The victory is sweet and big, but the job ahead will be more difficult than it has to be because President Bush has failed to unite a country soured by political division.
Both parties have been guilty of lobbing cheap personal shots at the other team. With the campaign now over, Bush should rededicate himself to his 2000 campaign pledge to be a “uniter, not a divider.” At a time when America is at war abroad, many Americans are at war with each other; they care more about beating the other party than uniting against terrorists. It is not good for the country.
Many Bushies feel the president has reached across the aisle but has not received proper credit for his attempts to work with Democrats. After all, Bush named a Democrat, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, to his Cabinet. His education initiative, No Child Left Behind, was designed to improve schools that fail poor and minority children. In his acceptance speech Wednesday, Bush told Americans who voted for John Kerry he would seek to earn their trust.
In order to do so, Bush will have to convince skeptical Americans that he puts their welfare before his politics.
Here is what I think Bush should do:
* Change will be coming to the U.S. Supreme Court. Instead of nominating controversial and outspoken conservatives who are sure to spark bitter challenges, Bush should begin his new term by nominating acceptable conservative jurists. Let Bush show the country he wants to nominate the best justices, not the most conservative justices.
* Dump Attorney General John Ashcroft. Under Ashcroft, the Department of Justice has been heavy-handed when it should not be – as in the FBI arrest of an Oregon attorney erroneously linked to the infamous train bombing in Madrid. The FBI later dropped the case – a little late in that it further undermined U.S. credibility abroad.
Hire former Gotham mayor Rudy Giuliani to be America’s top lawman.
* Keep Secretary of State Colin Powell. If Powell says he wants to leave the administration, make him an offer he can’t refuse.
* Recently, Bush came out against the GOP platform plank that opposes civil unions for same-sex couples. Bush could appeal to the libertarian/states’ rights side of the GOP, not to mention Democrats, by pushing the GOP to endorse civil unions in states that want them.
Mary Cheney’s partner, Heather Poe, has appeared on stage with the Cheneys during the campaign. Poe serves as a potent symbol that gays and lesbians are here to stay, so the GOP should accept them, recognize their long-term relations and encourage them to vote Republican.
* Propose a requirement for higher fuel efficiency for America’s cars. When Bush walked away from the 1997 Kyoto global-warming pact in 2001, he talked of working outside the agreement to limit U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions. If Bush went after gas-guzzling cars, he would win kudos from Europe, give British Prime Minister Tony Blair face and make America more energy independent.
* Name a bipartisan panel to suggest government policies to make abortion safe, legal and rare. This panel would recognize the legality of abortion – and move the debate about abortion to ethical questions about what pregnant women should do about unwanted pregnancies. The panel also would discuss how state laws could address issues of parental consent and whether the government should limit abortion on viable fetuses.
Let me mention another reason for Bush to reach toward the center: He should want the support of undecided voters and reluctant Republicans who have issues with his religious-right proclivities but who voted for Bush because they backed his war on terrorism.
If Bush does all of the above, there still will be Democrats who trash him, give him no credit and spare him no blame. But the goodwill of Democrats – like Kerry – who wanted to spare America from a nightmare recount, proves that partisans can put politics aside for a good cause.
Bush cannot win the war on terrorism while hobbled by war at home. He needs more friends, and he will need to compromise to earn their trust.
Debra Saunders is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Contact her by writing to saunders@sfgate.com.
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