"The 35 Articles of Impeachment and the Case for Prosecuting George W. Bush"If I Were President
People have accused me of only criticizing Bush and not offering my own plan. Fair enough. So here goes...
Iraq:This is a real mess that has no easy solutions. The new government lacks credibility because they are tainted by US support. So I would pledge impartiality towards the parties in Iraq. Much of the violence is inspired by the US presence so I would work to replace US troops with UN peacekeepers. I would also stop construction on the permanent bases in Iraq and have them dismantled as we withdraw from Iraq.
Energy: I would stop letting energy companies dictate the energy policy of this country in secret meetings. I would declare an embargo on drilling in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge. I would investigate the theft of billions of dollars from California during the rolling blackouts and return the money if possible. I would declare real goals for reducing our dependence on oil and focus our efforts on renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and bio-mass conversion. I would reconsider the arguments on nuclear energy to see if the picture has changed since the 80's when it was a bad idea.
Environment: I would recognize that this planet gives us life and that if we kill the planet then we kill ourselves. Global warming is a real and serious threat. I would encourage the climatologists to tell us everything they know about Global Warming instead of censoring them. I would work with the international community to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Avian Flu: If a pandemic breaks out, it could kill a major chunk of the world's population and cause the collapse of society. Europe is way ahead of us on this. We need to have an emergency plan for vaccine development and containment. We need to work closely with an international team on monitoring and containing H5N1.
Peace Policy: Just as love is more than the absence of hate, peace is more than the absence of war. It requires an active effort by countries to reach out and find common goals and promote understanding and mutual respect. This will encourage others to behave more peacefully towards the United States. This is not a naive policy. We may still be threatened or attacked and we should have a strong military to protect us from enemies. But at the same time we can build friendships with other nations. This will increase our security and is much less expensive in the long run than bombing and torturing people who disagree with us or who happen to live on top of an oil field.
I will not pretend to be an expert on all topics. For every area, I would gather advisors with differing opinions to discuss the issues and make recommendations. I would not stifle dissent but welcome reasonable debate on any topic. I would make it clear that disagreeing with the President is patriotic. I would rather be corrected if I make a mistake than to continue in ignorance. Through rational debate it is possible to devise a plan that is better than any one side could have come up with on their own.
