Bush’s only strengths as president quickly turning into weaknesses

I know President Bush has strong approval ratings and I’m well aware of the fact that all the smart money is betting on his re-election next year. I’m beginning to think, however, that his safest issues, the ones where he has almost unquestioned authority, are quickly falling apart.

As anyone can tell after spending more than 30 seconds on this site, I’m not a big fan of the president, but speaking as objectively as I can, it seems he has three strengths that serve as pillars of his popularity: the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

The political problem the White House faces, as near as I can tell, is that none of these three pillars are working out the way Bush would like.

* Iraq — All is not well in the newly-liberated Iraq. Thousands are protesting regularly for U.S. forces to leave and there have been multiple post-war attacks on American soldiers. Shiite leaders who are plotting to turn Iraq into another Middle Eastern Arab theocracy are gaining strength. Our investigators, meanwhile, cannot find evidence of Hussein’s alleged arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, and Iraq’s nuclear sites, left unguarded, have been looted and radioactive materials are now missing. Bush has even been forced to replace one American overseer of Iraq with another after realizing the administration’s reconstruction plan was not working.

Two weeks ago, Bush said, “We’re bringing order to parts of that country that remain dangerous…. We’re helping to rebuild Iraq, where the dictator built palaces for himself, instead of hospitals and schools.” While I’m sure the administration would like to believe this, the fact remains that the streets of Iraqi cities remain incredibly dangerous, as reports of rapes, robberies and murders are multiplying in cities like Baghdad.

* Afghanistan — Bush said last week that “Al Queda is on the run.” He added that the “group of terrorists who attacked our country is slowly but surely being decimated…. They’re not a problem anymore.” Al Queda may be “on the run,” but as evidenced by the brutal suicide bombings in Saudi Arabia on Monday, the terrorist network very much remains a “problem.” In fact, the terrorists who ran and trained in Afghanistan may be stronger now than at any time since the fall of the Taliban.

Afghanistan, meanwhile, continues to suffer. Bush recently boasted that the U.S. “continues to help the Afghan people lay roads, restore hospitals, and educate all of their children…. America and our coalition will finish what we have begun.” That’s nice rhetoric, but things are going poorly, to say the least. Protestors recently took to the streets of Kabul chanting “Death to Bush” and “Long live Islam” in the most intense anti-American rally since we destroyed the Taliban.

President Hamid Karzai is having trouble paying government workers, the U.S. has not yet delivered on its promises of increased aid, Taliban forces that fled during the American attacks are regrouping and rumors of their return to Afghanistan are spreading, and worst of all, anti-U.S. rebels are actually firing on our troops still stationed there.

* Response to 9/11 — Believed to be Bush’s finest hour, the administration’s response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 are also being brought into question. Democratic Senator and presidential candidate Bob Graham has publicly accused the administration of a “coverup” in which intelligence failures were kept secret from Congress and the public.

This isn’t the first time these questions have been raised. Throughout the summer of 2002, reports surfaced indicating that the administration had not been forthcoming with information it had received in advance of the attacks and that the White House was dragging its feet on assisting with a congressional investigation of how and why the attacks occurred.

Graham’s accusations are, however, serious questions raised by the most serious of sources. On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Graham said he was basing his concerns on classified information he reviewed as a ranking member of the Senate intelligence committee, and as a leader of a joint congressional inquiry into the 9-11 attacks.

“I think the American people should be informed about what kind of capability terrorists have inside the United States,” Graham said. “They should be informed about the prospect that foreign governments have been aiding the terrorists in the United States. They should be informed of why we are not using that information to do a more effective job of dealing with terrorists where they live, and when they’ve been placed in the United States,” Graham said. He added that such information remains “currently classified for the American people, unnecessarily so.”

From a purely political perspective, these developments are bound to damage the president’s popularity and credibility. Bush’s approval ratings went up because Americans perceived the administration’s efforts in these conflicts as successful. If Bush fails in following through, demonstrating his ability to wage war without the capacity to effectively maintain peace, he will suffer politically.