One of the planks of President Obama's campaign strategy was heavy criticism of the Bush Administration's foreign policy, which Obama often alleged had damaged the United States' standing in the world partially due to Bush's 'cowboy diplomacy.' The United States will rehabilitate its image in the world under my administration, Obama promised. The whole problem is that we simply haven't asked totalitarian regimes, like Iran, nicely enough to give up their nuclear ambitions or other goals deemed incompatible with the U.S.'s and our allies interests.
Well, it's over a year later, and we don't see a lot of increase in the United States' standing in the world community, in my view. The Obama administration is coming under heat (admittedly mostly from the right) because we seem to be placating our enemies and dissing our allies. Obama has turned the other cheek to these rogue nations, and they have pasted him on it.
Now, while the Obama administration has been talking very tough on new Iran sanctions, along the lines of those proposed many months ago by Congressman Mark Kirk, that would hit Iran where it would really hurt, the U.S. is now backing off the harshest sanction proposals because it does not appear that such sanctions would have the support of UN Security Council members like Russia and China.
It should not be a shock. Given that Obama soundly criticized Bush for his 'go it alone' when necessary approach to foreign policy, to now take any steps that don't have UN backing and might paint Obama himself as just as much of a 'cowboy' as Bush, well now, that would not do at all.
Interesting that billboards are now springing up with a picture of President Bush saying "Miss Me Yet?" I don't know if the billboard craze is going to catch on, but you may find a lot more people asking themselves that very same question.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
6 comments:
=The United States will rehabilitate its image in the world under my administration, Obama promised.=
Sure. Bowing down and kissing everyone's butt is sure going to help meet that objective. The President even admitted a while back in the press that animosity toward the US has gone up since he's been in office. Wonder why.
We are back to the clinton administration where everyone sees us as weak. During the bush administration, we may not have had 400,000 screaming germans loving our president, but when you went into a foreign capital to do business with their government, they didn't question the muscle in washington.
This latest problem in Israel started when the centcomm generals went into arab capitals and found that the governments told them they thought this administration had no balls and the way to demonstrate that would be to beat up on Israel. So obama took netanyahu to the woodshed and we have a crisis and the first arabist adminstration since carter.
Every foreign policy success this administration has had has come because of work bush did. the start treaty with russia happened because obama gave away an anti-missile base republican adminsitrations set up. the drug war agenda in mexico was built on a bush administration plan, the iraqi elections, the surge, the pakistani governments increased willingness to engage their terrorists came because of a bush administration appointee and mark foe named anne patterson.
In short what obama copied from bush is working, what he did on his own hasn't and as we see dan and alexi tell us how smart they are because they can find something to say on israel because they can find brookings on a google search just remember how well that did obama. not.
I am interested to see how pawlenty does because his campaign message of sams club republicanism (heavy social conservatism, fiscal liberalism) is anti-north shore republican which would generally be
considered whole foods conservatism or costco conservatism (fiscal conservatism social moderation).
foklaeaps
Glad it is "your view" because I have been traveling the world this past year, and our standing in the world is credible once again. Many foreigners/leaders call Obama the "quiet" LEADER.
Foxleaps.......you spin weak beyond belief.....get our of your shell and visit the world
Russia and the US have come to a substantive (Mr. Bush, I can explain what that means) agreement. This did not occur under the W. regime. Probably too many unknown knowns, meetings with Energy industry big wigs, appointments of mediocre people to lead us down the path to ruin and shooting of one's friends and then rushing to blame them before, during, and after touting NRA safety courses. (Wonder what Mr. Cantor thinks of those courses now...)
Apparently, doing more than looking into someone's eyes and saying you're doing a heck of a job actually works! (In hindsight, these Bush gems seem more appropriate for 'Days of Our Lives than they do for a world leader.)
Just think how far we'd all have come if we didn't have the pre-emptive strike (3-4 tours per GI?), reconciliation-passed tax cuts ($pending), and a with us or against us approach to life on our planet.
Of course, when your the GOP, it takes a while to see what really works and what doesn't:
McCain courting Palin - again.
Bush, Jr. and the Star Wars missile defense shield; it hasn't worked by any stretch of the objective imagination for decades and at what COST?
Republicans belatedly referring to themselves as the guardians of Medicare (Rep. Ryan not included).
Maybe because they haven't recused themselves from THEIR own public-funded healthcare, the inconsistent people that they are. (Benefits for me-good; benefits for anyone else - now that's just wrong).
GOP'ers talking about taking a tough stance on Iran when it was Romney's hero Reagan that made deals with Iran and Central American countries.
Regardless of how long ago this was, when current political figures tout the actions of Presidents like Reagan not less than a week or a month ago, it is still relevant (Conservative PAC meeting?) and demonstrates a less than consistent approach to governance, which makes it hard for Americans or any other inhabitants of the planet to be able to interact with our leaders on the right. Of course, if people like Boehner could stay out of the tanning bed long enough to accurately quote a founding document, but I digress...
The only animosity that has gone up is from those that have no sense of decency, respect or desire to engage in civil discourse. (Damage to property and criminal tresspass are not solely expressing one's views. It is wrong and the GOP SHOULD say so but they won't.) That would be the GOP.
Every foreign policy success is because of Bush?
Umm, did Obama say anything about freedom fries or star wars in Europe? Is he not ending the wars?
Wouldn't this be doing the opposite of the genius you call Bush?
Parallel universe folkeaps?
=Glad it is "your view" because I have been traveling the world this past year, and our standing in the world is credible once again.=
Uh, huh. Glad you're enjoying yourself, Anon 3:52, and basking in all the "glory" and butt-kissing as our President is--regardless of whether it's a "backpacking tour" somewhere or something a bit more upscale (Danger, danger, Will Robinson).
Now if you and our President could only get your priorities straight and remember that you're being flattered as a means to and end--OUR end, we'd be in better shape.
Remember, you're an American first.
You know...there was a time when those who were "privileged" enough to travel overseas did so to gain insight that would help OUR Country v. being tempted to sell our Country out because they were being treated as even more "privileged" by those overseas.
The cost of cheap airfare, low self-esteem, and publicity in the "local" papers, I guess, huh?
Post a Comment