Privately, if Bush is anywhere near the kind of leader many of us have given him credit for, he is telling Putin that if he wishes to escalate into another ‘cold war’ we will bury him. The public response should be a vehement reminder to the world that the US is a champion of freedom, and that countries that stifle alternative opinions, such as the old USSR, the current regime in Iran, and even the ‘new’ Russia under some of the recent policies of the Putin government are the biggest threat as agents of imperialism. I can hardly believe sometimes how inept our elected officials are. I know they don’t represent the brightest of society, but come on, they have to be capable of more than what wer’re seeing. Aren’t they?
I of course voted for George W. Bush in both elections, but I am both appalled and aghast at the fact that this administration has not done nearly enough to lead in the area of public perception for foreign and domestic affairs.
The President has recently been in public giving speeches, but it may be too little too late. Where has President Bush been for the past two years? I remember when presidents used to address the nation with some regularity. When is the last time the President Bush addressed the nation?
It is frustrating that the President has allowed his critics unchallenged command the public platform and that he has not used the bully pulpit for nary any advantage. In that regard it seems he has wasted much of his political capital and appears destined to run out the clock for the next 18 or so months. It ought not be that way.