President Bush’s prime time press conference is a lesson in futility

President Bush’s hour-long national press conference thispast Tuesday was a farce of paramount proportions.

His lengthy opening statement and subsequent responses to pressquestions were inherently fallible in that the president’stelevised statements existed on a plane disparate from reality.

In regard to the situation in Iraq, President Bush stated hisintention of sticking to the June 30 deadline when sovereignty, forall practical purposes, will be turned over to the Iraqipeople.

Still, in no way did he attest to whom such authority will beplaced. Furthermore, the recently successful attacks in Iraq bySunni and Shiite militants against U.S.-trained Iraqi troopssuggest a present and future inability for this incipient nation toprotect itself both politically and militarily.

Nothing in the Tuesday press conference specifically addressedeither of these issues.

Then, concerning the unprecedented number of U.S. casualtiesincurred this month in Iraq, President Bush pledged to increase thenumber of troops if needed.

However, he failed to mention that doing so would negate hisprior promise to U.S. soldiers currently serving in Iraq aspertaining to their long-awaited return to the United States,families and friends.

The press conference not only disillusioned our troops butsimultaneously disenfranchised the American people in that nodiscussion of pressing domestic issues occurred. Whatever happenedto the war on drugs, the trillion-dollar deficit that willunavoidably be passed on to my generation or the complete absenceof education reform?

The president’s fielding of press inquiries, or lackthereof, during the conference was as equally alarming as hisopening statement. He simply dismissed the question as to why bothhe and Vice President Dick Cheney, who has already been suspectedof tampering with mid-level CIA analysts and their Sept. 11reports, attended a closed hearing of the Sept. 11 Commission.

Additionally, when asked what he had learned in reference tomistakes made in dealing with the aftermath of Sept. 11, thepresident remained silent before replying, “I wishyou’d given me this written question ahead of time so I couldplan for it.” Maybe our commander-in-chief does not realizesuch a retort undermines the whole point of a press conference.

Nonetheless, he deserves the benefit of the doubt, since ourpeople did elect him into office.

It must be duly noted that regardless of President Bush’spoor elocution, he was able to unite and defend an angry, fearfuland vulnerable populace after Sept. 11.

His 2002 State of the Union Address did much to comfort, consoleand induce resolve in the hearts and minds of the Americanpublic.

In the following two years Osama bin Laden has become a fugitivein a finite region, Saddam Hussein is in U.S. custody, and weAmericans have not been victimized by any severe act of terrorismsince Sept. 11.

President Bush has undoubtedly overcome much adversity andunified our nation in a time of crisis.

Now attention must be paid to current matters of significanceand the president’s assumed position(s).

Perhaps there is a valid reason why President Bush has only held13 press conferences, three of which being nationally televised,during his tenure as our nation’s leading representative.

It may be true that we are better off not knowing what George W.Bush has to say since much of his rhetoric is generalized,contradictory or simply false.

One thing, however, is certain. It will be a foolish anderroneous assumption on behalf of President Bush and hisadministration to continue to supply the American people willhaphazard, overly optimistic and generalized statements throughNovember in order to attain re-election. The real”terror” confronting our nation is the indifferencewith which we view our being the world’s only true remainingsuperpower.

No other civilized country in the world is responsible for over11,000 homicides each year nor does any other nation consume asone-quarter of the world’s produced goods each year.

If we are sincere about helping other less fortunate nations aswell as rectifying our own internal discrepancies, things must soonchange.

The $12 billion dollars allotted for foreign aid will notsuffice and the nearly 3 million jobs taken from American workersdue to corporate downsizing and NAFTA over the last several yearscannot continue and must be amended.

The massive “to-do list” confronting our countrycannot be ignored for another 4 years because whether you or thecurrent president realize it, the livelihood of civilization may beat stake.

Only our nation’s leader and its people will be able toclose this dangerous breach and move forward, but we cannot affordto merely will such a transformation or designate it for one day inNovember.

Doing so would be as futile as Bush’s Tuesdayconference.

Shawn George Jr. is a senior English major. He can be reachedat [email protected].