Conservative anger grows over Bush’s foreign policy. Who wouldn’t be! Bush has led this country into one disastrous quagmire of a war in Iraq, another failing effort in Afghanistan, Somalia is now under al Qaeda backed Islamic control, Iran has nuclear capability, North Korea now has nuclear weapons with missiles, Israel has invaded Lebanon and the peace process is in ruins (decades behind) and the entire world hates us. Terrorism is much stronger today than it ever was before Bush came to office and the world is a far less safe place today than it was in 2000.
This is the direct result of what has been coined “Cowboy Diplomacy”. It basically isn’t diplomacy at all. It is a declared statement of intent, followed by action. Sounds tough, but tell me what’s tough about rushing into a fight you know nothing about. Cowboy diplomacy also brought us indifference in the Middle East, allowing Israel to overplay its hand, and severe agitation among other world leaders, not to mention allowing Somalia to fall into enemy hands. How can anyone forget how Cowboy Diplomacy brought us a breakdown in dialogue with Iran and North Korea, which are free to do as they choose while Bush kills innocent Iraqis and American GIs to get more oil. All the while, his buddies are all getting fat and rich off taxpayer dollars like greedy robber barons. If Bush’s diplomacy can be compared to any major recent historical leader, I would choose Mussolini.
It is no wonder that Cowboy Diplomacy has been silenced by its own sick creator. Bush has found new friends (letting go much of his staff) and old friends have changed their tune (like Condoleezza). Time magazine went far enough to declare Cowboy Diplomacy dead, even making it their cover story.
However, is it in time? We are already engaged in 2 wars, and the Middle East is brewing into a full-blown war as well. All that separates the 3 wars is Syria and Iran. The insanely moronic Neo-Cons are calling this World War 3! While once again their sensational rhetorical nonsense makes a mountain out of a molehill, we certainly have one big molehill on our hands! But before we go throwing dynamite down someone’s backyard mole problem, we should consider a return to REAL diplomacy before jumping off the deep end and plunging the world into a war that could mean the destruction of all humanity.
For starters, Bush should get Rice over there right away, not allowing Israel to do as it pleases. The recent diplomacy is starting to look as bad as the Cowboy incarnation.
The problem is, that if the Middle East boils into a regional war, the leaders of the world will begin to get involved. That means we will be there too, fighting in a war that will undoubtedly carry on for years, spearheaded almost entirely by Bush, who has gained us very few friends anywhere in the world. Russia and China are slowly drifting against us, and Europe has become distant.
Diplomacy is the art of a good statesman. Bush’s hero Reagan had far better diplomacy, and so did his own father for that matter. Keeping the world united behind our cause is part of being president. It keeps the strategic and tactical interests of the world working for us.
Bush on the other hand has given everything away. Foreign and Domestic. He handed away the middle class to the expanded free trade agreements and proposed agreements (CAFTA and SAFTA), given tax-cuts to corporations that abandon American labor, cut education spending and financial aid for college students and divided the country on political lines. All the while, the country is no more “Christian” or moral than it ever was before he came to office. In fact, it’s worse.
He allowed a major terrorist attack to happen on American soil; never caught the guy who did it, then exploited the crisis for more tax-cuts, violations of civil liberties and to support his own pet project (the invasion of Iraq).
Foreign policy he has laid all of our cards on the table, even getting caught AGAIN, with an open mike recording his every word. This of course gave away his strategy, as if it weren’t already obvious!
Bush is flamboyantly predictable. Just some lame wanabe cowboy who “shoots from the hip”, and seems more concerned about taking a vacation then fixing the mess he created. Bush said he’d rather be right than popular. Well he sure as hell isn’t popular, but he sure as hell isn’t right either, and history will prove that. What’s really funny is that Bush is calling the American people wrong! We don’t like him, but he doesn’t give a damn! He’s right, we’re wrong. How arrogant! I can see why no one outside of the U.S. likes him!
Well he better get off his ass and do something! Otherwise we will all be in a world of hell. If he doesn’t do something, we must. Elect the opposition, than have the bastard impeached on the grounds of corruption, conspiracy and just plain excessive stupidity in the office of the President.