- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Criticism
of the Bush administration's handling of the war against terrorism at home
and abroad is mounting, suggesting that the president's post-attacks honeymoon
may be coming to an end.
So far, most of the grumbling has been confined to policy analysts and
media pundits and has not affected the soaring approval ratings that President
George W. Bush has enjoyed since the September 11 hijacking attacks on
New York and Washington that killed around 5,000 people.
"There's always a time lag. Criticism during major extended crises
usually begins among opinion leaders and activists and then seeps slowly
and gradually into the public," said American University historian
Allan Lichtman.
"The American people are usually willing to support their leader during
a crisis for a relatively long time, which is crucial because Bush will
not be able to sustain a serious campaign without the support of the American
people," he said.
Criticism so far has centred on four key areas:
-- the military campaign in Afghanistan is getting bogged down and not
progressing toward the desired results of capturing or killing Saudi militant
Osama bin Laden, whom the administration accuses of orchestrating the Sept.
11 attacks, and toppling his Afghan protectors of the Islamic fundamentalist
Taliban.
-- the United States is soft-pedalling its military strikes in a futile
attempt to keep lukewarm Arab support; meanwhile it is losing the propaganda
war in the Islamic world.
-- the administration is mishandling the anthrax threat.
-- Bush is supporting an attempt by Republicans in the House of Representatives
to award billions of dollars in retroactive tax rebates to wealthy corporations,
under the guise of an economic stimulus package.
BUSH FEELING THE HEAT?
Time magazine in its cover story this week declared: "Fighting elusive
foes at home and abroad, President Bush and his team are feeling the heat."
A New York Times poll published on Tuesday found the first stirrings of
public discontent on several fronts. Half of the 1,024 respondents said
the government was not telling people everything they need to know about
the anthrax outbreak.
Only 18 percent believed the government could protect them from terrorism,
compared with 35 percent three weeks ago; only 28 percent were very confident
the U.S. could capture or kill bin Laden; only 29 percent were very confident
the United States could hold together its international alliance.
University of Texas political scientist Bruce Buchanan, who has studied
public opinion during previous major foreign policy crises that went wrong,
such as the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 and the Bay of Pigs in 1961, said
the rally-around-the-flag effect usually lasted around 30 weeks.
"We're nowhere near that point yet so I would expect support for Bush
to remain high for several months. However, he has to start showing results
at some point," he said.
Criticism of the military operation began to be voiced publicly last week
and has grown since then, with conservatives leading the charge.
In Tuesday's Washington Post, columnist Charles Krauthammer wrote: "The
war is not going well and it is time to say why. It has been fought with
half-measures. It has been fought with an eye on the wishes of our 'coalition
partners.' It has been fought to assuage the Arab 'street.' It has been
fought to satisfy the diplomats rather than the generals."
Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's response has been to ask for patience
and dismiss criticism as being driven by the demands of media outlets.
"I hear some impatience from the people who have to produce news every
15 minutes, but not from the American people. I think the American people
understand the fact that it's going to be long and hard," he said
on Sunday.
The charge that the administration has mishandled its public relations
effort in the Arab world was perhaps best voiced by former U.N. ambassador
Richard Holbrooke.
"A mass murderer operating from a cave in southern Afghanistan appears
to be winning a public affairs, public diplomacy battle with the world's
communication leader, the United States," he said.
STREAMLINING WAR ON ANTHRAX
The administration has made efforts to streamline its information efforts
at home and recover from a stumbling start in handling the anthrax crisis.
But the deadly bacteria keeps showing up in more and more buildings.
"We don't know from day to day. We get one piece of information and
the next there is a contradiction or modification. And that in itself creates
its own source of panic," said Senator Christopher Dodd, a Connecticut
Democrat.
Potentially the most damaging element for Bush is the House tax giveaway
to corporations, many of which contributed to Bush's 2000 presidential
campaign. That legislation is likely to die in the Senate but could still
come back to haunt Bush.
"Bush will run into most criticism on issues like this, where people
perceive him as a politician rather than as commander-in-chief," said
University of St Louis political scientist Joel Goldstein.
Mid-term elections, where control of both the House and Senate are up for
grabs, are exactly one year away. The historical precedents for Bush are
not uniformly rosy. For instance, in 1918, when the United States was fighting
relatively successfully in World War One, then-President Woodrow Wilson's
Democrats lost control of both houses of Congress. Two years later, they
lost the White House as well.
Catholic University political scientist Mark Rozell said Bush needed to
be concerned.
"Even if public support isn't weakening at this point, a constant
drumbeat of criticism from opinion leaders and the media will eventually
translate into loss of public support," he said.
-
-
- Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly
prohibited without the written consent of Reuters Limited
|
