Quote of the Day

"All our great presidents were leaders of thought at times when certain historic ideas in the life of the nation had to be clarified."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt, September 11, 1932

On the same date four years ago - a time in which thought and clarity were of the upmost importance - George W. Bush had an opportunity to become one of the great presidents in our nation's history. The tragic events of that day made it perfectly clear that we had started an era in which the responsibilities for the United States were never greater. Never has a president been called on to meet such extraordinary responsibilities for the homeland and the world. And Mr. Bush failed.

During the dark days of September, 2001 - with 3,000 of our own citizens dead - we Americans were desperate for true leadership. We wanted - we needed - a president who, in the spirit of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, would rally the nation to our new calling. Instead, all we got from President Bush was a request to "go shopping." As an American, I couldn't have been more insulted. As a member of the world community, I couldn't have been more embarrassed.

Instead, Bush used the tragedy to ram irresponsible and dangerous social and fiscal policy down our throats. Despite an election campaign in which he touted himself as a "uniter, not a divder," as President Mr. Bush has governed the other way around, causing deep divisions in a wounded nation; the sort of divisions not seen since the Civil War.

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks we demanded a president who would hunt down al-Qaida and Osama bin Laden, taking the important war of ideas straight to the Muslim world in an effort to defeat the root causes of terrorism. While the Taliban have been removed from power, bin Laden still remains at large and our military is bogged down fighting a guerilla insurgency in Iraq, a nation that had nothing to do with 9/11.

Yet, amazingly, the American people returned Mr. Bush to office - an election decision that will boggle my mind until my last days. The President's incompetent performance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina shows exactly how wrong the American people were when they voted for his re-election.

And to think we have three years to go. Three long years without clarity or thought. And that thought sends chills down my spine.