http://www.dailyemerald.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/05/25/4294332ae6059

10 reasons not to kill Bush
Jennifer McBride
Columnist
Oregon Daily Emerald - University of Oregon News

May 25, 2005

Recently in Georgia, the president gave a speech only to have someone chuck
a hand grenade at him. Lucky for all, the blast cap did not explode. Though
originally thought to be a dud, the FBI later revealed the weapon was far
from safe.
I can't possibly guess the assassin's reasoning, but I've heard enough
people on campus proclaiming their hatred of George W. Bush to know that
some wouldn't have shed many tears. And that's a shame.

If the assassin were looking for a way to hurt America, blowing up the
president would be a good idea. Bush's martyrdom would put the last nail in
the coffin of the liberal agenda. So, for those Bush-haters out there, here
are 10 reasons you should stop praying for an assassinated G.W.B.:

1) Killing the president immediately generates sympathy for his cause. If
the president died tomorrow, there would be no question that all of his
nominees for the judicial branch would make it through the Senate.

2) A dead President Bush leaves a live Dick Cheney in charge. Need I say more?

3) The Pakistani political situation is drastically fragile. Should
President Bush die, Musharraf's brutal, mostly secular dictatorship
probably will be replaced by a brutal, religiously fundamental
dictatorship, reducing the United States' chances of bringing in Osama bin
Laden to nil.

4) Any criticisms of the administration will be regarded as more
unpatriotic than ever. In the next election, you could expect to see
Democratic primary candidates proclaiming that their Republican
counterparts aren't "fit to follow in President Bush's footsteps."

5) Killing President Bush could spur another spate of international
invasions, with or without U.N. approval. The U.S. military cannot deal
with invading another country without further hollowing our ability to
defend ourselves and respond to threats from other countries, such as a
nuclear North Korea.

6) The news cycle would be justly co-opted. With the media so focused on
one story, there wouldn't be time to examine important issues such as the
government suppression in Uzbekistan or Egyptian election tampering. In
fact, all foreign news that didn't directly affect the assassination would
probably grind to a halt.

7) President Bush's status as a martyr would leave the electorate more
polarized than ever, especially if liberals were seen as publicly
irreverent to President Bush's memory. It would be a little different if
natural selection decreed death-by-snacking, but toasting an assassin's
success leaves a decidedly bitter taste in the national mouth.

8) Jeb Bush's popularity would skyrocket. He would undoubtedly win the
Republican nomination and then the election in 2008. With the Supreme Court
full of near-zombies, I would prefer a different man to pick the people who
are going to strangle us with laws.

9) Killing George Bush won't end any of the policies people disagree with.
An assassination would merely strengthen our resolve to stay the course in
Iraq, keep troops in Saudi Arabia, support our Israeli allies, etc.
Policies don't die just because the president does.

10) Slaying President Bush is simply immoral. Anyone who advocates
purposefully killing someone defenseless (and a democratically elected
leader, no less) is clearly value-challenged. I don't understand the
logical contortions some people must go through to be anti-death penalty
yet pro-assassination.

In all seriousness, I don't hate President Bush. I dislike a lot of his
administration's choices, but I think he's a good man doing a difficult
job. As a leader, you're always going to be hated. I am too often shocked
by the vitriolic repulsion many people feel for our leader and America in
general, especially because the loathing is often poorly informed. I've met
people on this campus who see America as the worst human rights abuser in
the world (unlike the angelic paradise of Cambodia) and people who sway
liberal not because they actually know anything about issues but because
it's popular.

jennifermcbride@...