What Might Have Been

Looking at the lack of leadership coming out of the White House and the Republican Party and looking at the issues Sen. John Kerry promoted during his 2004 presidential campaign one can wonder what might have been.

With Iraq moving closer to civil war, the American public growing more concerned and many advocating a pullout of troops, and the British feeling pressured to withdraw troops, the need for assistance from other countries is painfully obvious.

Unfortunately the only hope for such a coalition is, as Washington Post intelligence reporter Dana Priest put it, if the cost of failure is probably so firmly evident that maybe, just maybe, those same allies might see the wisdom of jumping in---but only if it were to become a genuine coalition that shares risks and benefits.

And as Americans see gas prices rise and the administration view drilling as a response one wonders why Kerry's support for a plan to innovate our way out of dependence didn't get more support.

Bush and Cheney said they were the party who could protect Americans and that a Kerry win would put the United States at risk of another "devastating" terrorist attack.

Instead the U.S. again has faced a disaster and early results are not looking good. As Sen. Kerry said recently at a speech at Brown University, Katrina stripped away any image of competence and exposed to all the true heart and nature of this administration.

As a President who has only been able to get support by scaring people, recent events showed that wasn't going to work anymore and Bush now has pledged to take responsibility.

As Kerry said The President finally acted on Katrina and admitted a mistake only because he was held accountable by the press, cornered by events, and compelled by the outrage of the American people, who with their own eyes could see a failure of leadership and its consequences. As they say, the first step towards recovery is to get out of denial. But don't hold your breath hoping acceptance of responsibility will become a habit for this administration.

Another administration would have acted differently. Unfortunately Americans can wonder what might have been.