I 4 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, December 2, 2003 OP/ED Ulbe 3kW*an Datig 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 LOUIE MEIZLISH Editor in Chief AUBREY HENRETTY ZAC PESKOWITZ Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. NOTABLE QUOTABLE "' I came to this office to solve problems, not pass them on to future presidents and future generations." - President Bush, speaking yesterday at a Dearborn campaign fundraiser, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. I cra~ur~e4 a ~ai COLIN DALY 'THE MICHIGAN DALY I i " ..n. R avr -MIS : ,,,,,,,,,,,,, o vmP a\ " f i i '4 I M I Bush in Iraq: I'm not staying long - but you are JESS PISKOR JOIN [HE PISKOR o President Bush flew to Baghdad for Thanksgiv- ing. He flew in utter secrecy and had a meal with a few troops, then left. You'll notice Bush had a clear personal exit strategy: Spend as little time in Baghdad as possible, and then get the fuck out. Now I will admit that Bush's visit ben- efited the situation in Iraq. After all, he did give overworked cafeteria workers some time off by taking over the duty of serving mashed potatoes. Of course, Bush might have better spent the time giving out Kevlar vests. Or assurances that this occupation would end within soldiers' expected lifetimes. This trip was so risky that officials on Air Force One told reporters that if word got out that Bush was en route, then they would cancel the trip. I imagine the direc- tive went something like this: "If you reporters don't shut up and report what we say, I'll turn this plane around, I swear to God! I'll turn it around! I'm not kidding!" Imagine the political failure that would have been for Bush. The news would report that Bush was going to Baghdad to visit troops and then would immediately report that Bush could now not go because it was too dangerous to land in that rocket-propelled grenade- strewn nation. That image of Bush run- ning from the chaos of Baghdad would have been the most telling story of the war. The fact that Bush was willing to risk it gives an idea about the importance he gave this trip. Why did he find it so important? Well, it could be that Bush wanted to share Thanksgiving with the troops who are sacrificing their lives daily because of his boastful remarks that terrorists should bring it on. Maybe he felt that their morale would be boosted if the comman- der in chief gave them an extra big help- ing of freedom fries. But that can't be the reason. Bush had Thanksgiving with 600 troops. Of the 100,000-plus troops in Iraq, meeting in secret with a few hun- dred troops doesn't do shit for morale. What do you tell the rest of the soldiers? "Oh yeah, Bush was here last night, but see, he couldn't stay because Iraq is a dangerous place and he might be killed at any moment." Yep, that's gonna boost the ol' morale alright. Well, maybe he needed to talk with the U.S. advisors in Iraq. Bush did meet with U.S. administrator L. Paul Bremer for a brief meeting. But can't they do that shit over the phone? Don't we have billion dollar satellites to transmit super-secret messages so our president doesn't have to fly all over the world like a glorified bike messenger? So Bush didn't go for the troops and he didn't go to speak with Bremer. He went for you and me and a little day on the calendar next November that he's got triple circled in red. Bush went to Iraq because his last cowboy photo-op on the aircraft carrier was a big failure. That footage with the troops is ruined because the mission is not accomplished, and he looks like a big chump in a flight suit. We've got a risk-taker for a president. Bush loves the thrill of doing what others deem risky. It makes us unwilling to question his motives. "How can you accuse the president of going to Baghdad for political reasons - he risked his life to support the troops." That's exactly what this thrill-seeking president wants you to think. However, he only went for political gain. When he flew out to the U.S.S. Abra- ham Lincoln, the story was that he had to make a dramatic carrier landing because the ship was so far out. In reality, the carri- er was in sight of land and an easy heli- copter ride away. But because the trip appeared risky, it seemed impressive. And for the most part it works. America loves a risk-taker. Remember Bush standing in the rubble of the World Trade Center? It was impressive because it was risky. Bush has a history that suggests he loves risks. Risking other motorists by driving drunk, risking his life by visiting Iraq, risking U.S. troops by telling terror- ists to bring it on and risking international relations by taking unilateralist stances reveal a president who loves his thrills. But for the good of the country can't someone buy this guy some skydiving lessons or take him bungee jumping, so the only person he is risking is himself. This time the risk taking succeeded, and Bush got his nice campaign advertise- ment clip by keeping the cafeteria mis- sion-accomplished-banner-free. But I wonder what they did with that banner. My guess is they cut it up and used it for napkins. After all, it's not like Bush is going to need it anytime soon. I I Piskor canpbe reached atjpiskor@umich.edu. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR GSIs not making as much money as letter claims TO THE DAILY: I was stunned to read fellow alum Thomas Wharry's response (Though 'U' could do more to help cover costs, most GSIs 'extremely wel com- pensated,' 12/01/03) to Ari Paul's recent column (Mary Sue, can you live up to your own rhetoric?, 11/26/03). Wharry claims that because graduate student instructors have their tuition waived, the tuition they do not pay is added to their salary (as if they received a refund). As the spouse of a graduate student, a teaching assistant at North- western University and a former teaching assis- tant at Northwestern, I am sure that no GSI at Michigan, Northwestern or anywhere else is making nearly $40,000 a year. If GSIs did not have their tuition waived, most (if not all) would have to rely on loans to pay the difference. If my husband chooses not to spend $50 a month for cable TV, does that mean his salary has increased by $50 a month? Of course not. His salary remains the same, with the increase being $50 more retained income a month. The same goes for money not spent on tuition. If, as Whar- ry claims, "the majority of GSIs make $6,427 per term plus their tuition waivers," then they still make $6,427 per term, but they don't have to go in the red to pay tuition. JULIE BECK Alum Ticket office should give priority based on credit hours for Rose Bowl To THE DAILY: I am quite upset about how the athletic tick- et office has decided to handle student football bowl tickets. The ticket office has decided to determine who gets tickets by a simple lottery, assuming ticket requests exceed supply. The problem with this is 4th- and 5th-year seniors have no priority over a freshman. A freshman should not have the same chance for a ticket as a senior. This is not just the last time Michigan football seniors have a chance to go to the Rose Bowl, but also the last time graduating seniors have a chance to attend a Rose Bowl. Tickets should be handled by credit hours, just as nor- mal football tickets are. BRIAN CHURCH Pharmacy junior LETTERS POLICY The Michigan Daily welcomes letters from all of its readers. Letters from University students, fac- ulty, staff and administrators will be given priority over others. Letters should include the writer's name, college and school year or other University affiliation. The Daily will not print any letter con- taining statements that cannot be verified. Letters should be kept to approximately 300 words. The Michigan Daily reserves the right to edit for length, clarity and accuracy. Longer "view- points" may be arranged with an editor. Letters will be run according to order received and the amount of space available. Letters should be sent over e-mail to letters@michigandaily.com or mailed to the Daily at 420 Maynard St. Editors can be reached via e-mail at editpage.editors@umich.edu. Letters e-mailed to the Daily will be given priority over those dropped off in person or sent via the U.S. Postal Service. VIEWPOINT U.S. should address inequality in the treatment of ADS BY ANAND REDDI If several Boeing 747 jumbo jets, filled mostly with children, were crashing into Mount Kilimanjaro every day, something might be done about it. Secretary of State Colin Powell declared, "AIDS is the most powerful weapon of mass destruction on the planet." Although our government pledges to commit $87 billion this year to destruction and rehabilitation of Iraq, our affluent country promises only $15 billion over five years to curtail the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This tepid response by our gov- ernment and its leaders is preposterous. Unlike other infectious diseases, HIV is shocking in its pervasiveness. The impact of the epidemic is seen throughout a multi- didate Wesley Clark unveiled a $30 billion package (doubling the Bush administration's commitment) to tackle HIV/AIDS world- wide. Bush's plan directs most financing through agencies controlled in part by the United States, which impedes programs that actually work in the developing world. How- ever, Clark's proposal provides the majority of money to international organizations (which have a proven track record in the developing world) like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This is an extraordinary proposal by the general. The plan has its ideological roots equally in both the Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam which means, "repair the world" and the era- transforming Marshall Plan. His strategy centers on his belief that America is not just the world's "greatest military force, but also health efforts toward developing strategies against HIV. I propose that the University encourage more collaborative partnerships between its various departments and schools and African universities to encour- age biomedical, public health and social discourse on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Paul Farmer, a major voice in the HIV/AIDS field, reminds us of our shared, intimate connections with the world com- munity, regardless of our deep divides in language, culture and class. Be assured that the millions of deaths that result from the propagation of AIDS in the developing world will not leave the United States unscathed. A vital message is learned from the prominent Victorian physician William Budd describing typhoid fever in 1874: "The disease seldom attacks the rich, I 1I1~ U~SL UIL~i~I.Vi I~~L4L~. 1L~~ULiiy 1..UV Li ~JUUL'...1II~ VV J±1 1il.±4L'.*~.'