Abandoning possible friends
Smantix over at Six Meat Buffet has a great post today about how Bush has abandoned the Ukraine’s pro-West revolution. Full Post Here
Smantix is dead on that Bush is not Reagan, but hey Reagan is once in a generation. Bush needs to be judged against other comparable presidents, or at least someone that will not be going down as a legend. Personally I would love to see Bush have a stronger pro Democracy and Pro West agenda in both the former Soviet bloc and in the far East. I have long been a proponent of taking care of nations that take care of you. I do not understand the idea of supporting tin pot dictators and questionable alliances when strong partners are available. I also understand that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, but that is even more reason to be a supporter of the Pro west / pro Democracy movements throughout the globe. Freedom when experienced is not something that a people will give up, or at least not without a fight. The human soul yearns to be free of the bounds of government and restraint and desires to live out it’s life in the form it desires, not due to the orders of others. So, could Bush do better YES, will he MAYBE, but he is doing better then Clinton because at least he has a foreign policy that does not involve the bimbo factor of the nation.
Thanks for the linkage. I’m disturbed by our whole relationship with the Russians. Putin is no ally of the US no matter how deeply Bush looked into his eyes.
Back on Jan 16., 2001 he said:
PRESIDENT BUSH: “I will answer the question. I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country. And I appreciated so very much the frank dialogue.
There was no kind of diplomatic chit-chat, trying to throw each other off balance. There was a straightforward dialogue. And that’s the beginning of a very constructive relationship. I wouldn’t have invited him to my ranch if I didn’t trust him.”
This is the man who tried to subvert the vote against Iraq on the Security Council. Is proliferating anti-US missile technology to Iran and have had their largest increase in spending on their nuclear program since before the Cuban Missile Crisis. Signed cooperative military agreements with China. Is seizing businesses and bringing them under state control and who abducts and drugs his opponents in allegedly “free” elections. We’re already in the next Cold War. If Bush won’t saying anything, we should have some other high-ranking official do so.
Comment by
smantix — 1/1/2006 @ 12:01 pm
I am not exactly a Putin fan either. Once KGB, always KGB. I think long term Putin wants to see a return to a communist Russia and he wants a new Soviet bloc. As for someone standing up to him, well that seems to be the problem I see with BOTH parties. So much parity and no real action. Both parties talk about change, but live via the staus quo. My only real point about Bush is that he is doing more then I see ANYONE else doing, and as sad as that is, it is something.
Great stuff though and keep it up. Always a pleasure to read Six Meat and hopefully that will continue in the future.
Comment by
Frank — 1/1/2006 @ 5:23 pm