After President Bush won re-election in November, he explained that with his win came “political capital” and he made it clear that he intended on spending it. The statement was brazen to say the least, considering Bush had the lowest job approval rating of any re-elected president in
recent memory. But did we really
expect something different from our
cowboy president?
Since then, Bush has extrapolated further on his theory of political capital: “We had an accountability moment, and that’s called the 2004 election. The American people listened to different assessments made about what was taking place in Iraq, and they looked at the two candidates and chose me, for which I’m grateful.” Reading between the lines, by “accountability moment” the president means the election results clear his administration of accountability for the mess it has created in Iraq. He feels like a man absolved of all his sins by the American people, and now, on the day of his inauguration, he can move forward with a clear mandate to execute the war in Iraq his way.
But maybe not. A Washington Post/ABC News poll this week shows that 55 percent of Americans feel the war was not worth fighting. Furthermore, 58 percent of those polled objected to how Bush handled
the war in Iraq and 57 percent did not
believe Iraqi elections would lead to a
stable government.
Other polls have produced similar results. A USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll suggests that 52 percent of Americans believe it was a mistake sending troops to Iraq in the first place. Some mandate.
Bush’s talk of “political capital” and his “accountability moment” illustrates his main failing as a president: his inability to recognize a losing strategy and make the necessary adjustments at halftime. Rather than viewing the election as a mandate, he should see it as an opportunity to
change course and fix the mistakes he
has made. That would truly be an accountability moment.
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