A faith-Based Mandate ?

[eu.ro]

Religiously conservative American voters bestow their controversial president with a mandate he has never had before. Now he can attend to the radical expansion of a new world order -- unconditionally, unchallenged and against Europe's wishes. But sheer reality could be the spanner in the works of his global ambitions.

The president can't run anymore, not short distances and especially not long distances. He's having knee problems. So he's switched to cycling once in a while, and he lifts weights every day. It's what he needs to feel healthy, strong and disciplined.

One of the first things John F. Kennedy did after taking office was to have the White House swimming pool updated, and Washington's gossip hounds still speculate about J.F.K.'s various female bathing companions. Kennedy was an easy-going president, a man with style, a president adored by women and envied by men, a president for all of America and for the rest of the world. Kennedy was admired and cherished everywhere.

President George W. Bush has had gyms constructed in the White House. Gyms equipped with mirrors, treadmills and weights. He expects his staff to work out, so that they too can be healthy, strong and disciplined. In fact, when it comes to exercise, he despises those who choose not to follow his example.

Now that running is verboten, Bush spends time in the gym every day. It's around noon on Wednesday, the day after the election, which was decided just under an hour ago. At 11:02 a.m., the president received a call from John Kerry, the Democratic candidate for president.

Bush was in the Oval Office when Kerry called, and he had to go to his desk to take the call, since there is no cordless phone in the Oval Office. Kerry said hello, conceded that he had lost the election, congratulated Bush and his wife, Laura, and told the president that their sharply divided country must now come together. Bush told John Kerry that he should be proud of his commitment: "You were an admirable opponent." The two men spoke for four minutes, and that was it: the victory, the reelection and the confirmation.

By Wednesday afternoon, George W. Bush knows that he won the election in 30 states and captured 286 electoral votes. He knows that this time he won't need the Supreme Court to help him keep his job, that 51 percent of the citizens of the United States of America, or 59.4 million voters, have helped keep him in the White House.

But he doesn't celebrate. No champagne -- no party. George W. Bush is no Kennedy. This George W. Bush is a president who likes to strong-arm his opponents and who lacks style, a president trusted by religious Americans and despised by American intellectuals, a president supported by half of America and opposed by most of the world, a man who is derided but nonetheless feared, almost everywhere.

George W. Bush hangs up the phone and goes to the gym, as he does every day.

America went to the polls, but the outcome was unexpected. There were no scandals this time around, just a slight delay because the Ohio vote was so close. It was a tense election night, but only because everyone -- including Bush and Kerry -- was misled by the first exit polls taken on the afternoon of election day.

But then Bush cleaned up, district by district, state after state. His party gained additional seats in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, expanding its existing majority in both houses. The red-state Republicans managed to push the blue-state Democrats to the edges of the country, leaving only the Northeast and the West Coast as Democratic strongholds. The rest of the country is red -- Bush country.

It's an absolute revolution.

Of course, the result is a mandate for the future, but it's also a mandate for the past. Throughout Bush' first four years in office, the United States was viewed -- in Europe, Asia, and Africa and, of course, at the United Nations in New York and in the Middle East -- as a country that disregards international law. It was viewed as a country that conducts preemptive wars without the backing the UN Security Council, and as a country that ignores international treaties and international conventions. The United States of George W. Bush was viewed as this voracious country that constantly talks about freedom and democracy for all oppressed peoples while restricting the civil rights of its own people, a country that flouts the Geneva Convention. In the end, after Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, it was even seen as a country that tortures and humiliates its prisoners of war.

Anyone speaking in defense of the United States in the last four years could nonetheless argue that, on the one hand, George W. Bush was driven to all these excesses by the mass murders of Sept. 11, 2001 and, on the other hand, that Bush didn't even represent the majority, because the majority of Americans didn't vote for him in the first place. They could argue that he was put into office by the Supreme Court. Anyone who chose to do so could see the United States of the last four years as two Americas, Bush's America and a second, true America, a liberal, smart, generous and good America.

But now Bush is the majority's choice for president. And that's why, on Nov. 2, the American people gave this president and his administration carte blanche for everything that's happened in the past four years.

For this majority, the decisive issues in this election were not Iraq or unemployment, but most of all gay marriage (can't happen!), abortion (really can't happen!) and embryonic stem cell research (also a no-go!). This primarily white, middle-class and extremely conservative majority was mainly interested in "values." Bush says that he prays regularly, Bush thinks abortion is a sin, and Bush is considered strong, a regular guy and a man of action. This image alone was enough to hand him a sparkling victory.

And George W. Bush means what he says.

Source: Der Spiegel, Hamburg, Germany

[eu.ro]

If he has his way -- and Bush is the last person to doubt he will -- the course of the next four years is predictable. The vastly superior global superpower will set the agenda, determine how to proceed, gather those allies around itself that want to support it, and either ignore or punish everyone else. In short, if you're not with us, you're against us.

"When the American president speaks, he has to mean what he says, so that the world remains a peaceful place," Bush said after being reelected. In his world view, the calamity in Iraq is by no means evidence that the Middle East can't be changed through democratization. He talks -- and here, of course, he also means what he says -- about an "invitation" from the Iraqis, "that's why we're there," he says, and about America's quasi-missionary duty.

Just as Ronald Reagan once thought and spoke about the historically necessary decline of communism, Bush today thinks and speaks about the historic necessity of liberating Islamic states: "Our mission is to bring freedom to the entire Middle East. When I say this, I want to make it clear that I'm opposed to those who don't think it wise to promote free societies on the entire planet."

For Bush and his supporters, convictions are more important than truth. After all, his victory was a consequence of determination. Even though the president's faith-based, strong-arm policies keep getting the president in trouble, they actually helped get him reelected. Most Americans value character over competence, and morals are more important to them than the economy.

America, the most advanced country on earth, has chosen its own, unique path. It combines modernity with tradition in astonishing ways. It dreams of a space-based missile shield and is pious to the point of bigotry. It develops the world's best computers and interprets the bible literally. It produces a constant stream of Nobel laureates while at the same time considering Darwin's theory of evolution a sacrilege.

America has not just been distancing itself culturally from Europe since Bush came into office. The spiritual center of this enormous country has long since drifted from the East Coast to the South and Southwest. Since Kennedy, no politician from New England has managed to be elected president. Seen this way, John Kerry's attempt was practically doomed to fail from the very beginning.

The lesson of this election is that the Republicans understand America. They're in touch with the country's emotional and historical sensibilities. They share its piousness, if only for reasons of expediency. They share its cultural values and prejudices, or are at least familiar with their importance to people.

America's Democrats have been far less successful at understanding America, and that's why their party fell apart on Nov. 2. "The electorate is simply too conservative for the Democrats," wrote the Washington Post, and this is a problem they'll be contending with for some time. Kerry had tears in his eyes when he took to the stage in Boston's Faneuil Hall at 2 p.m. last Wednesday and tried to comfort his supporters by talking about an event that now seems as likely as pigs flying: "The time will come, the election will come, when your work and your votes will change the world."

Naturally, Bush tried to come across as conciliatory in his first speech after being reelected: "I will continue to work with our friends and allies." It certainly sounded generous, but it also sounded too good to be true. In the same speech, he also made it clear that he intends to continue with his previous policies: "I have now gained political capital, and I intend to use it. That's my style," said Bush.

In Iraq, Bush is betting on Prime Minister Iyad Alawi's ability to assert himself. He's also hoping that the military offensive on Falluja, launched two days after the election, will finally produce the results he'd like to see. In the Middle East, Arafat's departure and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza are raising new possibilities for resolving the Palestinian conflict.

In the case of Iran, America will forcefully take the initiative and will probably ask the United Nations to impose sanctions on the mullah regime there. "Bush will also take a tough approach toward Iran," says former presidential advisor David Frum.

[eu.ro]

Most Europeans would have preferred a President Kerry over this President Bush. But now the residents of the old continent are essentially in shock, because Bush's reelection not only widens the gap between Europe and America, but also forces the Europeans to confront discord within their ranks. Bush' reelection will be an acid test for Europe.

"How can 59 million people be so dumb?" bellowed Britain's Daily Mirror. The phrase "soft fascism," coined by American sociologist Richard Sennett, is now making the rounds as an explanation for why America has changed so much.

America is certainly different, and this puts Europe in the position of having to decide, once again, how to define and defend its interests. The Americans elected Bush, and the Old World will have to live with him and persevere, whether it wants to or not. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder expressed this sentiment in a nutshell: "The challenges can only be surmounted through mutual cooperation."

Otherwise, the German chancellor is taking a wait-and-see approach. Schroeder sent Bush a relatively aloof congratulatory telegram, and spent all of 10 minutes on the phone with the winner of the election last Friday. "Germany does not intend to change its policies," the chancellor confidently said. He can be sure that Bush, in the wake of experiences of the past two years, will not make another attempt to ask Germany to send troops to Iraq.

French President Jacques Chirac, the other leader of the obstructionist faction, sent "Dear George" a lengthy note of congratulation, although parts of it sounded more like a warning. "Dialogue, mutual esteem and respect -- it is in this spirit that our cooperation must continue to develop," wrote the French president, pointing out exactly what he believes has been missing on the other side of the Atlantic for the past four years. His foreign minister, Michel Barnier, warned the Americans against "convincing themselves that they can shape, direct and control the world."

Chirac secretly hopes that the dismay with which the US president is viewed by those on the old continent will speed up European integration and facilitate ratification of the European constitution. Until then, he'll continue to relish the role of the man who dares to turn down Bush's America. As advisors inside Elysee Palace cynically believe, Bush's reelection has a bright side for the French president, reinforcing his key role as a champion of peace and the world's moral spokesman.

Even in Great Britain, the US' otherwise obedient ally, the outcome of the election was greeted with bewilderment. According to the most recent surveys, only about 20 percent of Britons favored a continuation of the Bush presidency. This public sentiment helped curb Tony Blair's exuberance at the prospect of his comrade-in-arms returning to the White House.

The prime minister, using his typically nervous, conciliatory tone, called for a closer partnership between the United States and the Europeans, a situation in which Great Britain hopes to play the decisive role of middleman. At the same time, Blair indirectly called upon his war ally to express his gratitude for British support in Iraq. Only a few minutes after Kerry had conceded the election and Bush had given his acceptance speech, Blair called for a revival of the Middle East peace process.

Almost all Europeans expect Washington to signal greater flexibility and a willingness to compromise. After all, as designated EU Foreign Minister Javier Solana believes, the problems we can expect to see in the future -- in Iraq, Iran and Israel -- can only be solved by Europe and the United States working together. A Bush visit to the EU capital, Brussels, would signal to the Europeans that the Americans are interested in cooperation. On the other hand, the continent's leaders waited in vain for the powerful man from the New World to pay them a visit during his first term.

Most of all, however, reactions to Bush's reelection in Europe's capitals highlight just how deeply divided the 25 countries in the European Union still are. The 500 kilometers between Berlin and Warsaw are a short distance compared to the chasm between Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski's obvious elation at the success of a "good person" whose victory at the polls was, as he said, "good news for Poland," and the lukewarm reaction of German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer ("We enjoy an excellent working relationship with every administration").

Even before all the votes had been counted in the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin was congratulating the American people for "not allowing themselves to be intimidated" by terrorists who had warned against reelecting Bush. The Americans, the Kremlin chief said without a hint of diplomatic detachment, had "made the most sensible decision."

Putin's strategists hope that this blatant support will prompt Washington to reward its eager partner in the global war on terror by toning down its criticism of his approach to dealing with Chechen rebels. It's not an unrealistic hope, since the US president feels indebted to only a few Europeans, including, in addition to Blair and Putin, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. For Berlusconi, the election was not just won by what he feels is the correct America, that is, right-wing America, but also by his personal friend.

In contrast, all Europeans are asking themselves where the "big footprint" that Bush' advisors believe the US president plans to leave behind in global history will land. During the campaign, Bush consistently emphasized his overriding goal: "I believe that God wants freedom for all people on this earth, and that is part of my foreign policy." He believes in the power of transformation. He believes that the enemies of today will one day become America's new friends, and that's how he intends to guarantee the security of nations.

"The Vision Thing," an expression used by the first President Bush, is what Americans like to call those big ideas that are used to shape a new world order. And just as Republicans believe Ronald Reagan once defeated communism, the reelected president believes it is his mission to pave the way for democracy and to put an end to militant Islam. And, like Reagan, Bush is convinced that this can be done with strength and perseverance alone.

Newt Gingrich, the former Republican Speaker of the House, sees the same stubbornness in Bush as in his great role model: "When he's thought something through, prayed about it and then believes he knows what the world wants him to do, he's willing to take any risks." Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer says that he tried to convince Bush to adapt a more cautious tone. In response, Bush said: "When Reagan went to Berlin in 1987, he didn't say: 'Mr. Gorbachev, please install a door in the wall." Harvard professor Graham Allison, assistant secretary of defense in the Clinton administration, puts it this way: "One thing we know about this president is that he knows how to shoot. The big question is, how's his aim?"

[Macklin]

Eurostar ...you wrote:

Most Europeans would have preferred a President Kerry over this President Bush. But now the residents of the old continent are essentially in shock,

My Reply:

Get over it Euro...Bush has been re-elected. He is the presidesnt, and he is the correct choice for the USA.....gripe all you want, nothing you can do about it is there ?

We did not want a hen pecked pansy
like ....John Kerry.....

Read It And Weep...

www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1345580,00.html

I personally am glad Kerry isn't in the white house to lead the country.

Fight in Iraq, and fix "domestic affairs." Ha ha ha

Yeah right !!!!

Heck, he can't even handle his own "domestic affairs" with his own wife.

Move On Bush is President.