You are trying to be fair, Gautam. Alas, I cannot accept your dichotomy for many reasons.
It is simply absurd to call this about enslaving our foreign policy to others. Under Clinton we were leaders of the planet. We were assertive. We did it naively/badly in Somalia. Then we did it with excruciating patience and maturity and diplomacy in the Balkans. Then BC laid the groundwork for what should have been seen as a triumph of bipartisanship, afghanistan. In the latter two cases, we got the world behind us. KEEPING them behind us is paramount. If we remain the unipolar leader - not resented but respected and liked - then we may get to set the agenda of talks over WCN. (Whatever Comes Next). I am terrified that the Eurasian Confederation will take over leadership of that discussion, basing it on European bureaucratism, Russian unaccountability and Chinese contempt for the individual. My reasons for hating Bush include the fact that he is empowering our enemies in the struggle over WCN, every day that he destroys the moral authority of Pax Americana. Mopreover, his criminal destruction of our military readiness is staggering. We have no reserves left. Our best units are embroiled in a mess that we cannot possibly extricate them from in less than six months at best. We are naked and spreadeagled for the next surprise... when we could have off'd Saddam (these guys former best friends)... far more easily a thousand other ways. Meanwhile, we have called in all the chips in order to get Britain and Spain and such to go along, offering a fig leaf coalition while we pay all the blood and money. We needed those chips. We had earned them, saving civilization in the Balkans and elsewhere. It chaps my hide seeing all this portrayed as "strength" when it is utter and calamitous weakness and incompetence and venality. We are almost crippled... and that's ALL measuring events on the litmus test of what's good for Pax Americana! I have mentioned NONE of the left's complaints. (And a great many of those are valid, too.) The incredible nastiness of an aristocratic class insisting on US paying for guns while they slather butter, unwilling to pay for a war they foisted on our sons... that is unprecedented in American history. (Not ALL of the aristocrats... just the klepto ungrateful would-be feudalists. MAny of the rich can see that what's good for a decent, diamond-shaped America is good for them, and they are willing to fork over help to stanch the flow of red ink injuring our childrens' tomorrow.) Gautam, by your own standards, there can be no basis for tradeoffs and alternating days. There are NO upsides to these monsters. None at all. As for Kerry, you point out things we need to watch. If a time comes when you see his spine needing stiffening, well maybe I'll be right there with you. But our boys will be home and rested, the reserves back in reserve, and the alliances re-forged. --- Gautam Mukunda <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > --- David Brin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > This is a valid and interesting criticism of > Kerry. > > I appreciate your saying that, Dr. Brin. This is > actually helping me think through my own decision. > Here, perhaps is where we disagree (and please, > correct me if I'm misinterpreting you - I'm trying > to > lay out your opinions as fairly as I can). > > On days when I'm likely to support President Bush, > my > argument goes like this. President Bush, for all of > his many flaws, understands that the world is not > filled with friends of ours. France, Russia, and > China, for example, are not our friends. Given > that, > a President who runs his entire campaign based on > the > premise that a policy carried through without the > support of these countries (and that seems to me to > be > what Kerry is saying) is saying that American > foreign > policy is subject to the veto of three countries > that > can plausibly be described as our enemies. > President > Bush is not willing to do that. For all of his > flaws > (massive) he will make his own decisions in pursuit > of > the interests of the United States, and he will at > least try to move in the right direction, instead of > allowing our policies to be shaped by those who have > our worst interests at heart. This strikes me as a > reasonable position. > > Now, on the days I'm a Kerry supporter, I say, yes, > all of the above is true, actually (note that I > didn't > say I'm an _enthusiastic Kerry supporter). But > Kerry > is (in Winston Churchill's wonderful phrase) the > boneless wonder, and the public will not allow him > to > bow down to the French, Russians, and Germans and > sacrifice the interests of the US in search of a > purely hallucinatory international popularity. But > Kerry will have better domestic and economic > policies, > and in foreign policy there's at least a chance that > what he decides to do will at least be executed > properly. This strikes me as a reasonable position > as > well. > > Now it seems to me that your position is that the > first of these two views is _not_ a reasonable > position, because George Bush is basically a bad guy > who is in hock to Saudi interests, or something like > that. Am I interpreting you correctly? Now, > suppose > someone doesn't believe that (and I don't, as you > know). Do you understand what I mean that this > isn't > a very helpful argument for people like me? In > fact, > in a sense it seems that the opposite argument > almost > has more power - that _Kerry_, not Bush, is in hock > to > interests that are fundamentally antagonistic to the > welfare of the US. So if the most important thing > is > who has influence over your actions, them I'm not > sure > whose side that should bring me or any other > undecided > voter down on. > > ===== > Gautam Mukunda > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > "Freedom is not free" > http://www.mukunda.blogspot.com > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. > http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail > _______________________________________________ > http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l > _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
