steve kwan user experience designer

2004-2008

(November 3rd, 2004 - 8:02PM)

For the past four years, Democrats (and Canadians) have been trumpeting that George W. Bush stole the 2000 election. No matter what controversy Bush got himself into, few people actually criticized the American public for the actions of their president; after all, his very presidency was questionable. So it was assumed that no matter how backwards or corrupt the Bush government became, their actions were not representative of the American people.

Here we are in 2004. Knowing full well what Bush has done and what he plans to do, the American people have consciously re-elected him for a second term. No longer can we all attack Bush and leave it at that. The American people have spoken, and for whatever reason, they have spoken in favor of George W. Bush. We have to accept the fact that Bush is more than an election thief and shady politician. He is also the elected mouthpiece for the United States, and everything that Bush does has the conscious consent of most Americans.

Clearly, this is not a Bush problem, this is an American problem. For whatever reasons, Americans think the war in Iraq is the right thing to do. I was watching The Daily Show a few days ago when Madeleine Albright was the guest, and she raised a good point: if the Americans re-elect Bush, then they are validating his actions. This could do serious harm to world opinion of the United States. Well, Bush has been re-elected, and his actions have been validated.

So, to summarize Bush's presidential history:

• Bush was elected in 2000, despite significant evidence that his opponent had actually won
• Bush came close to declaring war on China because of a mid-air plane crash
• 9/11
• Bush defied the United Nations and unilaterally declared war on Iraq (after failing to capture Osama bin Laden)
• Bush justified his invasion with claims of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, which were never found
• Bush has turned Iraq into a hot(ter) zone and caused hundreds of American troops to die
• Controversy surrounds Bush's war history as nobody can effectively prove that Bush served in the Vietnam War
• Bush successfully defeats his opponent - a man with three Purple Hearts and a stellar war record - in the 2004 election.

I'm disappointed, but not entirely surprised. I only hope that Bush's second term goes a lot smoother than his first.