“911”: rescue number of a Bush campaign [Archives:2004/769/Viewpoint]

It was clear-cut from the very beginning of the Republican National Convention being held in New York City, that the main subject would be the 9/11 incidents and the war on 'terror'. Most Americans believe that perhaps this is the only way to give Bush an edge. As some democrats said, Bush is “acting on Americans' fears of 9/11”.
But again, even in this sense, it is amazing to find that many Americans are willing to believe that the war on terror has made the world a safer place. It is ironic to see the contrast of the world's view before and after 9/11. Before 9/11, there was less violence, less instability, and less hatred towards the USA. Today, the hatred level have reached a peak and terrorist threats and alarms have spread throughout the world.
What good has Bush's war on terror done for humanity?
In many cases, not only did the Bush administration's method in fighting terrorism, cause more instability in the USA, but it also served as an excuse and a justification for other brutal regimes to do the same. So many countries have started applying the same means against their people and opposition groups in their countries, under the pretext of fighting terrorism.
It is fascinating to see the huge gap between the opinion of the Bush supporters within the walls of the convention's building, and the people protesting outside. Each side is in conflict with the other and they hold totally opposing views of Bush – they are completely polarized.
Meanwhile, the majority of Arabs in the USA, and around the world, are totally against Bush and his campaign for presidency. They claim he had betrayed them by launching the war on Iraq and his unconditional support for Israel.
It is also important to note here that Arabs think that the 9/11 events have served Bush well, by making him a war hero, or as some like to refer to him as a “War time president.” Therefore, they think that with the relatively weak performances of the national economy and in the administrative arena, the war on 'terror' may be Bush's best bet for the presidency and 4 more years in office.
For many of those who lost their loved ones in 9/11, the Iraq war was far from relevant. Even though Bush campaigners wanted a link between 9/11 to be confirmed, all indications contradict this fanciful theory. Hence, perhaps the war on Iraq is also not a strong factor to serve the president's national image.
In conclusion, the magical number 9/11 may well serve a president who has achieved very little in his 4 years in office. In fact his record, of running up a record deficit, tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, the greatest job losses since the Depression, frightening abuses of Americans' civil rights and liberties, contempt for the Geneva Conventions, destruction of the environment, secret development of new nuclear weapons, and so on, leaves him little other choice!
That is why we all expect the heavy utilization of the “911” number, which is incidentally also the number of police emergency help in the USA. Perhaps it rightly refers to emergency assistance for Bush in such a critical time of his career.
But who knows? Perhaps assistance may still come for him!
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