowledging the ongoing difficulties in Iraq, the President needs to boldly defend his vision for Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. A bold leader must inspire bold peoples. Timidity has never been the catalyst for change; if we are to ask for boldness from Iraqis who defy militants to vote, or Egyptians to run as opposition candidates, or Lebanese to ensure that Syria remains nothing more than observer then we must be bold in helping that to occur. That boldness must start with the President but it should not stop with the issue of Iraq. Whatever is to the solution to the Social Security problem, the President needs to boldly reintroduce the issue because it is a problem that cannot be ignored. Similarly with issues such as energy sustainability, the President needs to boldly assert that something must be done, and soon-he cannot let the issue disappear. Make not mistake, boldness is not to be confused with bravado and that is a line the President has too often walked in the past, but resolute leadership, especially in the face of great obstacles, very often leads to resolutions.

Boldness is a wonderful quality in any leader but it must be coupled with intelligence. (No, I am not referring to the President's mental capacity-it takes above average smarts to graduate from two Ivy League schools not to mention getting re-elected president in the midst of an unpopular war and slow economy.) The President has many assets around him and he needs to better use them. Something in his first administration drove off Colin Powell-one of the most respected men in America-such assets cannot be lost in the future. He also needs to work more closely with moderate Democrats. There are valid concerns about issues such as Iraq and there are questions that need to be answered. As a matter of both practicalities (two heads are better than one) and public perceptions the President should hear those concerns and try to answer the questions. He should not allow the ultimate vision for Iraq to be changed, but neither can he afford to treat the other political party like the enemy. Some things can be addressed through compromise. The "gift" of intelligence also refers to our intelligence agencies. They need to be used aggressively in the pursuit of terrorists. The damage done to the American image around the globe by rumors of secret prisons and kidnappings not to mention pictures of detainee abuse far outweigh information gained in those practices. While it is true that this war frequently requires extraordinary measures and great secrecy, we cannot compromise what we are as Americans in our efforts to defend America.

The last "gift" connects to the second in many ways-the President must ensure that his administration remains trustworthy. That is certainly an important concept as it relates (retroactively) to the case for invading Iraq as well as in relation to practices employed in prosecuting the war on terror. The President needs to remain personally above reproach. He also needs to eliminate any semblance of corruption within his administration. The allegations against Karl Rove regarding national security, for example, are very troubling. Whether Rove is actually guilty of a crime is almost irrelevant, he certainly seems guilty of poor judgment. That is something that more than just being politically damaging for the President, actually diminishes the credibility of the administration and its policy efforts which in turn affects our standings overseas. Our last president's scandals ultimately led to little consequences in a legal sense, but they consumed a nation, distracting us from issues that should have been more prominently discussed. President Bush campaigned (usually subtly) as a "moral" candidate, a "good" man, one who would shun the types of scandal that affected President Clinton. Such "goodness" needs to be reaffirmed not only through words but also with actions, if the next two years are to be about issues of real consequence to this country.

The Gospel of Luke, in relating the story of the first Christmas, tells of angels announcing, "news of great joy, which shall be to all people." I offer these tidbits of advice not for the benefit of President Bush (I don't care about his legacy and his length of term is not dependent on any policy or strategy success), but in the hopes that if followed, they can help all Americans. Success in Iraq should indeed be great news for all Americans-not just supporters of President Bush, a successful partial privatization of Social Security would mean a more secure retirement for all Americans, the list goes on. Preferred policies are politically contentious but desired results should be a national consensus. Everyone should want a bold, intelligent, and trustworthy president.

Luke continues with the angels proclaiming, "Peace on earth and good will toward men." I would hope those are goals that we can all strive for together. I hope that peace will arrive in Iraq and that death, in all its hideous permanence, will cease to be so common in that country. I hope that our service members will also find peace within themselves-Americans of all political stripes need to support our troops and their families who are separated during this holiday season. They deserve our respect. I also hope that we can all practice "good will toward men," especially at this time of year. Whatever amount of involvement you think government should have in fighting poverty, whoever you blame for the devastation of Katrina-take it upon yourself to help the victims of each. No matter what you think of global warming or drilling in ANWR, take a moment to appreciate the beauty of those Christmas trees whose only decoration is fresh snow. When that type of peace and goodwill are prominent once again in America, it will only go to show that even politics can match the spirit of Christmas-and, this year, that might be the greatest gift of all.

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