Yesterday, this page expressed dismay at the potential of an election aftermath similar to the one in Florida in 2000. Defeated Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry made noise about disputing a close election result in Ohio, and it looked as if we might see another long series of legal battles as there were in 2000, when the winner of the election was not made official until a month after the election itself.
Thankfully, this did not happen. Kerry conceded early Wednesday morning after his campaign team decided that no matter the result of any potential legal battle in Ohio, he could not win. This saved face for Kerry, the Democratic party and most importantly, the United States of America. After a popular vote margin of more than 3 million in favor of President Bush, he will retain his position as commander-in-chief, head of the executive branch and leader of the Free World.
So we give our congratulations to President Bush. This time around, he has a clear mandate, unlike after the fiasco in 2000, when he lost the popular vote and won the presidecncy by the slimmest of margins amid tremendous controversy. The office is undisputably his, but there is plenty of work to be done.
First of all, Bush must endeavour to repair the ideological rift in America that developed during his first term. He must be the uniter he promised to be, not the divider he has become. It is his mandate to reach out to those he may have alienated over the past four years.
This includes everyone from the Dean Democrats to centrist Republicans. Bush must, for the sake of his own party's stability, listen to the moderates. If he does not, four years from now, The Republican party could split into conservative and moderate factions, giving elections to Democrats for years to come.
Finally, it is imporatnt that Bush restore integrity to the office of the presidency, and dignity to the nation, by telling the truth at all times. He must not suggest links between terrorists and nations, as he did between al-Qaida and Iraq. He must not scare the American people with the specter of weapons of mass destruction. He must not edit environmental reports or disguise harmful legislation with misleading names.
President Bush can accomplish in what should prove to be a very eventful term. We hope that he keeps in mind the views of all Americans as he works, and helps to restore honor and integrity to the White House.
