Time for Cain to badmouth the president and the country. Consider my words marked.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
A hundred years later, that's still the best foreign policy advice ever given.
The problem comes when either the soft speaking or the big stick is overemphasized, to the detriment of the other.
President Bush's harshest critics believe he has given over completely to the stick -- and not only has us in a protracted battle in Afghanistan and Iraq, but is spoiling for war with Iran.
We don't think that's the case. But with Iran attempting to spread its oppressive influence in the oil-rich Mideast -- and to build a nuclear weapon, perhaps to threaten Israel with, or to slip to terrorists to use in the U.S. -- it's hardly the time to put away the stick.
And yet, with a war-weary electorate, and a perception that we have overemphasized the stick, the next president must promise us something other than more war.
The next president will be on perhaps the thinnest tightrope in American history.
On the one hand, he or she will have to guard America and its national interests like a pit bull off the chain. Besides radical Muslims and the new Hitler in Tehran, there's a resurgence of Cold War sabre-rattling in Putin's Russia. There's an increasingly powerful communist China, which is building up its military with our T-shirt money -- perhaps one day to lay claim to the oil we'll need.
Nor are all our threats militaristic. Our manufacturing base is dying, our government is trillions in debt and beholden to hostile foreign governments, and the lack of a coherent national energy policy is choking the economy and dimming our future.
At the same time, the electorate is not only war-weary but war-wary. And much of the world -- which never had much of a stomach for joining us to take on terrorism -- is, fairly or not, overly focused on, and resentful of, the stick.
The next president will have to be as adept at waging peace as waging war.
That means persuading other nations to use peaceful means to ward off Iran's nuclear and expansionist ambitions. It means not only nabbing the terrorists, but capturing the high ground as well. It means mobilizing the world to get its act together.
That's not only a thin tightrope, it's high up, for getting moral clarity and any kind of strategic pre-emptive action out of the United Nations -- the kind of action that avoids the need for war -- is a tall order indeed.
Certainly, the peace-at-any-cost crowd, which seems to hold sway in national Democratic politics these days, mistakes the absence of hostilities for peace. They believe if we just come home, all will be well. That's a naivete -- an overemphasis of the soft speaking -- that endangers not only themselves, but the rest of us.
But there's a danger, too, in overemphasizing the stick. If Republican nominee John McCain does that this summer and fall, he will likely lose.
By the same token, Americans will risk much if they elect a president whose policy is to cut and run. That would be swinging the pendulum too far.
This election is about achieving a balance in speaking softly and carrying a big stick.
So far, we haven't seen that balance in the candidates.
Comments
Time for Cain to badmouth the president and the country. Consider my words marked.
Short of Mahatma Gandhi types there is no such thing as "the peace at any cost crowd". Pacifists are rare indeed. No Establishment politician is a pacifist. 99.99% of Americans and their leaders believe in the use of force for legitimate self-defense. The liberal wing of the Democrat Party is not a pacifist crowd. They object to the rush to war in Iraq which George W. Bush led this nation. No one objected when Bush went after Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda who were responsible for the 9/11/01 attacks on United States. No one objects to the use of force in a preemptive manner when there is a real, IMMINENT threat. But I and others do protest vociferously when the President of United States assumes unconstitutional powers and declares he alone can determine to strike any nation or group which he thinks might be a threat sometime in future. As Charley Reese writes "Somebody who can't tell the difference between a nuclear-free Iran with no ICBMs and Russia with thousands of nuclear warheads sitting atop advanced intercontinental missiles has no business being allowed in the White House, even as a tourist." Iran (like Iraq before it) poses no threat whatsoever to United States.
"Speak softly and carry a big stick."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
Would it be possible to get the AC to comment on the relevancy of this, 100 years later, to the structure and function of Six Party Talks that have been one of the mainstays of the Bush administration(s). I mean generally a good piece guys, but you failed to mention one of the most important things........the stucture of the six party talks! Can you do a follow up piece on this serious ommission?
Thank you Chronicle for such putting this dire situation our nation finds inself in so succinctly....This nation needs to pray to God for His grace and mercies on a people who have fallen into moral decay...If we repent and do so humbly and change our ways God will heal this land...
America is in the process of losing a war to the far left. As this group continues to hammer home the evils of national defense and to make every effort to destroy consumer confidence with their control of the national media, America falls further and further apart. A nation divided....This effort seems to be as successful as the dumbing down of America effort that has been in place for over 30 years and the two efforts seem somehow to be connected. Well, we'll see how the left handles the country in the atmosphere they've precipitated. Maybe I'll be surprised, but it seems that killing the horse to win a race still leaves you with a dead horse. I suspect there has been some short-sighted action taken.
We see the far-right already spinning their lost war to blame on others. This is why the Republican party has lost credibility with America; it refuses to accept responsibility. This party acts as a spoiled child. The far-right spreads hatred for this country as it salivates to see more war as Democrats take over. I believe President Obama will take a nalanced approach between diplomacy and military strength as he repairs this mess of the far-right.
And Jesus said, the people will cry peace, but there will be wars and rumors of wars and no peace will be found. He was always one for telling us the truth, we just never listen much.
Patricia?"America is in the process of loosing a war to the far left." Loose- not tight{loose, loosening, loosened), lose- not win. (losing, lost) Please make a note.
Thank you Tall2... that was appropriate.
Right Deb..As an old General said during WWII, "there will always be the wrong wars at the wrong times". Even then not everyone agreed with the president.
Yeah, you guys are going to love Obama. This is going to be hilarious and have everyone missing the Bush years.
Isn't there a saying "Be careful what you wish for, you might get it" ?
Freedom is not on the march in the Middle East. Iran is on the march in the Middle East. Few have done more to enable Iran than George W. Bush. Big stick only rhymes with what he is.
We must return to Constitutional principles in matters of war and reign in the "imperial presidency." Per the Constitution, only the Congress has the authority to declare war. Without Congressional authorization and appropriation, the president could not wage war on his own initiative.
Shivas, one only has to read our chief America hater Cain to see how far to the left and the rest of the left they are.. He has posted his usual anti-American blatherings and you have followed up wth yours. If anything, Osama, according to a speech he made, will virtually disarm us unilaterally. THAT scares hell out of me.
Ronald Reagan's policy of speaking softly but carrying a big stick defeated the Communist Soviet Union. He also used the stick (as would have Roosevelt) to prevent the spread of communism in South America. Had he been President at the time, Castro would not be in Cuba. That took a DIM. Now Osama says he would unitlaterally virtually disarm us.
Shivas and all you other leftists, try this on for size. Unilateral disarmament is an invitation for attack.
http://www.macsmind.com/wordpress/2008/02/27/obama-plans-to-disarm-america
tall2, thank you for emptying you knowledge bank for my edification. I'll bet you know the meaning of another word too. I'm sorry the o in my typo caused you such confusion. I'll try to proofread my posts better to save you the effort and misunderstanding. I noticed you had the good sense not to disagree with the rest of my post. You make a good dictionary policeman.
Ms Thomas, I had noted the same mistake as a common thread to your usually well edited comments. Too bad you cannot receive a simple well intended critique better than that. "Emptying my knowledge bank"? If you were aware of how truly deep my knowledge was, you'd be far more graceful.
Simple typos and misuse of synonyms cheapen the impact of what otherwise may be an educational post. Even if written by PatriciaThomas.
perhaps she attended Richmond County schools
If I were to believe everything I read about how bad the RC schools are, I'd never drive near one. Yet there are students in each and every school who are utilizing every bit of resource available to them and EXCELLING in that "bad, bad school system." Ask not what your schools can do for your kids, ask what can YOU do for your kids education. My Mom and Dad were strict on character and education. Mom AND Dad... what a concept?
Touche tall2, touche.
THE DEMOCRATS ARE COMING, THE DEMOCRATS ARE COMING. Talk about crying wolf. I know that the Therapy business will be booming, because of the Republicans, after the Democrats win the white House. I love when they say, you cannot blame the President for this or give him all the credit for that, but when it comes to Reagan, they actually believe that HE won the " Cold War". Talk about Fantasy Island.
The #1 public school in GA is in Richmond County.
We do not have the time or the knowledge to list all the positive aspects of the RCBOE and it's school system anymore than we have the time or knowledge to explain the rapid decline in morality that allows single parent families to multiply. All this harping about Mr. Obama's race is moot. Due to the better preservation of the family unit, Hispanics, Asians, and Mid-Eastern immigrants into the USA will soon supplant both the white race AND the black race due to one simple fact: All the former three cultures DEMAND both parents participate in the raising of their children. A Hispanic, Asian or Arab man considers his responsibility to child raising a sacred duty and source of pride. To all single moms and dads out there who didn't have any choice, good luck and God bless. To all those two parent households that tough it out and put their kids first, God HAS blessed you.
Looks like my marked words were fulfilled. Cain is so predictable, it's not even sporting anymore.
Hypo, not so fast. None other than Bill C. himself said this weekend that Obama won't win the general election. I don't know, I'm just saying. Oh, and by the way, who was leading the nation when the Soviet Union broke up. Please be so kind as to enlighten me on your concept of the end of the cold war.
What's with the rumor that something big will break in October regarding Obama and Daley in Chicago ? Some crooked business to be sure. I guess if we had the answer now, it couldn't break in Oct, so again, we wait.
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