No week has better illustrated the catastrophic failures of the Bush administration's foreign policy then this one.
Just look at the front page of the New York Times today. It has two big stories above the fold. The left column is about Musharraf's resignation. The right column is about the collapse of the Bush-Putin relationship.
Instead of two articles it should have had one headline: After 8 Years Bush's Pakistan And Russia Policies Shown To Be Complete Failures.
So this week at the same time the president was coming to the realization that his insights into Putin's soul may have been misguided, his failed policy toward Pakistan was also coming full circle. The resignation of Musharraf represents the total collapse of eight years of Bush administration policy. Toward both Russia and Pakistan, Bush pursued a personality driven policy -- to Russia we had a Putin Policy, to Pakistan we had a Musharraf Policy. And both leaders have used their personal relationships with the president to insulate themselves from broader criticism. In the end, we never had a real strategy for either country and eight years later we find ourselves increasingly powerless to do anything about it.
Perhaps the biggest foreign policy challenge for the next president is attempting to restore U.S. credibility and prestige around the world. McCain this week has shown exactly the wrong way to go about it. His recent over-the-top rhetoric about Georgia is exactly the wrong approach and reeks of the same neoconservative-inspired thinking that emanated from Bush's first term. Making hollow promises and defiant threats, when the Bush administration just showed that such rhetoric to be completely hollow, only makes the U.S. look less credible (Of course, if McCain were actually serious about following through on his reckless rhetoric and militarily confronting Russia then that would not only be insane but would further imperil our superpower status). McCain's mocking of Obama's trip abroad, only demonstrates how out of touch McCain actually is. The fact is that we need a leader who can convince the world once again to follow the lead of the United States. Obama's trip demonstrated that he has the power to do that. While on the other hand, all McCain has shown is a lot of reckless crazy talk that will only leave us isolated and weaker.
The Bush legacy will be Politics 101 on how NOT to run a country, and hopefully it will be prerequisite reading for all who seek Political Office in the future! If I had my way, we would obliterate W from the History books altogether and emulate what they did in old Egypt after Akhenaten the Heretic King died. They erased every trace of him from their records and carvings.
Either way, I have a feeling history will not be kind to this Administration and they will certainly deserve it!
"Imperial Presidency" - Thank you Andrew J. Bacevich!
Let him live in one of Saddam Hussein's palaces outside the Green Zone :)
It's just business as usual.
A phone call - a hand shake over a surf' 'n turf.
A back pat/massage, "whatever it takes"
"It's just business."
~Michael Corleone channeling the Bush Mafia
mccain has to have his 15 minutes. But can't the bush handlers stick a sock in it, to prevent any more damage from the rootin' tootin' cowboy wanna be blustering? Keep him silent by any means!
Clinton did not comply with the agreement not to extend NATO eastward on Eastern European countries of the former Soviet block.
US keeps implimenting aggresive Imperialistic policies.
And corporate mass media is totally preoccupied with Putin, what he has to do wit Washington?
Republican corporations. They got into MEDIA BUSINESS from advertising the products they sell.
That's a "secret"? ?
WHY PRETEND there's somebody else other than REPUBLICAN CORPORATIONS WHO OWN MEDIA?
Their media is preoccupied with Putin and other stuff because their BOSSES WANT DIVERSIONS
and CAMO SCREENS away from what they are really up to. Including BIG OIL's rape of
countries for oil profits.
BUSH-CHENEY'S mission accomplished? TO ENRICH BIG OIL. they are oil men.
BIG OIL'S BOTTOM LINE GOT RICHEST in 8 yrs.
Bush should write a book: How to Completely Destroy a Superpower in Just 8 Years
Assuming he can write.
Katrina
Iraq
Iran
Torture
Osama Bin Laden
Eavesdropping on Citizens
Civil Rights
Justice Dept
Karl Rove
Dick Cheney
Skindoggy
Criminal negligence leading to, or actual complicity in 9/11/2001.
Donald Rumsfeld
John Ashcroft
Alberto Gonzales
Condeleeza Rice
Jeff Gannon/Guckert
UAE ports deal
Hell-the list goes on ad infinitum
Heck of a job Georgie.
And now Russia is threatening Poland with nukes? And we want Obama in the middle of that? No thanks......Rather have Grandpa Mccain on the porch with his rifle....
ReadyNow, did you ever go to school? Read a book or learn something about history, military strategy and politics? Doubt it.
Do you live in the hills where idiots need to defend themselves against another idiot invading their property or stealing their can of Coke? Obviously, you have no knowledge of history, military strategy, anti-missile failures of this country, Poland, or anything else for that matter. It makes no difference because in the scheme of things, the USofA is slowly going down the drain. There's no excuse for stupidity.
Oh, and China, with a trillion dollars in foreign reserves, has more influence in Washington than American voters. Besides, the dollar would become toilet paper if China released $400 million of those dollars onto the world market. The only save we have right now is that China is dependent on America for economic growth. And that dependency is slowly coming to an end. Once gone, China will economically destroy America. Sure, China will take a hit, America will be sunk.
And not only is China capable of doing so. Those countries with dollar reserves are increasingly diversifying their holdings. Most Americans afford America on debt. You will not be able to afford America, or even Zimbabwe, if the dollar collapses.
A Rapid Examination of 21st Century Expressions of Mass Dissent
Hard working, tax paying, family focused, and well-intentioned people, from sea to shining sea, are channeling Marvin Gaye when they ask, “What’s going on?”
War, rumors of war, post war examinations revealing pre-war contamination of the presented truth, yet, average plugged-in Americans did not need much proof prior to invasion that Bush was hell bent on Iraqi enslavement. The rise of the neocolonialist who occupies nations, and wraps it up in pretty pictures and words like
Shock and Awe
Mission Accomplished
Axis of Evil
Surge
All over, people come to economic realizations that ends may never meet and corruption and greed have set up shop on Wall Street. Credit scores and media whores, they rhyme but have more in common than that. The new system is one of tight control through information; measured and filtered dissemination of facts, to achieve ends of design not ends that free but ones that bind. Oh what a mountain of lies and illusion the average citizen is forced to climb -- just to make it, it is a wonder how any of us continue to take it.
So we vent, we set up tent in the public square. We come hard with our view of America; we bring our opinion to bear. Words alone do not solve a thing. Blunder -- is what action without consideration, usually brings, we blog because we think before we act on these things.
During this time, America has come to accept torture. The military is in disarray, the moral authority that America stands for is in tatters and Jesus Himself would seem to have endorsed deregulation of commerce. Deregulation that has destroyed America's economic future and led to the steady impoverishment of most Americans. Science, the area that gave America the knowledge to lead in technological innovation is under assault by religious extremists. Never mind the lack of effective education that exists in the schools. And health care? No money? Just die already.
Not that the Democrats have done much better. Remember Bill Clinton and NAFTA? Or the tech bubble that began under his reign only to burst in Bush's presidential appointment by nine voters on The Supreme Court.
Now get the hell out of politics before you further destroy America.
Perhaps not.
Superpower, pluuleaze!