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Former U.S. President Bill Clinton predicts that the man Americans choose as their president Nov. 2 "will affect the way we live in America for generations to come" (USA Today, Aug. 10).
The actions of the U.S. president are crucially important to the welfare of many nations. The stakes are high when we consider both the domestic and international implications.
As U.S. News & World Report recently observed: "Today the United States is the third most populous nation in the world, our economy produces nearly a third of the world's goods and services, and our military is more powerful than the rest of the world's militaries combined" (June 28-July 5 issue).
Clearly, whoever wins the November presidential election will make some critically momentous decisions affecting both the United States and the world in general.
National security certainly appears to be the most important and compelling issue. The 9/11 attacks still cast a giant shadow over America.
NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw recently articulated the feelings of many Americans. He said: "There's authentic anxiety about terrorism, about the war in Iraq, about the future of the American economy and the culture of this country, and where is the common ground? All those pillars fit beneath that rather large roof of anxiety" (USA Today, July 27, emphasis added).
Mr. Brokaw raised the question of Americans finding common ground. He knows that for several years the media has been talking about a divided America, sometimes using the phrase "two Americas" to describe the national dilemma.
The issue of values appears at the fulcrum of this basic divide. London's Financial Times correspondent Deborah McGregor recently noted that "the U.S. presidential campaign [has] turned into a heated battle over the issue of character and values."
During the summer campaign both the incumbent and the challenger have championed American values. But the critical question is this: Are they both talking about the same thing? Many citizens are deeply troubled by disturbing trends like same-sex marriages, abortion and the widespread availability of pornography even in many quality hotels and motels. At the other end of the spectrum, many support these societal trends and others like them.
Before the last American presidential election, author Paul Kennedy summed up the state of affairs as Americans contemplated their choices. His words still carry weight today:
"The currents which seem to threaten international turbulence and batter even the well-founded American ship of state are likely to be an unpredictable combination of both old and new security threats . . . The next few years could be stormy ones in world affairs. And the lack of sustained and wise American leadership could easily produce a shipwreck or two" (The Independent on Sunday, May 14, 2000).
The American federal government's domestic and global responsibilities mushroomed during the 20th century—and there is no sign of a letup as we move toward the latter months of the year 2004 and on into the next presidency. The job of the chief of state is not going to get any easier. Most observers believe that the race itself will continue to be very close right up to polling day in November.
One British writer observed that "this election is being fought in unusual, if not unique, circumstances that make predicting the outcome on the basis of trusted historical formulas especially difficult" (The Times, Aug. 6).
Clearly the world needs an American chief executive with a bold, clear vision—one who has great respect for both the laws of God and those of his country (Deuteronomy 17:15-18; Romans 13:1).
Of course the president does not act alone, but in concert with the U.S. Congress. He also needs competent advisers on many levels. But when the chips are down and sudden, risky decisions have to be made, it is the man in the Oval Office to whom both the United States and the Western world in general will look for wise and beneficent leadership.
No wonder the apostle Paul tells us to pray for rulers and all those in authority so that the good news of the return of Jesus Christ—the perfect leader—may be effectively announced (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Are we doing that? We all need to follow through on this important obligation. GN
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Keywords: U.S. presidency presidential race of 2004 presidential election
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