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Jewish World Review Dec. 22, 2005 / 21 Kislev, 5766 Goodwill to foe as well as friend By Jeff Jacoby
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
With his recent series of speeches on the war, President Bush has been making good use of a bully pulpit that for much of the year he seemed to have forgotten was his to mount. His short address from the Oval Office on Sunday night was especially effective — clear, confident, focused on the light he sees at the end of the Iraqi tunnel, yet willing to listen to critics who oppose the war. ''To those of you who did not support my decision to send troops to Iraq," Bush said in what struck me as a particularly fine passage, ''I have heard your disagreement, and I know how deeply it is felt. Yet now there are only two options before our country — victory or defeat. And the need for victory is larger than any president or political party, because the security of our people is in the balance." I was thinking I might write a column about Bush's words — about how much healthier America's political culture would be if politicians and pundits made a point of ''hearing the disagreement" of their opponents more often and acknowledging how deeply those disagreements often run. But then something else caught my eye: Time magazine's choice of Bill and Melinda Gates and Bono as its 2005 Persons of the Year. The world's richest couple and U2's famous rock star had been chosen, Time wrote, ''for being shrewd about doing good, for rewiring politics and re-engineering justice, for making mercy smarter and hope strategic" — in short, for being, as the headline put it, ''The Good Samaritans." Now, I admire the work these three have done on behalf of the most impoverished people on Earth, and wouldn't think of belittling their passion and generosity. Such dedication to the poor would be impressive in anyone; in celebrities of their stature it is almost unheard-of. But Time's criterion for Man/Woman/Person of the Year has always been ''the newsmaker who, for better or worse, has dominated the events of the preceding 12 months." Worthy as Bono and the Gateses may be, it is hard to see how they qualify under that standard. My choice would have been the matchless democratic hero of 2005 — the purple-fingered Iraqi voter who turned out not once, not twice, but three times to take a stand for government of, by, and for the people. The advance of democracy in what was until recently the most brutal tyranny in the world is surely the great international story of the year. Add the fragile gains in political liberty that were recorded elsewhere in the Arab world — in Lebanon, in Kuwait, in Saudi Arabia — and you have what Freedom House, the renowned human rights organization, this week identified as ''the most significant development" of 2005. But Time completely bypassed the Purple Revolution in its cover story. It didn't even acknowledge it inside. In a gallery of runners-up titled ''People Who Mattered," the magazine singled out the likes of rapper Kanye West, actress Geena Davis, and golfer Michelle Wie. To Time, they ''mattered" as newsmakers — yet the millions of Iraqis who defied the terrorists to cast a ballot didn't rate so much as a mention. One of Time's other choices, on the other hand, struck a very welcome note: Former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton were designated ''Partners of the Year" for teaming up to raise relief funds after the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. Against the odds, and notwithstanding their bruising face-off in 1992, the two men have formed a genuine friendship. Time's profile captures some of their newfound warmth — a warmth that resonates strongly with many Americans. ''Bush and Clinton have reminded a deeply divided nation how much old-fashioned teamwork is missing from its politics. . . . Says Clinton: 'I think people see this, and it reminds them of how America is supposed to work.' " Together the ex-presidents have raised more than $12 million for tsunami relief and $115 million for the hurricane victims. Donors often make it clear that they were inspired to give in part by the sight of two former rivals joining in a common cause. Which returns me to the current President Bush and his remarks on Sunday. ''I have heard your disagreement, and I know how deeply it is felt." Perhaps the words were only a gesture. But at a time when political discourse has grown so raw, when policy differences routinely turn into death matches, we could use more such gestures. Civility and respect are not mere frills; they are indispensable to keeping our political atmosphere breathable. If Clinton and Bush Sr. can treat each other with decency, the rest of us can, too.
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Jeff Jacoby is a Boston Globe columnist. Comment by clicking here. © 2005, Boston Globe |
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