Essayist Andrew Sullivan appeared on campus Thursday night to offer Dartmouth students an articulate and informative critique of President Bush's platform and that of his challenger John Kerry.
The columnist and former New Republic editor decried this year's presidential race as a "maddening election" that skirted honest intellectual debate.
As a self-described conservative who endorsed Bush in 2000, Sullivan began by praising Bush's moral certitude in pursuing the war on terror.
"There is much to admire in the presidency of George W. Bush," Sullivan said. "He understands that good and evil do exist ... I don't believe him to be a liar or a traitor or any other vile epithet."
Still, Sullivan was disillusioned by the Bush administration's handling of the war in Iraq. He criticized the president for not apologizing for the faulty intelligence he and Secretary of State Colin Powell presented to the United Nations in February 2003.
"This president is responsible for the greatest embarrassment of the United States in the 20th century," Sullivan told The Dartmouth.
Sullivan, a supporter of the war, continued by criticizing Bush for failing to court more allies before the war or plan for contingencies after it. He disapproved of the president's failure to seal Iraq's borders and prevent "thousands of jihadists from coming into the country."
On the domestic front, Sullivan praised the Bush's No Child Left Behind act but criticized the president for piling record deficits on future taxpayers by moving forward with tax cuts even after the fall of the World Trade Center.
"If the president had asked the people after 9/11, the American people would have sacrificed everything ... Instead the president told us to go shopping," he said.
Despite his condemnation of Bush, Sullivan had little praise for Kerry. Citing Bush's failures, Sullivan expressed his dismay at Kerry's inability to articulate them to his advantage.
"The fact that he can't make the case [against Bush] shows incredible political ineptitude....He's running a campaign which makes Michael Dukakis look like a genius," Sullivan said.
Though piqued at Bush for attempting to amend the Constitution to ban same-sex marriage, Sullivan also disapproved of Kerry's wavering position on the issue. As a homosexual, Sullivan expressed dismay as he listed Kerry's different positions on the issue over the course of his campaign.
Sullivan also dismissed Kerry's suggestion that world leaders would rally around him as a less headstrong leader of the United States.
"The notion that the French and Russians will send troops as soon as soon as Kerry is elected is ludicrous," Sullivan said.
Students lauded Sullivan for his frank, non-partisan remarks.
"I couldn't argue with anything he said. He was more educational than partisan," said Jamal Brown '08.
Attendees also tended to sympathize with Sullivan's disillusionment with both candidates.
"I don't love Kerry, but I don't want to vote for Bush. It makes sense to change things up," said David Rothenberg '08.
