If elections were solely a job performance review, President
George W. Bush would lose in a landslide. He has been a reckless
steward of the nation's finances and its environment, a divisive figure
at home and abroad. It's fair to say that Bush has devalued the
American brand in the global marketplace. What keeps this a close race
is voter discomfort with Sen. John F. Kerry and the success of
Republicans in stoking concerns about Kerry's fitness for office. But
the thrust of the Bush campaign message -- essentially, you are stuck
with me in this frightful time because the other guy is too unreliable
-- is a tacit acknowledgment that he can't allow the election to be a
referendum on his record. Bush says John Kerry is ill suited to
lead American troops and allies in Iraq, given the senator's doubts
about the wisdom of going to war there in the first place. The
president's strongest moments during the debates came when he pressed
this line of attack -- that you can't succeed in a mission you don't
believe in. Kerry missed a golden opportunity to turn such reasoning to
his advantage, for if there is an overarching theme to the Bush failure
as president, it's his inherent disdain for the role of the federal
government and for the very act of governing. The mission of the
presidency is not one Bush believes in. Though he may see himself as
the man chosen by a higher authority to protect the nation, Bush spends
a lot of time bashing Washington and, by extension, the government he
leads. [more]