The President, hard to the right

David Benaym · September 5, 2004

Translated from the French. Original: La Dernière Heure, September 5, 2004 · French version

The President, Hard to the Right

(05/09/2004)

The occupant of the White House radicalises his message a little further

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT IN THE UNITED STATES,

DAVID BENAYM

On a platform bearing the seal of the presidency of the United States, in a packed hall entirely decorated with the Star-Spangled Banner, George W Bush addressed a crowd entirely won over to his cause to close the Republican convention in New York. “I believe this nation wants steady, consistent, principled leadership, and that is why, with your help, we will win this election,” he said. Officially a candidate for re-election, Bush set out a programme based on his record, without any real new proposals. Marked by the usual points of the Republican Party’s right-wing line, his speech was aimed more against John Kerry, his challenger, than in favour of new initiatives.

Reaffirming his views, he again spoke out against abortion, in favour of the death penalty, against the right of gay people to marry before the law, stressing that he was the only conservative candidate, in the line of his most popular predecessor, Ronald Reagan.

Between bursts of applause, to cries of “USA” and “Four More Years”, W defended his strict line on tax cuts. Proposing to make tax cuts his main asset for reviving the American economy, he said he favoured “ownership for every citizen”, suggested the creation of a health insurance plan for all retirees, announced a few initiatives to boost education

for the poorest, and the creation of enterprise zones for the most disadvantaged sections of the population. Bush did not explain how he intended to finance his programme and close the US deficit while continuing to cut taxes.

Justifying the war in Iraq, President Bush hammered home: “Do I forget the lessons of September the 11th and take the word of a madman, or do I take action to defend our country? Faced with that choice, I will defend America every time.” Bush was interrupted twice during his speech on foreign policy by activists who had managed to get into Madison Square Garden. Unflappable, he explained: “

We have fought the terrorists across the earth, not for pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at stake.” And he asserted that the United States remains “on the offensive, striking terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home”.

As for John Kerry, he criticised him, often rightly, for having been inconsistent in his decisions on national defence. “My opponent and his running mate voted against this money for bullets, and fuel, and vehicles, and body armor,” Mr Bush charged. “When asked to explain his vote, the Senator said, ‘I actually did vote for the 87 billion dollars before I voted against it.’ Then he said he was ‘proud’ of that vote. Then he said it was a ‘complicated matter’.”

On Thursday, the Republican president was keen to present himself as the candidate of continuity and firmness, recalling his country’s moral suffering after September 11 and reaffirming that he was the man for the job. Courting the hardliners of his party here and there, between religious vocabulary, family values and military resolve, Bush took a clear turn to the right before the upcoming debates against John Kerry.

D. B.