George W. needs to prove worth outside father’s shadow

By Jaime Walker
Senior News Editor

When a U.S. EP-3 spy plane collided with a Chinese F-8 fighter jet off the coast of China 10 days ago, the incident sent President George W. Bush and his advisers scrambling to find a way to get the 24 American crew members returned without frustrating an already tense relationship with the Chinese government.

It sent political historians and analysts searching for metaphors by which to compare father and son, past and present.

Bush has waited three months for a chance to prove himself. And he has the Chinese to thank for it. He finally had an opportunity to stand on his own two feet, a chance to move beyond his fatherÕs shadow. Instead he reminded us what huge shoes heÕs trying to fill.

The comparisons began long before George W. Bush took the oath of office. When he announced he would be running against Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election, historians everywhere started drooling. Only one other presidential son had followed in his fatherÕs footsteps. When John Quincy Adams became president in 1824, he did make history. But not like the Bushes.

George W. has lived a life in the limelight, and itÕs been a cushy one. While his daddy was running the country, he was part-owner of the Texas Rangers, eating hot dogs at Decker Dog Night.

When he traded his seat at Texas Stadium for a seat behind the desk at the governorÕs mansion in Austin, his new title moved him one step closer to the White House. But it didnÕt make him any more useful. Texas is notorious for having the most powerless governor in the country.

Regardless, BushÕs six-year tenure as governor gave him a chance to perfect his skills. He learned how to shake hands, kiss babies, raise money and pronounce the names of foreign dignitaries Ñ all very critical assets if one wants to be the leader of the free world.

Especially when you live in the shadow of George Herbert Walker Bush.

George Herbert Walker Bush enlisted in the armed forces at the age of 18. When he received his Navy wings, he was the divisionÕs youngest pilot, flying 58 combat missions in World War II, eventually being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action. He graduated from Yale University. He succeeded in the oil business. He served two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was appointed as an ambassador to the United Nations, chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to China and director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The American people watched George Bush to compete for the Republican nomination in 1980. After he lost, we watched him stand behind Ronald Reagan, giving advice on foreign and domestic affairs. When he became president in 1988, we cheered with him as the Berlin Wall crumbled, supported him when he sent American troops to Panama to overthrow Manuel Noriega, and waved American flags when he sent troops after Saddam Hussein in Iraq.

We might not have agreed with his policies or even have been old enough to understand them, but by looking at his rŽsumŽ itÕs obvious he knew what he was doing when it came to foreign policy and international affairs.

China Incident 2001 came to a close Tuesday with the return of the American crew. But the verdictÕs still out on whether George W. knows what heÕs doing.

Jaime Walker
j.l.walker@student.tcu.edu