April 2003 Cover
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April 1, 2003; Washington, DC-- These perilous times have led record numbers
of you to speak out. You have taken to the streets, to the Internet, and to countless town
meetings and civic gatherings to articulate your opposition to unnecessary war. I assure you that
I, George Walker Bush, your President, elected by almost as many votes as the front-runner,
have heard you.
"Thoughtful, sober deliberation leads me to conclude that the times demand a change
in direction. Foolish pride will not keep us on a collision course with disaster. It is never too late
to draw back from the abyss of war. Thus, I announce the following changes in American policy.
"First, I have accepted the resignations of John Ashcroft, Donald Rumsfeld,
Condoleeza Rice, and Paul Wolfowitz.
"Second, there will be a cessation of armed hostilities with Iraq. War, with its
inevitable atrocities, can only be justified if the alternatives are demonstrably worse. Any nefarious
actions Iraq may contemplate are being ably contained by ongoing inspections. There is no
need to kill hundreds of thousands of people to prevent actions already being controlled.
"Third, we will no longer attempt to forge 'alliances' with poorer countries through
offers of weaponry. As a student of history, I recognize that it was such bribery during the
Iran/Iraq conflict that landed us in this mess to begin with. As the world's largest weapons
manufacturer and dealer, the responsibility for non-proliferation lies squarely with the US.
"Fourth, as the globe's most powerful nation, the US inevitably exercises enormous
influence in the affairs of smaller countries. Fairness demands that we remain diligent that
our power not be exploited to dictate from afar the practices and policies of peoples without
a voice in how that power is used. I have heard, and respect, the global outcry against
militaristic unilateralism.
"Fifth, war will create hardships that are themselves the breeding grounds for
resentments that grow into terrorism. Forward-looking, enlightened self-interest demands we find
peaceful ways to resolve our disputes.
"Sixth, I recognize that war wastes more than lives. It squanders resources on
destruction, resources that could be used instead to create roads, build schools, and fund health care.
War must never be manufactured to enrich a few oil tycoons and industrialists at the expense
of poor and working Americans.
"And seventh, history teaches us that war-fears can be exploited by unscrupulous
politicians for partisan interests ultimately destructive to our nation's well-being. The Palmer
raids following World War I, the concentration camps used to intern thousands of US citizens
of Japanese descent during World War II, the Cold War's horrid McCarthyism, and the abuses
of civil rights under the Vietnam war as prosecuted by Nixon and Kissinger all serve as examples
of how war endangers the very freedoms that we are supposedly fighting for.
"Ultimately, our strength flows from the Bill of Rights. Any attempt, however seductive
in the short-run, to abridge those rights inevitably weakens us. To be 'the land of the free and
the brave' requires dedication to upholding civil liberties, especially in difficult times. Thus, I
am withholding funding for implementation of the 'Patriot Act.' I have also instructed
government agencies to cease ethnic profiling and rededicate themselves to the American proposition
that all of us are to be judged as individuals, not as members of politically vulnerable groups.
"I am confident that these seven steps will lead to a stronger America and a more just
and peaceful world.
"With humility in my heart, I close this April 1st message-- God bless the entire world."
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