President Bush's approval ratings in the polls continue to be mired in the low 40s. Many Republicans up for reelection are keeping their distance from his policies on the Iraq war. Pakistan has granted safe haven to Osama bin Laden. Even a well-publicized movie at the Toronto Film Festival is about his imagined assassination. These are tough days for our 43rd president.
Yet, today, on this fifth anniversary of 9/11, President Bush deserves our praise for the actions he's taken that have kept our country and its citizens safe. Those steps, which include the The Patriot Act, NSA spying, the institution of the first-ever Department of Homeland Security, and the innovative terror alert system, have worked beyond anyone's expectations when, post 9/11, everyone thought of another terrorist attack in terms of "when" - not "if".
Thank you, Mr. President.
And, as if keeping 300 million Americans safe from unimaginable acts of terror wasn't difficult enough, this has been accomplished despite The New York Times' exposure of our military and intelligence secrets for all - including our enemies - to see. It's been accomplished even as Democrats have vigorously opposed - for political purposes -- common sense tools to help thwart terror attacks, like the program that allows us to intercept our enemies phone conversations. But, Mr. Bush doesn't play politics with our lives - he protects them.
Thank you, Mr. President.
In this new kind of asymmetrical war we're in, victories aren't always obvious. But, five years without another 9/11-style attack - one that all Americans believed would surely come - is certainly a marker for success. Imagine the criticism of the president if a single attack had succeeded! To Democrats who today argue that we are "less safe" than we were after 9/11, I say, there's no number lower than zero.
No one knows what the coming days and months will bring. Iran, is feverishly working to create nuclear weapons. British Muslims, thwarted in their plot to blow up America-bound airplanes in mid-air, are certain to try again. Kim Jong-Il continues to threaten to test his nuclear missiles, which threaten our west coast. No one can guarantee the safety of so many people, especially in the open society in which we live. But, with President Bush's impressive track record these past five years vis-à-vis our security, we, at the very least know, that our president is completely focused on our safety. For this he deserves our gratitude.