Where Bush Was Right

"Change" was the magic word of this year's campaign. In his speech to the Republican convention, John McCain—a 26-year Washington veteran—promised to change "almost everything" that the U.S. government does. Barack Obama, of course, put the word "change" into seemingly every campaign sign, TV ad, and sound bite.

Yet there are some things the next president shouldn't change. George W. Bush hasn't gotten much good press in recent years, but he's accomplished some important things that the next president would do well to preserve and extend.

Consider three in particular:

1. The emerging U.S.-India strategic partnership. Since 1995, there have been more than a dozen joint U.S.-Indian military exercises, but the size and importance of these operations has expanded dramatically under Bush. In 2007, the two countries conducted a three-week Special Forces counterinsurgency training exercise. That same year, Indian warships joined two U.S. aircraft carriers and warships from Australia, Japan and Singapore to practice maneuvers. India has begun buying U.S. military hardware, requesting more than a billion dollars in arms in 2007 and acquiring what is now the second-largest ship in the Indian navy: the I.N.S. Jalashva, formerly the U.S.S. Trenton, an amphibious transport vessel. And the United States and India have negotiated a new deal granting New Delhi access to nuclear fuel for civilian purposes.

India isn't always an easy partner. New Delhi's strategic interests sometimes don't align with Washington's—witness India's comfortable relationship with Iran. And India is always sensitive to any hint it is being treated as anything less than an absolute equal. But with China becoming more assertive, India —along with Vietnam and other states on China's seacoast—shares some vital interests with the United States. The next U.S. president should therefore build on Bush's India legacy by drawing New Delhi into a closer defense relationship—not because Washington expects conflict with China, but in order to deter conflict.

2. A more equal partnership with Latin America. During this decade, the big countries of South America turned to the left. Former union leader Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won the presidency of Brazil in 2002. The populist husband-and-wife team of Nestor and Cristina Kirchner has governed Argentina since 2003. Michelle Bachelet, a center-left leader, governs Chile.