Editorial: Opportunity for unity

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2004 | 9:47 a.m.

On Election Day four years ago Americans went to bed without knowing who would be the next president. In fact, we didn't find out until 36 days later that George W. Bush had beat Al Gore in one of the closest and most bitterly disputed elections in American history. This year's presidential election wasn't decided last night, either, because there were still tens of thousands of votes in Ohio that hadn't been counted. But today John Kerry, acknowledging that he couldn't win Ohio, conceded the election to Bush.

Ohio naturally received the most attention because of the uncertainty there, but it wasn't the only battleground state in the presidential election. The race was fought mostly in about a dozen swing states, including here in Nevada. It had appeared that Kerry had a real chance to capture Nevada because he had voted against President Bush's plan to bury 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste here. Furthermore, Kerry vowed that if he was elected he would work to kill the Yucca Mountain project. Nevertheless, Bush carried Nevada's five electoral votes. Kerry was hurt by top Nevada Republican officials who actually contended -- despite all the evidence to the contrary -- that there was no difference between Bush and Kerry on Yucca Mountain.

Even though Bush received the most popular votes this election, it's likely that this nation will continue to remain polarized. During the 2000 campaign, Bush said he would be a "uniter, not a divider," but his presidency has been extraordinarily partisan ever since he was sworn into office in 2001. His shining moment came shortly after 9/11 as he helped pull the nation together after the worst terrorist attack on our soil. But Bush squandered the opportunity to make that the defining moment of his presidency. Instead, he injected partisanship into the war on terrorism and the Iraq war, as his administration questioned the patriotism of those who opposed the way he handled these conflicts. For that matter, whether it was Yucca Mountain, the deficit, the economy, Iraq or the war on terrorism, Bush clung stubbornly to failed policies.

We're concerned that, with the Republican gains in the House and the Senate, Bush will continue policies that will harden the positions of both parties, further dividing the nation. We sincerely hope that Bush will prove us wrong and that he will reach out to Democrats and seek common ground. Our nation needs healing, not further divisions.