There’s an interesting analysis piece in the Washington Post today about how national security issues will be foremost on the minds of voters next year, but despite what was believed just a few months ago, this may not help Bush.
Poll after poll shows Bush and the GOP trailing Democrats nationally on a variety of domestic issues — the economy, education, health care, the environment, etc. Since the terrorist attacks of 9/11, however, Republicans have benefited from enormous public support on foreign policy and national security. I’ve seen polls showing the GOP lead over Dems as high as 35 percentage points on these issues.
Yet, as tragic recent events have shown, Bush’s policies on Afghanistan, Iraq, and Israel have been failing — badly.
With these failures in mind, the Post stated the obvious today: national security may not be a safe issue for Bush in next year’s election.
“For a president who has staked his reputation on making ‘a tough decision to make the world more peaceful,’ this could be a big problem,” the Post said. “Both Republican and Democratic strategists have begun adjusting their plans for what they once viewed as unthinkable: that Bush’s handling of national security in general, and the war in Iraq in particular, could become a vulnerability rather than an asset in his reelection race.”
No one could reasonably argue otherwise. Just as Bush’s bold promises about the success of his economic policies have failed to come true, so too have his assurances about international affairs.
Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman, with whom I agree on most issues (except school vouchers), had an excellent column yesterday on Bush’s misguided foreign policy.
“[Bush’s] record on foreign policy, after all, is not exactly studded with triumphs,” Chapman said. “The Middle East is awash in blood from Baghdad to Jerusalem. Almost everywhere the United States is engaged, things are going from bad to worse. With each passing day, the administration looks more and more like the helpless victim of its own hubris.”
And if Bush can’t count on the success of his “war on terrorism,” he can’t count on winning re-election.