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Below is an essay that I wrote tonight for homework. After I was done, I said "Wow, this would make a good debate topic". Please note, however, that this topic is meant to discuss political tactics and the immense amount of partisan politics that we have been hearing so much about lately. Though the War on Terror and September 11 are mentioned in my essay, they are not part of the overall topic so any discussion on Islam or any of the general stuff that makes me oh so happy (sarcasm) will not be tolerated.
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On the night of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush addressed the United States in a broadcast from the Oval Office where he vowed to keep America safe and vowed to make sure that she continued to be the “brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world”. That same day, he vowed to “hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act”. Five years later, on September 11, 2006, President Bush paid his solemn respect for the nearly 3,000 victims by attending memorial services at the World Trade Center site in New York City, the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Later that night, he once again addressed the nation from the Oval Office to once again vow to do whatever it takes to protect the United States. However, instead of giving a speech filled only with words of comfort such as the one given on September 11, 2001, President Bush gave what appeared to be a political speech to attempt to convince American citizens, mainly those voting in the Midterm Elections in November, that the War in Iraq is central to the War on Terror. “Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone,” President Bush said. “They will not leave us alone. They will follow us. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad.” Not long after the speech had ended, Democratic leaders in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives claimed that President Bush was “more consumed by staying the course in Iraq and playing election-year politics.” Democratic Leader Senator Harry Reid went on to say that the “American people deserved better than last night. They deserved a chance to reclaim that sense of unity, purpose and patriotism that swept through our country five years ago”. Republican shot back by accusing the Democrats themselves of playing partisan politics by saying that now “is not the time for cheap partisan politics. We’re in this war and it’s a war that’s going to define this whole new century.”
I find myself in the position of agreeing with both parties on this issue. In some respects, the Democrats are correct in saying that President Bush took advantage of the situation by trying to help rally voters to vote Republican in November in an attempt to stay in control of Congress. In 2001, President Bush gave one of the best speeches of his career. He offered words of wisdom, comfort and spiritual uplifting. It wasn’t for another few days that he gave a speech saying that the United States would have to go to war with the Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. However, that speech was given to Congress, not to the people of the United States. Although the Democrats are correct in saying that there was partisan politics in the speech, they did nothing to make themselves look like the “good guys” after it. To accuse someone of playing partisan politics by exploiting a situation where 3,000 people died simply to earn votes in the Midterm Elections is in fact partisan politics. The Democrats fought fire with fire, and by responding to the Democratic attack the Republicans did nothing more than throw more fuel onto the fire. If either party wishes to gain the nations trust, they need to show that they can raise above the partisan politics and simply say “we respect their opinion, but we believe that they are wrong” not engage in a battle of he-said/she-said.
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On the night of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush addressed the United States in a broadcast from the Oval Office where he vowed to keep America safe and vowed to make sure that she continued to be the “brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world”. That same day, he vowed to “hunt down and to find those folks who committed this act”. Five years later, on September 11, 2006, President Bush paid his solemn respect for the nearly 3,000 victims by attending memorial services at the World Trade Center site in New York City, the crash site of United Airlines Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Later that night, he once again addressed the nation from the Oval Office to once again vow to do whatever it takes to protect the United States. However, instead of giving a speech filled only with words of comfort such as the one given on September 11, 2001, President Bush gave what appeared to be a political speech to attempt to convince American citizens, mainly those voting in the Midterm Elections in November, that the War in Iraq is central to the War on Terror. “Whatever mistakes have been made in Iraq, the worst mistake would be to think that if we pulled out, the terrorists would leave us alone,” President Bush said. “They will not leave us alone. They will follow us. The safety of America depends on the outcome of the battle in the streets of Baghdad.” Not long after the speech had ended, Democratic leaders in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives claimed that President Bush was “more consumed by staying the course in Iraq and playing election-year politics.” Democratic Leader Senator Harry Reid went on to say that the “American people deserved better than last night. They deserved a chance to reclaim that sense of unity, purpose and patriotism that swept through our country five years ago”. Republican shot back by accusing the Democrats themselves of playing partisan politics by saying that now “is not the time for cheap partisan politics. We’re in this war and it’s a war that’s going to define this whole new century.”
I find myself in the position of agreeing with both parties on this issue. In some respects, the Democrats are correct in saying that President Bush took advantage of the situation by trying to help rally voters to vote Republican in November in an attempt to stay in control of Congress. In 2001, President Bush gave one of the best speeches of his career. He offered words of wisdom, comfort and spiritual uplifting. It wasn’t for another few days that he gave a speech saying that the United States would have to go to war with the Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden. However, that speech was given to Congress, not to the people of the United States. Although the Democrats are correct in saying that there was partisan politics in the speech, they did nothing to make themselves look like the “good guys” after it. To accuse someone of playing partisan politics by exploiting a situation where 3,000 people died simply to earn votes in the Midterm Elections is in fact partisan politics. The Democrats fought fire with fire, and by responding to the Democratic attack the Republicans did nothing more than throw more fuel onto the fire. If either party wishes to gain the nations trust, they need to show that they can raise above the partisan politics and simply say “we respect their opinion, but we believe that they are wrong” not engage in a battle of he-said/she-said.
