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President George W. Bush should not profess to care about people against whom he is about to deploy an army. 

Time and again, Bush has claimed (most recently in last week’s State of the Union Address) that the Iraqi people will welcome the United States to their country because we will be their liberators. But he is careful to avoid explicitly drawing the connection between the reason to go to war and the welfare of the Iraqi people.

Bush fails to make this connection because he does not really care about the Iraqi people. He cares about nuclear weapons, chemical and biological warfare, and oil. Bush does not care to create that vital link in people’s minds: the tie between his now-imminent action and the humanity and worldliness of liberating Iraq.

He has obviously failed to convince Iraq that the United States’ motives are pure (because they aren’t). So, since he probably never will, he should do more to convince the world that he actually cares. He should inspire through positive action, not through empty promises and grand gestures.

And to show the world he really cares, Bush should focus on clean-energy research. It’s a matter of beating Saddam Hussein at his own game. Hussein knows the United States is ultimately driven by oil. If we were to put the same resources and fervor into our energy independence programs as we will put into planning and executing Bush’s so-called “reluctant” war, we would find a lasting solution to our oil conflicts – a problem that will only grow as we proceed into the century. If Bush and scientists rallied the nation to support an energy research program, perhaps the space-race zeal of the 1960s would be rejuvenated.

The space race provided Americans with hope and excitement in the ’60s. With the right focus the, “energy independence race” – to be fought against our own greed and need for an unlimited oil supply – would help our country positively channel its energy. The world, not just the United States, would benefit as a result.

Rallying around a cause other than war would be healthy for the country. The last time we banded together was to fight the terrorists. Now we have banded together to mourn the victims of the incomprehensible Columbia disaster. But this time we have no enemy to hold responsible and fight against. There is no Osama bin Laden or al Qaeda to lash out against. We should put our energy into turning our sadness and anguish into the real, tenable goal of becoming energy independent. 

We must also realize that space is no longer the new frontier, nor the final frontier. There exists a new frontier right here on earth. Understanding a new and complex globe requires a type of intelligence that most of us lack. Forgetting our ignorance and supporting a new cause – one that will benefit our country in innumerable ways – is a step toward healing wounds.

The seven astronauts did not die in vain. They were proponents of the greatness of science and symbols of why it is important to keep dreaming, imagining and exploring. Those very ideals should be put to work here on earth so that they may further not just the space race, but the human race as well.

Singer is a second-year political science student. E-mail her with your comments at msinger@media.ucla.edu.