Suggestions for Bush

Considering the points Andrew Sullivan makes about Churchill's defeat after saving his nation, I'm reminded me of several things that I've worried about in the upcoming election:

1. The failure to answer the "No WMD!" complaint. I may be out ahead of the administration, but it seems to me that the war in Iraq should not be allowed to be considered separately from its strategic position in the greater War on Terrorism. There are many good reasons why it made sense, after Afghanistan, to take on Saddam next: he was a pushover, which helps make the point that the U. S. is not someone the nations coddling terrorists want to mess with; he was known to have developed and used WMD in the past; he was a butcher of his own people, who would presumably welcome liberation; and Iraq occupies a central position in the Arab geography, next door to two terrorist havens and backers.

2. The lag between attacks by Democrats and the press and answers from the White House. They may be keeping their powder dry for the real campaign following the conventions, but that's not a good excuse for the press office.

3. The economy. It's a pity that Americans are so ignorant about how much power the president really has to change the economy, particularly the idea that government spending creates jobs. I don't know any way to overcome that, since economists don't make particularly good campaigners even if they could agree on anything. I think most of them would acknowledge privately that the jobs issue is a red herring, but too many of them want jobs in a Democratic administration to expect them to be that candid. Still, how hard can it be to point out that government doesn't create wealth; it only taxes and spends it.

Maybe I'm not giving the voters enough credit, nor the non-voters, either. Kerry is not the kind of guy that makes you want to be sure to turn out bright and early on Election Day to put him in office, but I've never seen the news media so blatantly campaigning in their news coverage. Like the story in the NYTimes about Bush's campaigns being sold ten fleece pullovers imported from Myanmar.