| Accountability Restored to the Presidency
by Colby Carter
A huge breath of fresh air is being inhaled all over Washington, DC. This rarified air is being pumped in by George W. Bush's competent administration, which is making waves with Republicans and Democrats alike. Long gone and forgotten are the partisan bickering and finger pointing that went on during Clinton's tenure as President.
The respectability of the office of the President really took a beating during Clinton's reign in office. Countless scandals and underhanded dealings led to an all time high in partisan politics. Nobody could trust Bill Clinton. He was not a man of his word. He would use our military forces abroad to take heat off his personal scandals, which often led to complete disasters, like our bombing of an aspirin factory or the Chinese Embassy during the height of the Lewinsky scandal. He turned the White House into a Motel 6, renting out rooms to major Democratic contributors so they could have the chance to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom. His administrators left the White House in shambles, tampering with vital computer information and leaving behind dirty messages. These actions cost over $200,000 in damages to government property that you and I had to pay for.
Even now evidence has shown up that Clinton and his closest cronies potentially took kickbacks for pardons. Even further, they ignored the involving the Justice Department in several of Clintons pardons, including the controversial pardon of billionaire Mark Rich.
The Presidency became a humiliating and long running joke that lasted 8 years. One of the biggest errors that really weakened the Executive Branch during Clinton's tenure was his lack of taking responsibility for his actions. Bill Clinton was never to blame for anything. It was always someone else's fault; be it those evil Republican Congressmen, lower White House staff members, or the greedy administrations of Reagan and Bush. He and his administration took all the credit, never took the blame, and always pointed fingers.
Enter George W. Bush. He has been a true man of his word. He is sticking by what he is saying and taking responsibility for his administration's actions. Politicians in Washington, DC actually trust Bush. He was an honorable man on the campaign trail and he has taken that honor into the White House. Instead of pointing fingers, Bush's team has met trouble head on. His administration, particularly Secretary of State Colin Powell, has taken a serious "the buck stops here" approach to making policy. Bush has stood by his promises and has followed through on everything he campaigned for, such as his proposal to cut taxes.
He has surrounded himself with the most competent of advisors. Not only is he showing himself to be a capable and effective leader, but the people around him that advise him on policy are the ideological cream of the crop. Each of his appointees are very well respected in their fields of study. Bush sees the United States as the leader of the free world and he is facilitating that message abroad. Once again, the Presidency is seen as a serious position and not as a laughing matter.
Bush's dedication to upholding his promises while showing that he is a capable leader who will take responsibility, rightly or wrongly, for the actions of his administration has returned many people's faith in the Executive Branch. He is living up to his word and the people inside the Washington Beltway can respect that. The next time you feel any hot air coming from that beltway, remember that the hot air is not the remnants of the bipartisan politics that was facilitated by the Clinton administration; rather it is one huge collective sigh of relief. Kudos, Mr. President | |
