Reflections and resolutions
As time goes by, 2002 may not stick out in our collective memory, but it was an eventful year nevertheless.
On the international front, President Bush put Saddam Hussein on notice that the United States no longer would stand idly by as his rogue regime developed weapons of mass destruction, and he got both Congress and the United Nations Security Council to back him on it. The U.S. economy remained in the doldrums, with the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq plummeting to five-year lows. Consumer confidence fell to a nine-year low, not the least because of corporate scandals involving such companies as Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, ImClone, Adelphia Communications and Qwest. In entertainment news, Halle Berry won the Academy Award for best actress and Denzel Washington the award for best actor, putting to rest suggestions that Hollywood does not properly appreciate the work of minorities.
Finally, on the political scene, Republicans defied predictions for the mid-term elections, not only gaining seats in the House of Representatives, but also retaking control of the Senate. Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott enjoyed his status as incoming majority leader for barely a month before he was forced to step down for flattering Strom Thurmond on his 100th birthday.
So much, then, for 2002. Time now to usher in the new year and offer resolutions to leading newsmakers. President Bush: To free the Iraqi people from the tyranny of their despotic dictator; to get the U.S. economy running on all cylinders again; to re-nominate the highly qualified conservatives judges who were turned away by the Democrat-controlled Senate for strictly partisan reasons.
Vice President Dick Cheney: To be the president’s point man on Capitol Hill, making sure that congressional leaders stay focused on the White House agenda. To stay healthy.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and House Speaker Dennis Hastert: To take advantage of Republican control of the Senate, House and White House for the first time since 1954 (save for a few months in 2001, before Sen. Jim Jeffords deserted the party) by passing meaningful legislation, including permanent tax cuts, an energy bill and maybe even a Social Security overhaul. To recognize that Republicans will bear the blame if nothing gets done on Capitol Hill.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: To recognize that most of America is not nearly as liberal as the San Francisco district she represents. To resist the impulse of some members of my party to spend the next year or so demagoguing Republicans on race and other divisive issues.
Iraq President Saddam Hussein, North Korea dictator Kim Jong Il, Iran President Mohammed Khatami: To stop complaining that Bush declared their rogue nations an “axis of evil” when they’ve done nothing to prove otherwise. To recognize that Washington will not tolerate their development of weapons that may one day be used to attack the United States or its allies.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Justice John Paul Stevens, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor: To feel free to retire, as they are septuagenarians and have served on the Supreme Court for more than two decades each.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar, Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards: To last longer than Billie Bob Thornton and Angelina Jolie, Nicholas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley and Tom Green and Drew Barrymore.
Hootie Johnson: To bring an end to the controversy over Augusta National’s male-only membership before the upcoming Master’s tournament by inviting, say, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Congresswoman Katherine Harris or another conservative female golf enthusiast to join the prestigious club.
Daniel Pearl: To not be forgotten.
(Joseph Perkins is a columnist for The San Diego Union-Tribune and can be reached at [email protected].)