Kerry for President

There was a time when President Bush could be forgiven. On the face of things, he wanted to do something good for this country, preaching in the 2000 campaign the virtues of modesty in world affairs and compassionate conservatism at home. He wanted to let people save more of their money and not let the government waste it, as it so often does. Even in his science policy, his decision on restricting stem cell research seemed the product of moral introspection, even if it was politically calculated and flawed. And when he stood atop Ground Zero and later before Congress, his anger at the terrorists and forces of this world that would allow an atrocity like Sept. 11, 2001, was evident. A world unknown had been thrust upon his administration, and mistakes were certain to be made.

Bush has made the war on terrorism the centerpiece of his campaign, but he has failed to make terrorism his first priority. Shortly after Sept. 11, Bush stopped focusing on the real enemy — al Qaida — and fixated on Saddam Hussein. The administration is right to say the world was divided about Saddam's ability to develop and deploy weapons of mass destruction. Sen. John Kerry believed Saddam was capable. But in the aftermath of the war, Bush refuses to acknowledge that his administration made strategic mistakes. The costs of this inflexibility are remote to most Princetonians, but Iraqi civilians and American soldiers — many of them our age — are dying every day because of it.

The yardstick we must measure the president by in this election year is not, at the very least, the quantity of his errors. It is the Iraq example, however, which shows why the president ought not to be forgiven, and what sets Kerry above Bush. The president is either unable or opposed to conceding error, changing his mind in public or speaking beyond prepared words. The yardstick we must measure the president by in a world with so many unknowns is an ability to adapt to changing circumstances, new truths — discussed as transparently as possible so to be informed by as many people as possible. In this regard Bush has failed plainly. His refusal to change failed policies has left America worse off, more vulnerable. The time for forgiveness has lapsed; the time for change is here.

Kerry is far from perfect, but the time has come for a man who seems willing to retrace history and adapt — a man as least as flexible and open minded as Bush seemed four years ago. A Kerry presidency could restore the transparency and openness — in thinking, discussion, communication and accountability — necessary to ensure that all options are scrutinized before executive decisions are made, and that mistakes are dealt with openly.

Imagining the value of a fresh president open to fresh ideas only rekindles Bush's own failings. In 2003, Bush announced a new multi-billion dollar plan to aid Africa's HIV/AIDS-ravaged population. But now we have changed our foreign aid policies to deny birth control capabilities to these countries. In his 2000 campaign, Bush promised tax cuts, an enviable goal in enviable economic times. But his economic policy has put the welfare of the richest Americans before that of most Americans. It has made us a less just and equal society, even as we preach justice to the world. In the face of rising costs of the war in Iraq, some Americans save hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes as our troops go without basic equipment. Bush refuses to reconsider the virtue of the tax cuts, an inflexibility we have seen throughout the executive branch. In indefinite detentions and some anti-terror policies, the president undermines some of the basic civil liberties that distinguish our country from the ones we criticize.

Kerry has not presented a compelling vision for the country. Bush has had four years to implement his vision for America, and that vision has resulted in a country divided and fearful. If Kerry flip-flopping means reevaluating the past four years of decisions, he offers a stark contrast to the president and a far more attractive choice. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of The Daily Princetonian's student editorial board and not the opinions of either Princeton University or The Daily Princetonian Publishing Company, Inc.