George W. Bush's position on

Role of the United Nations: With the United States currently in war without the backing of the United Nations, the question remains: Should the United States seek a permission slip to defend itself against possible threats?

Description of candidate's position: Bush is prepared to protect the lives of Americans at any cost. This includes going to war without the backing and support of the United Nations, which is what he did in Iraq. To justify his actions, President Bush claims that Iraq disobeyed Security Council resolutions numerous times and that the United Nations did not serve the purpose of its founding by taking no action. Link

Quotation from the candidate: "There is a difference, between leading a coalition of nations and shutting down efforts because a few object. It's a big difference. It's the difference between being willing to gather a group of like-minded nations and lead the world towards freedom and peace, or allowing some to object and, therefore, nothing happens. That's not the way this administration functions. As I said the other night, we will never seek a permission slip to defend the American people." January 22, 2004, speech in Roswell, New Mexico. link

Assessment of the proposal:

Positive: The Mission of Freedom Alliance, founded by Lt. Col. Oliver L. North, believes that despite some difficulties, the United States is winning the War on Terror with little to no help from the United Nations. They believe that George W. Bush is doing exactly what the leader of the free world is supposed to do: lead. Conservative Truth.org reports that The United States, a sovereign nation, neither needs nor should desire permission from other nations when setting our laws and policies. Should we care what certain allies think? Certainly. Should we let their thoughts become our guides? Certainly not.

Negative: The Progressive Media Project, whose commentaries reach tens of millions of readers every year report that this unilateral path is horribly destructive, and almost certain to be self-destructive. They believe it sets a horrible precedent. An endless number of countries could invoke this kind of preemptive logic. China could use it against Taiwan, and it could lead to a nuclear war between India and Pakistan.

Comparison: While both candidates express the notion that they would protect the lives of Americans at any cost, Bush believes that the United Nations did not serve its purpose when it chose to take no action. As Bush said in his speech at Roswell, New Mexico "we will never seek a permission slip to defend the American people." Kerry believes that Bush rushed into war without the proper backing and support of international communities. And because of this we have spent billions of dollars and are overextended.

Link to Kerry's issue page.