The head of the Democratic National Committee called him a “deserter.” Al Gore branded him a “moral coward.” Howard Dean shamefully cited a rumor that his administration knew about the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in advance. One former Democratic representative, Cynthia McKinney, claimed that his administration allowed 9/11 to occur for the financial benefit of “friends” in the defense and oil industries. A recent fundraiser for John Kerry included buttons mocking the president and his Cabinet as “asses of evil.” Since taking office, President Bush’s critics have labeled him a moron, a puppet and a war-mongering religious fanatic. Many of the Democrats who voted for the war in Iraq now call our president a liar who deceived them all just to wage a needless war for oil. One would think that our brave soldiers hadn’t removed a tyrant at all–that perhaps we had attacked a peaceful state instead.
All these malignant insults, and never once, not one time, have I heard the president of the United States respond in kind.
Attacks like these are dishonorable and un-American. They do not enlighten, inform or contribute to our democracy in any way. They are an insult to the victims of 9/11, the soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, and to an American president who has kept his covenant with them all.
