IT seems to have been open season on President George W Bush during the last week. He's been accused of flying scared when the attacks began. He's been accused of making a hash of his speeches with words like 'folks'. He's been accused of not reaching New York quickly enough. Look at NY mayor, Rudy Giuliani, say Bush's critics. He's absolutely marvellous.

Giuliani has been marvellous, almost dying himself under a collapsing building. But, even though I have been critical of Bush in the past, I think the comparisons between him and Giuliani have been invidious. In fact, I'll use a shorter word. They've been tripe.

It was security advisors who told Bush to take to the clouds when the hijacked planes started raining down. No one knew how long the attack would last nor what would be targetted next. In such circumstances, it was only natural that the secret service would want to have the President of the United States of America in the safest place possible.

And, of course, it took three days for Bush to reach the World Trade Centre site. Any earlier and he would have represented a security risk. Any earlier and the emergency services would have had to stop their search for survivors and take part in a presidential photo-opportunity.

Of course Giuliani was there before Bush - Giuliani's the mayor of New York. Being in New York is his job. Of course Bill Clinton turned up - his wife Hillary is the New York senator.

Bush, though, had far more important things on his mind than making it to the remains of the World Trade Centre. He had to build a world coalition. He had to talk to other leaders all over the planet. He had to rein in his hawks who would have bombed millions of innocent people. He had to ensure the investigation was under way. He had to oversee thousands of strategies, whereas Giuliani and Clinton just had to be seen in New York.

Even the criticism of Bush's language is unfair. He doesn't do touchy-feely. He's abrasive and aggressive, cold and confrontational. He uses plain words and says what he thinks. When he said that he wanted Osama bin Laden "dead or alive", that's what he meant. It's also what the American people wanted to hear.

It is interesting to note the sort of people who make these criticisms - especially since everywhere, correctly, party politics have been suspended. Those critical of Bush are on the margins of the left-wing. These people sit there in their suits and try to make their listeners believe that they are wise, so wise, and that, as a result of their deep thinking, they have something important to say.

I'll use that word again - what they have to say is tripe.

These are the same people who say that America's response to last Tuesday's attacks must be "proportionate". Are they suggesting that the US must ensure it kills no more than 5,000 people because otherwise its response would not be proportionate?

Bush is working effectively. At the moment, he seems to have built a powerful coalition behind his position. Nations like Russia, China and Iran are on-board and yesterday Iraq sent its condolences to New York - the writing is so clearly on the wall for some of these places, that even Saddam Hussein has read it.

The new president impresses me more by the day. I'm sure he will get the job done.