Tragedy could unite Americans for war

With the public rallying behind the President in times 
of crisis, a war could even be a national catharsis

The Straits Times 02/03/03: Leon Hadar

Original Link: http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/topstories/ 
story/0,4386,169629,00.html  

WASHINGTON - Seventeen years ago, when another conservative 
Republican, President Ronald Reagan, was occupying the White 
House, Americans faced the horror of the explosion of the Challenger 
space shuttle.  

Most observers agree that Mr Reagan, through his inspiring oratory, 
proved to be very effective in uniting the American people in the 
aftermath of that tragedy.  

He rallied them behind the national symbols that the space programme 
embodies: America's drive for exploration and adventure and its 
scientific and technological achievements.  

That sense of American national and universal mission that Mr Reagan 
highlighted was intertwined with the other main themes of his 
presidency: Leading the struggle against the Soviet 'Evil Empire' and 
restoring the strength of the American economy after years of economic 
recession and inflation, and of national humiliation of Vietnam, the 
Arab oil embargo and the Iranian hostage crisis.  

Under President George W. Bush, the United States is facing similar, 
if not more complex, challenges these days.  

At a time when national tragedies like the Sept 11 terrorist attacks 
and the Columbia disaster are broadcast live on television before anxious 
American and global viewers, the pressure on the American President 
to 'do something' is enormous.  

If he fails to rise to expectations, he will be punished by an angry 
Congress, media and public.  

This public restiveness is all the more acute given these unsettling 
times in the US and the world. Not only is the US continuing to move 
troops to the Persian Gulf in preparation for an attack on Iraq that 
is expected to take place in early March, but there are also reports 
that additional US air and naval forces are being sent to North-east 
Asia in response to the escalating crisis over North Korea's nuclear 
programme. 

These military and diplomatic crises are taking place at a time when 
President Bush is facing growing challenges to his aggressive foreign 
policy, at home and abroad.  

In that context, the Columbia tragedy, if its aftermath is handled 
effectively by the White House, could strengthen President Bush's 
hands in relation to Congress and the public, just as he is devising 
the diplomatic endgame of his Iraq strategy and as US Secretary of 
State Colin Powell prepares to address the United Nations Security 
Council on Wednesday to try to mobilise international backing for 
an attack on Iraq.  

Most political experts agree that in times of national tragedy, the 
American people tend to rally behind their president and are less willing 
to tolerate partisan bickering in Congress and in Washington. Critics of 
Mr Bush in Washington will be more reluctant to attack him when he is 
trying to unify a grieving nation.  

Even before the Columbia explosion, the President was making it clear 
that he was accelerating the efforts to go to war against Iraq. His main 
challenge would now be to try to integrate his message on Iraq with the 
themes he will use in his addresses on the shuttle tragedy.  

Like Mr Reagan after the Challenger explosion, he will need to persuade 
the American people that they are taking part in a difficult but rewarding 
mission to make the world better - in space and on earth.  

Preparing them for a war aimed at defending US interests and values 
could serve as a form of national catharsis in the aftermath of the  
tragedy.

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Source: Prison Planet ...
http://www.prisonplanet.com/news_alert_020303_general3.html

Cheers, Steve..

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