Bush must not let problems fester

With the contentious elections of 2006 behind him, President Bush must now determine how best to spend his remaining political capital in the final two years of a lame-duck presidency.

His first challenge, after some of the harsh words uttered by both Republicans and Democrats in the political campaign, is to bring a healing touch to the national discourse that must now take place. In foreign affairs, Bush has seen the value of multilateralism rather than unilateralism. Similarly, in domestic affairs more can be achieved through unity than discord between Republicans and Democrats.

At home some daunting challenges loom. Bush decided to tackle the problem of Social Security reform, though there was little political gain to be made by doing so. His first attempt failed, but procrastination will only magnify the problem in years to come. So he must try again with the new Congress.

The same situation prevails with immigration reform. So far the president has failed to get Congress to pass a comprehensive bill that would prevent illegal immigrants from crossing U.S. borders but also provide some kind of temporary worker status for the 12 million already in the United States. A first step has been congressional approval for a 900-mile fence along parts of the U.S.-Mexican border, a questionable, and yet unfinanced, project. The president seems determined to achieve a broader solution.

In foreign affairs the president's three major challenges, all playing into the war against terrorism, are the continuing turmoil in Iraq and the drive for nuclear weapons by North Korea and Iran.

In Iraq, the sentencing to death of Saddam Hussein, although celebrated by Shiites and others who felt the brunt of his tyrannical rule, may not in itself bring closure. Iraqi politicians have so far been unable to put to rest intra-party feuding and warfare between private militias. With the midterm elections behind it, the Bush administration is expected to do some fine-tuning and tweaking to its military tactics in Iraq. But within the political framework that the United States has helped provide for the sprouting of democracy's shoots in Iraq, there must be more tangible proof of growth.

In facing the problems arising from North Korea's and Iran's pursuit of nuclear weapons, the Bush administration seeks the cooperation of two former communist adversaries from the era of the Cold War.