May 16, 2004
"I've been ready every day to be an overnight
success," said
Dennis Kucinich.
Kerry’s obsession with internationalization
by Roger Wm.
Hughes
There continues to be a disturbing trend by
Democrats to want to involve the French in the
Iraq War. France -- the country, that provided a
safe haven to the Ayatollah Khomeini... a country
that has so socialized its economy that its
continued economic decline is inevitable... a
country that resents our hard work and what it
calls the America's MacDonaldization of European
culture.
Robert Kagan in his book, Paradise and Power,
points out the deep resentment by France and
Germany towards America and their stated goal of
diminishing America’s power. According to Kagan’s
book, the French Foreign Minister called on Europe
-- that being France and Germany -- to create a
joint military force that might offset America’s
military strength. However, their weak economies
would not support such a move.
These are not the words of allies.
Despite this, Sen. John Kerry called on Friday for
greater participation from France:
"There are senators and … diplomats who have had
conversations with other folks that I think
indicate that — given the right equation, given
the right statesmanship and leadership — it is
possible to have a very different level of
participation," Kerry said.
"I know what the public statements are today," the
Democratic presidential nominee said. "It doesn't
deter me one iota from saying what I say, based on
what my private conversations have been."
Earlier this week, France's new foreign minister
said his country would never send French troops to
Iraq, even as part of a peacekeeping mission.
It is clear that America needs to do something
about these wayward allies that resent us so much.
It is clear that the U.S. and the EU must develop
a common policy that recognizes their historical
and strategic differences.
France and Germany, Kagan argues, have learned
that nation-states must live together or die.
America has come to rely on the blunt diplomacy of
force; Europeans resent America for its raw power
tactics. Americans, however, get fed up with
whining Europeans who would not enjoy their
freedom to moan but for the post-1945 umbrella of
NATO security. Americans are not willing to make
money off of terrorists or let a ‘Komeini’ live in
their country -- even if it would later result in
the harming of France at some future date.
Given all of this, it remains strange the Kerry
continues to insist on France’s participation --
participation from a nation that is undoubtedly
linked to the Food for Oil kickbacks to Saddam
Hussein. A nation, along with Germany and Russia,
that continued to build up Hussein’s military
capabilities and defenses. These countries that
supported the ending of embargoes against Hussein,
despite his failure to comply with the terms of
surrender.
We must continue to view Kerry’s obsession with
selling out America with grave concerns. We have
to wonder whether it is his hatred of the concept
of American exceptionalism or a naive belief that
if we all just talk things out people will no
longer kill us because of who and what we are.
The Vegan’s last stand
Rep. Dennis Kucinich is making a stand in Oregon’s
Primary on Tuesday. Actor Sean Penn has been
campaigning in the state on Kucinich’s behalf.
Penn is attracted because he sees Senator John
Kerry as too much of an establishment candidate.
The LA Times reports:
Kucinich said he had acknowledged that "the
nomination was basically determined." But as he
munched on vegan marshmallows from the backseat of
a minivan last week, he added, "I'm staying in it
because the direction of the party hasn't been
determined."
The Latino vote
Politics is about the base vote and the margins
you can add to it. One of the Democrats’ worries
is about where the Latino vote will go. Bush won
more than his share in the last Presidential
election. Now, the Democrats are taking action,
according to an LA Times story:
Latino voters could ultimately decide who wins the
November election, said Terry McAuliffe, chairman
of the Democratic National Committee. If Democrats
can capture two-thirds of the 3 million Latinos
who may cast their first ballots this year, that
would be sufficient to tip Pennsylvania, Florida
and Arizona, now electoral dead heats, into the
Kerry column and ensure victory for the Democratic
challenger, McAuliffe said.
Republicans are also working hard to court Latino
voters. The personal style of the president, the
former governor of Texas, has resonated with many.
The Democrats hope to use the unemployment rate as
their tool to win Latino votes and Republicans are
pointing to an improving economy and family
values.
Friedman: Bush wrong
The NY Times columnist Thomas L Friedman unloaded
on President Bush’s conduct of the war stating
that most of the problems were based on the White
House considerations for politics:
I admit, I'm a little slow. Because I tried to
think about something as deadly serious as Iraq,
and the post- 9/11 world, in a nonpartisan fashion
— as Joe Biden, John McCain and Dick Lugar did — I
assumed the Bush officials were doing the same. I
was wrong. They were always so slow to change
course because confronting their mistakes didn't
just involve confronting reality, but their own
politics.
Friedman and many other critics have argued that
the desire to reconfigure modern warfare to the
current model of lighter, faster and precise is
wrong-headed. However, there is still some
evidence that the critics may be wrong.
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