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On Tuesday night, George W. Bush will do something he hasn’t had to do since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 — confront a nation that is losing faith in his leadership. As the President’s approval ratings slip amid international furor over a proposed war on Iraq, he is under pressure from party faithful to unite, once and for all, American support for action in the Middle East.
The path will not be easy.
Although Bush’s father gained widespread support and, subsequently, political popularity for his role in the 1991 invasion, Bush Jr. has several major stumbling blocks to overcome before the dream that is “Desert Storm II” becomes a reality. At a time when only the United Kingdom will lend the United States unqualified support, Bush’s hawkish tendencies have begun to grate on an already uneasy public.
Vocalizations from key allies like Russia, France, Canada and Germany have only added fuel to a fire that threatens to dissolve Bush’s hold on his constituents’ approval.
Faced with the critical backlash that would be the inevitable result of a backdown from invasion and widespread condemnation against war, Bush has apparently chosen the latter path, marshaling reserves from across the country to gather preemptively in various locations across the Gulf.
These blatant preparations for war fly directly in the face of the council created, in part, to prevent unwarranted international conflict. Without backing from the United Nations, war in Iraq will appear to the world as it actually is — a war based on claims the world has not yet had a chance to properly evaluate. Bush should wait for the arms inspectors to release a full report before he begins deploying troops into the region. Only when the remaining members of the security council have had a chance to evaluate the report will we accurately be able to weigh the dangers of an invasion of Iraq.
