Bush's Parallels With the Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt Administrations

President George W. Bush has been called the most divisive American leader of this century. Bush’s stubborn tenacity in the War On Terror and his moral certitude on almost all matters of public policy have made him the punching bag for the liberal media, academic establishment, and European public.

In an attempt to find hope in history, Bush’s critics have compared him to two former presidents: First, to his father and namesake, a one-termer who enjoyed enormous popularity in wartime only to see it erode because of a shaky economy. The second is John Quincy Adams, also a president’s son, who ascended to the White House on a disputed election and was defeated handily the next time around. Adams failed reelection because he was more worried about doing what was right than creating politically beneficial alliances.

However coincidental these two analogies may seem, I contend that two other United States presidents provide more complete and useful comparisons to George W. Bush.

A century ago, Theodore Roosevelt was called a madman and cowboy by many of his detractors, some within his own party. They labeled him stubborn and unilateral. He learned to connect with the common man during his years spent on a cattle ranch. At his core, Roosevelt was a traditionalist and a moralist, and as such he was too conservative for some; but because he saw an expanded federal government as a vehicle to spread his philosophy, he was too liberal for others. Roosevelt was a fierce defender of the free-market. Known as a trust buster, he went after powerful combinations determined to preserve the equilibrium of the market.

Roosevelt was also an aggressive nationalist. He realized that American power could be wielded to reshape the world in a democratic fashion, from Colombia to the Philippines. He built a strong navy and paraded it around the world. He asserted American sovereignty at the risk of alienating Europe. In the end, it was American military might that assured peace and stability in the Philippines and Latin America, and Roosevelt’s bold vision and uncompromising style of diplomacy resulted in unprecedented prosperity for millions.

When Theodore Roosevelt was barely two years old, an unassuming, unpolished western lawyer named Abraham Lincoln was elected sixteenth President of the United States. Polished by history, Lincoln was in his day a warmonger who was considered incompetent and too provincial—unfit for the office of Chief Executive.

If ever there was a divisive leader, it was Abraham Lincoln. But history has shown that Lincoln’s determined leadership during the Civil War was morally right, and probably saved the nation from dissolution. He knew that the desire for southern independence was not only unwise, but also immoral and illegal. He loved the American political system and lauded it as ''the last best hope on earth.'' In the face of secession by the Confederate States of America, he realized that only overwhelming military force could end slavery and restore the union. Lincoln was willing to fight for what was not popular, but right.

He did so at the risk of losing the presidency. Lincoln never enjoyed much popularity during his presidency. He won the 1860 election (on a small plurality) only because the Democratic Party had split three ways. In 1864 he defeated his opponent, a Peace Democrat, with only those northern states still in the Union casting votes, only due to a few recent military successes. Throughout the war, he was dogged by low public approval and a press that unendingly second-guessed his war policy. Yet if anyone else was in the White House, it is almost certain that disunion would have prevailed and slavery would have been prolonged.

Like Lincoln, George W. Bush is constantly faced with criticism from the press on his war leadership. Like Lincoln, he understands the moral imperative the United States has to use military strength to defeat an unquestionable evil, and he must persistently convince the public of his position. Bush knows that unity can come only after our enemies are made to submit to us. Like Lincoln, his reelection will succeed or fail on a few tactical operations in the war.

Similar to Roosevelt, Bush sees an opportunity for the United States to use its military might not to establish a global empire, but to export the ideas and culture that have made this nation the freest and most prosperous. Though labeled a renegade and a wild gunslinger, Bush has charted his course and will persevere, a la T.R.

George W. Bush has been placed in the presidency in a unique time in history. While similarities exist among events and people of the past, our world is at a crossroads, and Bush is poised to lead us to a better future.

Bush can handle the hate and derision. Remember, Lincoln and Roosevelt, who were equally scorned, are now revered as two of the greatest leaders the world ever knew. If history is any indication of things to come, Bush’s face may one day grace Mt. Rushmore alongside his two Republican forebears.

Rich Stowell is a student teacher and editor of The California Statesman, at California State University, Hayward

Presidency of George W. Bush -- the first 39 months

President Bush signing a federal ban on Partial Birth Abortion

Banned Partial Birth Abortion

Reversed Clinton's move to strike Reagan's anti-abortion Mexico Policy
Stopped foreign aid that would be used to fund abortions.

Supported and upheld the ban on abortions at military hospitals

Signed E.O. reversing Clinton's policy of not requiring parental consent for abortions under the Medical Privacy Act

Killed the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty

Killed U.S. involvement in the International Criminal Court

Killed Clinton's CO2 rules that were choking off all of the electricity surplus to California

Killed Clinton's "ergonomic" rules that OSHA was about to implement; rules that would have shut down every home business in America

Killed the U.S. - CCCP ABM Treaty that was preventing the U.S. from deploying our ABM defenses

Has CONSTRUCTION in process on the first ten ABM silos in Alaska and California so that America has a defense against North Korean nukes
President Bush pledged to Israel on 4/14/2004 that it could keep parts of the West Bank, giving international legitimacy to Jewish settlements there
Denied Palestinian refugees any right of return to what is now Israel, saying they should be resettled in a future Palestinian state instead
Part of coalition (Russia, Israel, EU, Palestine, USA) for Israeli/Palestinian "Roadmap to Peace"
Pushed through THREE raises for our military

Increased Defense Dept funding which had deteriorated during the previous 8 years
President Bush's Grand Strategy (click here)

President Bush's Environmental Record - 2004 (click here)
Signed TWO bills into law that arm our pilots with handguns in the cockpit

Currently pushing for full immunity from lawsuits for our national gun manufacturers

Ordered Attorney-General Ashcroft to formally notify the Supreme Court that the OFFICIAL U.S. government position on the 2nd Amendment is that it supports INDIVIDUAL rights to own firearms, NOT a leftist-imagined *collective* right

Told the United Nations we weren't interested in their plans for gun control (i.e. the International Ban on Small Arms Trafficking Treaty)
Signed the 2004 Omnibus Budget 1/26/2004 that now MANDATES that gun buyers' background check information be fully and permanently destroyed within 24 hours of the completion of the check, no matter what.

Disarmed Libya of its Chemical, Nuclear, and biological WMD's without bribes or bloodshed
Won an agreement that U.S. Navy sailors may now freely board thousands of commercial ships in international waters to search for weapons of mass destruction under a landmark pact between the United States and Liberia, the world's No. 2 shipping registry (signed Feb 11, 2004).
Successfully executed 2 wars: Afghanistan and Iraq. 50 million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes now live in freedom

Executed a WAR ON TERROR by getting world-wide cooperation to track funds/terrorists (has cut off much of the terrorist's funding and captured or killed many key leaders of the al Qaeda network)

Brought back our EP-3 intel plane and crew from China without any bribes or bloodshed

Started withdrawing our troops from Bosnia and has announced withdrawal of our troops from Germany and the Korean DMZ.

Signed the LARGEST nuclear arms reduction in world history with Russia

Initiated comprehensive review of our military, which was completed just prior to 9/11/01, accurately reported that ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE was critical.

Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the Presidency

Reorganized bureaucracy...after 9/11, condensed 20+ overlapping agencies and their intelligence sectors into one agency: the Department of Homeland Security.

Initiated discussion on privatizing Social Security and individual investment accounts.

Improving govt. efficiency with .8 million jobs put up for bid...weakening unions and cutting undeserved pay raises. Wants merit based promotions/raises only.

Orchestrated Republican control of the White House, the House AND the Senate.

Killed the liberal ABA's role in vetting federal judges for Congress.

GWB signed an executive order enforcing the Supreme Court's Beck decision (re: union dues being used for political campaigns against individual's wishes)

Turned around an inherited economy that was in recession.

Passed tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account as a result of corporate scandals.

Signed 2 income tax cuts ---- 1 of which was the largest Dollar-value tax cut in world history

Reduced taxes on dividends and capital gains

In process of eliminating IRS marriage penalty.

Increased small business incentives to expand and to hire new people
Eliminated the Estate Tax (AKA "Death Tax") that was taking small farms and businesses from families

Signed into law the No Child Left Behind legislation delivering the most dramatic education reforms in a generation (challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations)

Reorganized the INS in an attempt to safeguard the borders and ports of America and to eliminate bureaucratic redundancies and lack of accountability.

Signed trade promotion authority

Committed US funds to purchase medicine for millions of men and women and children now suffering with AIDS in Africa

Passed Medicare Reform (authorized $39.5 Billion per year for preventive medicine such as drugs and doctor visits as well as included a ten year Privatization option)

Urging federal liability reform to eliminate frivolous lawsuits

Supports class action reform bill which limits lawyer fees so that more settlement money goes to victims

Submitted comprehensive Energy Plan--awaits Congressional action (works to develop cleaner technology, produce more natural gas here at home, make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy, improve national grid, etc.)

Endorses and promotes The Responsibility Era ("In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take responsibility for the decisions they make in life. My hope is to change the culture from one that has said, if it feels good, do it; if you've got a problem, blame somebody else -- to one in which every single American understands that he or she are responsible for the decisions that you make; you're responsible for loving your children with all your heart and all your soul; you're responsible for being involved with the quality of the education of your children; you're responsible for making sure the community in which you live is safe; you're responsible for loving your neighbor, just like you would like to be loved yourself. " -----this quote was too good to leave out)

Started the USA Freedom Corps

Initiated review of all federal agencies with a goal to eliminate federal jobs (completed September 2003) in an effort to reduce the size of federal gov while increasing private sector jobs.

Challenged the United Nations to live up to their responsibilities and not become The League of Nations ( in other words, completely irrelevant)

Nominated strong, conservative judges to the judiciary.

Changed parts of the Forestry Management Act to allow necessary clean-up of the national forests in order to reduce fire danger.

As part of the national forests clean-up, the President restricted judicial challenges (based on the Endangered Species Act and other challenges) and removed the need for an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) before removing fuels/logging to reduce fire danger.

Significantly eased field-testing controls of genetically engineered crops.
President Bush signed the workplace verification bill to prevent hiring of illegal Aliens
S. 1685, the Basic Pilot Extension Act of 2003, was signed by President Bush on December 3, 2003.
It extends for five years the workplace employment eligibility authorization pilot programs created in 1996. It expands the pilot programs from the original five states to all 50 states.

U.S. Forces In Baghdad

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