George W. Bush ran for president in 2000 on the theory that he was a 'compassionate conservative.' Unfortunately for the American people, when it comes to the war in Iraq and its consequences, Bush has proven himself to be very conservative but not very compassionate.
This goes beyond partisan politics and comes down to human decency. In that area, Mr. Bush has failed the country when it comes to the two cases of Cindy Sheehan and the 19 American troops from Ohio who were killed within a few days of each other earlier this month.
Cindy Sheehan has an axe to grind with President Bush. Her oldest son, Casey, was killed in the war in Iraq. She is grief stricken and heart broken and cannot understand what cause her son died for.
Given this administration's flip-flopping on the reasons for the invasion of Iraq, this is hardly surprising. Initially, the president claimed we invaded Iraq because Saddam Hussein had 'weapons of mass destruction' and was a threat to use them against the United States. U.N. weapons inspectors said there were no weapons but the president insisted they were there. We invaded. We found no evidence of weapons of mass destruction.
Once the weapons of mass destruction reasoning was disproved, Mr. Bush then tried (and continues to try) to link the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein to the September 11th attacks on this country. No such link has ever been established. There was no evidence presented of strong link between al-Qaeda, the group responsible for the terrorist attacks on this nation and the government of Saddam Hussein.
Then, the president claimed Iraq was the center of his 'global war on terror.' There are international terrorists in Iraq now but there is no evidence that they were there under Saddam Hussein's rule. Yes, Saddam was a horrible dictator but he wasn't sheltering Osama bin Laden. No, Iraq only became a center of jihadist terrorists AFTER the American led invasion.
Another excuse Mr. Bush has used is that we are spreading democracy in the Middle East, specifically to Iraq. That may be all well and good but it is hardly justification for invading another country. We haven't invaded China. American allies such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia are anything but democracies and closer to home Cuba most certainly is not. Given that excuse, how many sovereign nations would he have to invade to 'spread democracy' throughout the world?
So Cindy Sheehan sits outside the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas with honest and difficult questions for Mr. Bush. Her oldest son is dead and she wants to know what reason the president, the commander-in-chief, the leader of this nation, had for sending her boy into harm's way.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bush is taking a five week vacation away from Washington while the war in Iraq rages on and American troops continue to be killed. Yet this compassionate conservative refuses to meet with this woman, even for 10 minutes to discuss her pain.
Will the president be able to convince Cindy Sheehan he had a legitimate reason for sending her son to Iraq? Almost certainly not. But he can show her and the nation that he cares enough to listen to her pain and anguish. This is not about Democrats or Republicans, war opponents or war supporters. This is about being a compassionate and caring human being.
The president drove past Cindy Sheehan twice on his way to a Republican fund raiser which raised over $2 million. Yet, when asked about whether or not he would meet with Mrs. Sheehan, he said he needed to take care of himself on his vacation.
'I think it's important for me to be thoughtful and sensitive to those who have got something to say. But I think it's also important for me to go on with my life, to keep a balanced life,' the president said.
When 19 Marines from a battalion based in the working-class Cleveland suburb of Brook Park, Ohio were killed in Iraq in two days, the town and indeed the nation were stunned. Soon their husbands and wives, sons and daughters would be coming home to them in a box.
A true compassionate person would have stopped his vacation and his daily bicycle trips and attended at least one funeral of the 19 dead in this stunned town which sacrificed its own flesh and blood in Bush's war. But the president did not interrupt his vacation to attend any of the funerals. He did not show leadership in the area of compassion.
In this case, the president has failed to lead the country, not as a politician, but as a human being. He has failed to show the compassion he promised, for the families of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country, whether they agree with the alleged reasons for the war or not. A true commander-in-chief and compassionate person would take the time to lead the country through the difficult consequences that result from the decisions he has made. Unfortunately, George W. Bush has failed to lead this country in this vital, healing task.
