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There are a million things a person can say right now. But perhaps the best response is one of breathless optimism.
Perhaps, now that George W. Bush is freed up from the considerable burden of marathon campaigning, he will have more time to spend with his economic, domestic, and international advisors. He will be able to hunker down and really study foreign policy. Be able to travel around the world a bit and meet some of the world leaders that have been so critical of the United States over the past three years.
Perhaps, now that George W. Bush is no longer worried about re-election and catering to the conservative Christian Right and the Right’s ability to mobilize voters, he will adopt a doctrine of centrist governance. That, unencumbered by the need to mollify religious fundamentalists in America, he will steer the country toward a more liberal and accepting social mindset. That he will replace Chief Justice William Rehnquist with a even-keeled Constitutional moderate that will defend civil rights and women’s rights in the Supreme Court. That he will support life-saving medical research and the legal right to non-traditional unions.
Perhaps, now that George W. Bush doesn’t need to court the vote of the geographic middle of the country — a population that is not directly threatened by potential terrorist attacks — he will recognize the inherent insecurity of the nations coastal cities, and will direct Federal tax dollars to shoring up domestic defenses on the periphery where it is most desperately needed.
Perhaps, now that George W. Bush is able to move beyond the over-simplified and myopic perceptions of the general electoral body and advance past the reductionist polarization of complicated issues by a politicized media, he will be able to make the cognitive leaps required to identify the root causes of global anti-American sentiments, rather than the superficial analysis that caters to the least common denominator during an election year. That, having already won the election, he can engage in thought-provoking and deep intellectual debate on the world’s stage with global leaders on a wide range of moral, political, and economic issues.
Perhaps, now that George W. Bush does not need to chase transitory bumps in popular opinion polls by offering poorly justified tax loopholes, he can right the long-term projections in the U.S. economy and balance the budget, pay down the debt, and invest in growth industries.
Perhaps, now that George W. Bush doesn’t need to prove to fifty percent of the American people just how steadfast he can be, he can back down from an ill-conceived and poorly-run war against a illusory enemy. That he can walk away from an un-winnable conflict and still save face. That he can lead America to cut its losses, and mourn for the thousands of American dead, and say a prayer for the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi dead. That he will avoid the first draft in America since the tragedy in Vietnam because he now has the mandate of the people to change his mind without looking weak.
Perhaps, now that George W. Bush is not as concerned with getting 50 million Americans to support him, he can focus on getting some 6 billion humans to stop hating all of us.
Perhaps indeed.