Manbir Singh Chowdhary

With the Kerry campaign losing the key battle-ground state of Ohio, one of the most fiercely contested and critical elections in American history came to an end on November 3rd, 2004, as George W. Bush was re-elected President of the United States.

The results showed that Americans were deeply divided in their choice for President, knowing their decision would fundamentally impact global and domestic affairs over the next four years. The world community watched intently - many parts of Europe and the Middle East hoping for new U.S. leadership that might bring about a fresh start in relations.

Political analysts speculated that a large voter turn out would boost Senator Kerry's chances. Many thought the new voters were coming out as part of a referendum against Bush's war in Iraq and his failure to capture Osama Bin Laden. Instead, Bush ended up winning the popular vote by 58.6 million to 55.1 million (51% to 48%), and his Republican Party won a surprising majority of the Senate races, ensuring its dominance in the executive and legislative branches of government.

The 2004 election has demonstrated an overwhelming result in favor of conservative ideology.

According to Bush's official campaign website, "President Bush received the most votes by any presidential candidate in history - over 58 million, even breaking President Reagan's 1984 mark of 54.5 million votes."

What does this say about the American electorate? It's especially interesting given the distinct number of Americans who vociferously expressed their concern over President Bush's policies, bringing forth arguments such as the following:

Displaying a blatant and reckless disregard for international law and the United Nations, President Bush, went to war with Iraq based on the concept of a 'pre-emptive strike'; in the process, he strained U.S. relations with many European countries and the Arab world. Despite Saddam's worldwide reputation as a tyrant, it was (and still is) unclear as to what imminent threat he posed to the United States. The Bush Administration has conceded that there is no concrete evidence linking Saddam to 9/11.

The premise for going to war: Weapons of Mass Destruction - have still not been found. Instead, American soldiers and innocent Iraqi civilians are dying on a daily basis. A brutal dictator in Saddam Hussein might be behind bars, but the mastermind of 9/11, Osama Bin Laden, is still at large. To top it all of, Vice-President Cheney's former company, Halliburton, has been awarded the lion's share of the Iraqi reconstruction projects.

The $87+ billion spent on Iraq could have been better spent at home, on reducing poverty and improving education.

When 16 out of 19 hijackers that committed the heinous acts of September 11th were from Saudi Arabia, why haven't we gone after the Saudis - especially since it's common knowledge that the fundamentalist Wahabi movement in that country is breeding and funding terrorists?

A record federal surplus inherited from his predecessor in 2001 has plummeted to a record deficit in less than four years. Additionally, according to the US Department of Labor, there are 821,000 fewer jobs in the country than when Bush took office in January 2001.

Despite the above arguments, President Bush defeated Kerry by approximately 3.5 million votes, and the Republicans have secured a 55-44 majority in the Senate. What factors drove the majority of American voters in supporting the conservative agenda of the Grand Old Party?

Perhaps American voters were hesitant to vote against a 'war-time' president? Political analysts will find a variety of reasons, but the battle of 'moral-values' looks to have played a pivotal role in the President's re-election.

The fact is that America is at a historic crossroads, not only in the sphere of international affairs, but also on the domestic front. Americans remain strongly divided about social issues such as abortion, gay marriage and stem-cell research. The evangelical Christian voters, along with other religious groups, came out vehemently against gay marriage, and took to the polls in order to make their stand. Many of these voters form the backbone of the Republican Party, and could well be responsible for giving Bush the edge over John Kerry.

The battle of 'moral-values' also came into play in the following context: Many voters knew, with the imminent retirement of 2 or 3 Supreme Court Justices in the next four years, the next President would have a major role in determining the ideological composition of the highest court in the United States. With a majority of conservative, right wing Justices on the Bench - it won't be hard to guess where the Supreme Court will lean on matters of abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment etc.

What next? It's imperative that President Bush unites an America polarized by stark differences on social, economical and international issues. In his re-election acceptance speech, the President reached out to the 55.1 million Americans that voted to oust him from office, "To make this nation stronger and better I will need your support, and I will work to earn it. I will do all I can do to deserve your trust. A new term is a new opportunity to reach out to the whole nation. We have one country, one Constitution and one future that binds us. And when we come together and work together, there is no limit to the greatness of America."

President George W. Bush meets Sikh-American leaders in the aftermath of 9/11, when Sikhs were mistakenly targeted. (AP Photo)

With regard to the war on terror, the President stated, "We will help the emerging democracies of Iraq and Afghanistan so they can grow in strength and defend their freedom. And then our servicemen and women will come home with the honor they have earned. With good allies at our side, we will fight this war on terror with every resource of our national power so our children can live in freedom and in peace."

It is also important that President Bush reconciles America's relationship with estranged European countries, and more importantly, reaches out to moderate Muslim countries by establishing trust and mutual respect - destroying the image of Americans being modern day imperialists and oil-grabbers.

Despite the arguments against the Iraq war, President Bush still affirms that we went to war to establish a "free-society" in the Middle East. In opposition, there are those who feel 'hidden-agenda' existed, on the part of the Bush administration, in its premise for going to war. It's certainly going to take more than rhetoric from the President to convince the 55.1 million Americans, who voted against him, that going to war in Iraq was the right thing to do.

There's no doubt that President Bush will do whatever he can to protect the American people from future acts of terror; in support, a sovereign nation should not have to seek permission from the world community in order to protect itself - the American people, however, are entitled to credible evidence indicating that a real and imminent threat exists to our safety - not haphazard 'intelligence' reports.

Bush's second term also brings up the Iran factor. The Iranians have been targeted by the President for their alleged weapons program. Despite being a member of the 'axis-of-evil', it's interesting to note how much Iran has gained from the U.S. War on Terror:

1) The Taliban were an obstacle to Iranian interests in Afghanistan. Thanks to the U.S., Iran no longer has this problem.

2) Iran's old enemy, Saddam Hussein, has also been eliminated. Hussein, a member of Iraq's Sunni minority, was responsible for a nine year war against Iran, and would cleverly invoke ethnic rivalry to incite Iraqi Shias (of Arabic descent) against their Iranian brethren (of Persian descent).

3) Subjugated under Saddam's regime, the aftermath of the U.S. led war has seen factions of Iraq's Shia community, under Sayyid Ali Husayni Sistani and Muqtada al Sadr, become powerful forces in the country's political landscape. By establishing Iraq as a pro-Tehran Shia state, Iran would have easy access over Iraq's oil supply.

In closing, and wishing the President success in his new term in office, it is evident we live in precarious times and what happens over the course of the next four years, with regard to Iraqi reconstruction, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Kashmir, will determine international relations and world affairs for the next century. Let us hope and pray that President Bush will provide able leadership that will bring lasting peace.


Copyright ©2004 Manbir Singh Chowdhary. About the author