When George W. Bush was still the governor of Texas in 2000, months away from being elected the 43rd president of the United States of America, he sat opposite David Letterman in the Ed Sullivan Theater and said, "I'm a uniter, not a divider."
It's now abundantly clear as we step into the next presidential race that the United States of America is more politically, socially and ideologically divided than it has been in decades.
Concurrently, in Tuesday night's State of the Union address, Bush had the opportunity to quell the fear that many Americans have of a nation being torn asunder by differences in politics. He had the chance to play the "uniter" to a country that is divided over his politics.
And Tuesday night, he failed.
For roughly an hour, Bush spoke directly to his supporters, not to the American people. He spoke of the values and traditions that he and his handlers embody, not of the more universal truths that belong to Americans all over the globe.
In the spirit of bipartisan politics, it would be remiss not to acknowledge that every president in our history has had his opposition.
Opposition encourages discourse, it encourages competition and it's one of the aspects of our bicameral legislation that makes it unilaterally remarkable.
On Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., the same voices that helped Bush become the president of the United States four years ago were ignored. The USA Patriot Act, an assault on the civil liberties of Americans and those living in its borders, continued to be paraded like a hero in a ticker-tape parade.
Bush dared Americans to prove that two people of the same sex are able to form a loving and legal union. The president called for religious-based organizations that provide social services be given priority funding, in practice and speech undermining the secular principles outlined in the Constitution.
He did not address the millions of jobs that have been lost during his administration. To Americans that are unable to afford health care, Bush said, as a result of these job cuts, that American health care is "the best in the world."
He admitted that, to continue the war on terror, costs would to increase while Americans suffer at home. He did not mention the names of our former long-standing allies that have been soured on America since the war in Iraq.
What awaited Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove was the opportunity to calm Americans - on both sides of the aisle - that their country was not falling victim to fear, foreign and domestic. Bush made the most of his opportunity to be a "uniter" by trumpeting a politically motivated agenda to rally his supporters.
The issue of American politics in an election year forces every politician to put listeners to a decision. Every speech is a popularity contest. This was proven in the 2000 election when every when every vote really did count.
Before Bush begins to focus on who will be president at the inauguration in January 2005, he needs to remember the imperative - who the president is now.
