The Election Campaign Begins

With Labor Day behind us we can expect to see, in the next couple of weeks, how the Bush administration intends to fight the mid-term elections.

Many people have noted how the Bushies seem to manage to pull themselves out of the ditch every election cycle—just after “everyone” has consigned them to electoral disaster.

The reason for this is not remarkable. In normal times the informal alliance of Democrats and liberal media means that the liberal world view occupies most of the public square. Only in the conservative subculture does an alternative view exist.

Come the campaign season the Bushies can engage the American people and advance their ideas and policies against the Democrats using the president’s bully pulpit and the paid media of campaign commercials.

With two speeches under his belt it is clear that President Bush and his staff have prepared a full-scale campaign to win the hearts and minds of the American people. They intend to confound those who have already conceded the election to the Democrats.

In his speech Tuesday, the president called for Congress to pass new legislation to clarify uncertainties in the legal status of unlawful combatants. Specifically, he declared:

I'm sending Congress legislation to specifically authorize the creation of military commissions to try terrorists for war crimes.

In addition, and perhaps for patriotic Americans this is the most important, the president said:

I'm asking Congress to pass legislation that will clarify the rules for our personnel fighting the war on terror. First, I'm asking Congress to list the specific, recognizable offenses that would be considered crimes under the War Crimes Act -- so our personnel can know clearly what is prohibited in the handling of terrorist enemies. Second, I'm asking that Congress make explicit that by following the standards of the Detainee Treatment Act our personnel are fulfilling America's obligations under Common Article Three of the Geneva Conventions. Third, I'm asking that Congress make it clear that captured terrorists cannot use the Geneva Conventions as a basis to sue our personnel in courts -- in U.S. courts. The men and women who protect us should not have to fear lawsuits filed by terrorists because they're doing their jobs.

These are important issues that have needed attention for some time. Some have complained that the Bush administration has not addressed them earlier. Obviously it is best to send them up to Congress in the weeks before an election. It helps concentrate the mind—of Congress and the American people. That is what the Bush administration is doing.

You can complain about the timing as a naked attempt to politicize the war on terror. But timing is everything. The president has a responsibility to advance his agenda at the best moment. Otherwise, why bother?

The Democrats have had a fine old time for the last year traducing the president and our war on terror, specifically against the Islamist movement that would like to overturn the Pax Americana. It has been very difficult to counter their careless and vindictive talk.

The time to engage with them in a battle is at election time, and that is what the president is doing.