...I'm okay with being REALITY-based.




Monday, September 08, 2003
      ( 11:01 AM )
 
I Second That

Howard Dean:

"In 15 minutes, he attempted to make up for 15
months of misleading the American people and
15 weeks of mismanaging the reconstruction," he said.

Well said. A bit of sound-bitey, but okay. What I'd like to see from Howard Dean (and any other candidate) is an alternative plan. I think people are going to reach the saturation point of "Bush is STUPID!" and will want to see how Dean (or whomever) will fix the situation in a practical way. Most likely, most people are resigned to the fact that it's going to cost a lot, but most people DON'T agree with the administration that the US must maintain all political power over there. So what IS a good plan for how to take care of this situation? I submit that the US is going to have to do more than a wimpy UN Resolution that offers nothing to the countries we've insulted, humiliated, ostracized and now begged for money and troops.

Perhaps it is because my degree is in conflict resolution, but it seems to me that no one in authority in our government is making any effort whatsoever to resolve this crisis in a meaningful way. It seems to be a foreign concept to this administration that losing a little face now can lead to a big win later. In any event, we have to lose face now because of the very ill-advised moves we made six months ago - so we have to compromise only because we didn't when we should have earlier. Partnership and teamwork do not necessarily weaken a nation's power. The U.S.'s dominance in the world is not made stronger by cutting ties with allies, as we have seen this last year.

But I guess some leading Democrats think things are just hunky-dory anyway:

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, Joe Biden of Delaware, also
said the speech put the "right emphasis" in calling
for more international involvement in post-war Iraq.

"[Bush] finally rejected the advice of the neoconservatives
-- [Vice President Dick] Cheney and [Secretary of Defense
Donald] Rumsfeld and others -- and he's going to the
United Nations, which was inevitable," Biden said. "I
wish we had done it earlier, but I give him credit for
doing it now."

Was I listening to a different speech than Sen. Biden? I don't recall ANY emphasis on reparing the relationships with our allies. I think he might have mentioned once that other countries should join us - but what is that except continued non-cooperation from us? Biden is renewing my worst fears about our "opposition party." Democrats can't continue to go along with these very bad ideas, they are not representing their constituents or the best interests of this country. We've already seen the results of what happens when everyone agrees with the leader and no one questions. Our country cannot take another trip down that path again.


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